Edmund Bailey Funston
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Edmund Bailey Funston (May 19, 1868 – May 10, 1933) was an American architect in
Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in Racine County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River (Wisconsin), Root River, south of Milwaukee and north of Chicago. It is the List ...
. He is credited with designing the Badger Building (1916). He was the founder of Edmund B. Funston Company Architects. Funston was born in Champaign County,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
on May 19, 1868, to John H. Funston and Elizabeth E. (Bailey) Funston. Funston graduated in 1892 with a Bachelor of Science architecture degree from the
University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
. He taught in a manual training school in Colorado for two years before working in
New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...
and
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. He worked as superintendent of construction at Jos. C. Llewellyn of Chicago for five years, including work on the construction of five buildings at the University of Illinois. He also superintended the rebuilding of the Advance Threshing Machine Company's building in
Battle Creek, Michigan Battle Creek is a city in northwestern Calhoun County, Michigan, United States, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo River, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek River, Battle Creek rivers. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a tota ...
. Funston came to Racine and was associated with A. Arthur Guilbert as a partner from 1905 until 1915. The firm of Guilbert & Funston, Architects designed the Welsh Presbyterian church (Racine, Wisconsin), the First Methodist Church (Racine, Wisconsin), Grange Avenue Methodist Church, the First National Bank building, the Commercial & Savings Bank building, N. D. Fratt School, Elks club house (Racine, Wisconsin),
Racine Country Club Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ; ; 22 December 1639 – 21 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille, as well as an important literary figure in the Western tr ...
building, Fire engine houses Nos. 1 and 2, and an office building for the Mitchell-Lewis Motor Company. After Guilbert & Funston dissolved in 1915, Funston organized the firm of Edmund B. Funston Company. P. T. Beicher was his assistant. In 1915-16 he oversaw the design and construction of the 4-story Badger office building. He also designed the manufacturing plant for the Hamilton Beach Manufacturing Company, remodeled the Masonic temple, and designed an office building for David B. James S. Company. He founded the Funston Long Distance Telephone Company and constructed a telephone toll line from
St. Joseph, Missouri St. Joseph is a city in and county seat of Buchanan County, Missouri, Buchanan County, Missouri, United States. A small portion of the city extends north into Andrew County, Missouri, Andrew County. Located on the Missouri River, it is the princ ...
east through Wisconsin. They acquired the control of the Missouri River Telephone Company and the Dakota Telephone & Electric Company, and Funston became president of all three. Funston married Miss Ella M. Kephart of Ravenswood, Chicago, on August 23, 1905. Their daughter Jeanette was born November 27, 1915.RACINE BELLE CITY OF THE LAKES AND RACINE COUNTY WISCONSIN-ILLUSTRATED VOLUME II Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement THE S. J. CLARKE PUBLISHING COMPANY 1916 Funston died at his residence in
Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
, on May 10, 1933.Funeral Register Volume 16 : Carey Hand Funeral Home records, December 9, 1932 to December 9, 1933.
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Bibliography

*Record of the Funston family: Seven generations, 1765-1925 including biographical sketches, family tree and selected quotations. Unknown Binding January 1, 1925


References


Further reading


notes on a couple of his building designs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Funston, Edmund Bailey 1868 births 1933 deaths Architects from Illinois Architects from Wisconsin People from Champaign County, Illinois People from Racine, Wisconsin University of Illinois alumni