Miami FL First Church Christ Scientist01

August Geiger (September 2, 1887 - 1968) was one of the most prominent American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

s in

South Florida South Florida, sometimes colloquially shortened to SoFlo, is the Regions of the United States#Florida, southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the two others are ...

from 1905 to the late 1940s. He experimented in Mission,

Neo-Renaissance Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century Revivalism (architecture), architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival architecture, Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival ar ...

and

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

, but is most noted for his works in the

Mediterranean Revival style Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references to Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

. A number of his works are listed on the U.S.

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Life

Geiger was born in

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, the son of Margaretha (Rettenmeyer) Geiger and Louis Geiger, a manufacturer of moldings and other fine woodwork for

interior decoration Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a creative flair, an interior d ...

. He was educated at the city's public schools, and completed his studies at Boardman's Manual Training School. Showing a talent for drawing and design, he determined to be an architect and secured a position in a New Haven firm. In 1905, Geiger moved to

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, where he had vacationed with his family since around 1899, and worked at a local architectural firm for 6 years. The 10th registered architect in

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, he opened his own firm in 1911, and in 1915 opened a second office in Palm Beach. He worked for Carl Fisher on various construction projects in

Miami Beach Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida. The municipality is located on natural and human-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean an ...

, and was appointed architect for the Dade County School Board. In 1915 he married Ruth Hinson.Florida Editors 1925 p. 349

Some of his projects

* Villa Serena (1913) in

Coconut Grove Coconut Grove, also known colloquially as "The Grove", is an affluent and the oldest continuously inhabited neighborhoods of Miami, neighborhood of Miami in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The neighborhood is roughly bounded by North Prospect Driv ...

, Miami, Florida * Homestead Public School (also known as Neva Cooper School) (1914), in

Homestead, Florida Homestead is a city within Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in the United States, U.S. state of Florida, between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. Homestead is primarily a Miami suburb and ...

; listed in the National Register * Southside School (1914), 45 S.W. 13th St., Miami, Florida, NRHP-listed *

Miami City Hospital, Building No. 1 The Miami City Hospital, Building No. 1 is a historic hospital in Miami, Florida. The historic hospital, which is also known as The Alamo, is located at 1119 Northwest 16th Avenue. On December 31, 1979, the building was added to the U.S. Nationa ...

, (1915), 1611 NW 12th Ave., Miami, Florida, also called “The Alamo”—and now known as

Jackson Memorial Hospital Jackson Memorial Hospital, also referred to as Jackson or abbreviated MJMH, is a non-profit, tertiary care hospital, and the primary teaching hospital of the University of Miami's School of Medicine. As of 2021, it is the largest hospital in t ...

, (Geiger, August), NRHP-listed, (1916-1918) * Miami Beach Municipal Golf Course House (1916), in Miami Beach, Florida * Lincoln Hotel (1916), in Miami Beach, Florida (demolished)
Alton Beach Water Tank, Miami Beach, Florida
* Fort Lauderdale Woman’s Club (1917) in Fort Lauderdale, Florida * Davie School (1918), 6650 Griffin Rd.,

Davie, Florida Davie is a town in Broward County, Florida, United States, approximately north of Miami. The town's population was 110,320 at the 2020 census, making it the largest town in Florida by population. Davie is a principal town of the Miami metropol ...

, NRHP-listed *

Hindu Temple A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to Hindu deities, deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to who ...

(1920) in Miami, Florida * Fire Station No. 2 (1924), 1401 N. Miami Ave., Miami, Florida (Geiger, August C.), NRHP-listed * St. Francis Hospital (Miami Beach, Florida) (1924) in Miami Beach, Florida. (demolished) * Community Theater of Miami Beach (1924) on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Florida (demolished) * Dade County Courthouse (1925) in Miami, Florida; listed in the National Register * Carl Fisher Residence (1925) in Miami Beach, Florida *

Miami Women's Club The Miami Women's Club is a historic site in Miami, Florida, Miami, Florida. It is located at 1737 North Bayshore Drive. On December 27, 1974, it was added to the United States, U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The organization has face ...

(1925) 1737 N. Bayshore Dr., Miami, Florida; NRHP-listed * First Church of Christ, Scientist (1925) in Miami, Florida * Coral Way Elementary School (1936) Miami, Florida * Ida M. Fisher Junior High School (1936), Miami Beach, Florida * North Beach Elementary School (1936), Miami Beach, Florida * Chase Federal Bank (1937) Miami Beach, Florida * Dade County Courthouse, 73 W. Flagler St., Miami, Florida (Geiger, August), NRHP-listed * Homestead Public School-Neva King Cooper School, 520 N.W. First St.,

(Geiger, August), NRHP-listed * One or more works in Boca Chita Key Historic District, NW section of Boca Chita Key, roughly bounded by Biscayne Bay and a stone wall

Biscayne National Park Biscayne National Park is a national park of the United States located south of Miami, Florida, in Miami-Dade County. The park preserves Biscayne Bay and its offshore barrier reefs. Ninety-five percent of the park is water, and the shore of th ...

, Florida (August Geiger Firm), NRHP-listed

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Klepser, Carolyn & Parks, Arva Moore, ''Miami Then and Now (Then & Now)'' (Thunder Bay Press; 2002); * Barbara Baer Capitman, ''Deco Delights: Preserving the Beauty and Joy of Miami Beach Architecture'' (New York: E. P. Dutton, 1988) * Armbruster; Kleinberg; ''Florida Architecture and Allied Arts, 1939, 1940, 1941''; Curl; Works Progress Administration * Patricia Gabriel, ''The Villagers’’ Book of Outstanding Homes of Miami'' (Coral Gables, Fla.: University of Miami Press, 1975 * Florida Editors Association, ''The Book of Florida'' (No place); James O. Jones, 1925

External links

Old Davie School Historical Museum -- SunSentinel

Old Davie School Historical Museum

Dade County landmarks

Dade County Courthouse

Allison Hospital

''Villa Serena'' -- ''Miami Today''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Geiger, August 1887 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American architects Architects from Florida Mediterranean Revival architects Art Deco architects Architects from New Haven, Connecticut Architects from Miami History of Miami History of Miami-Dade County, Florida

Life

Some of his projects

See also

References

External links