George Rodney Willis (August 11, 1879 – January 22, 1960), was an American architect associated with the

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped i ...

and the

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, adjacent to Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, 26th-most populous municipality in Illinois, with a population of 54,318 as of the 2020 census. Oak Park was first se ...

studio of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright Sr. (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed List of Frank Lloyd Wright works, more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key ...

who thereafter had a successful career in California and in Texas.

Early life

George Willis was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

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 August 11, 1879, to Byron and Mary (Rodney) Willis. George was the third of four children. His mother was a descendant of

Caesar Rodney Caesar Rodney (October 7, 1728 – June 26, 1784) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware. He was an officer of the Delaware militia during the French and Indian War ...

, who cast

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

's vote for the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...

.George Rodney Willis, The Handbook of Texas on Line, by Stephanie Hetos Cocke

Education and Architectural Practice in Chicago

Willis attended Chicago public schools and enrolled in the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

in 1899, affiliated with the Armour Institute (now

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

). In his last year of school Willis began working in the Oak Park, Illinois, studio of architect

, for whom he served as draftsman for four years, rising to the position of head draftsman. During his years with Wright, he worked with draughtsmen and architects who were important practitioners of

architecture, including Barry Byrne,

William Eugene Drummond William Eugene Drummond (March 28, 1876 – September 13, 1948) was an American architect of the Prairie School in Chicago. Early years and education He was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of carpenter and cabinet maker Eugene Drummond and his ...

Marion Mahony Marion Mahony Griffin (; February 14, 1871 – August 10, 1961) was an American architect and artist. She was one of the first licensed female architects in the world, and is considered an original member of the Prairie School. Her work in ...

, Isabel Roberts and

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He designed Canberra, Australia's capital city, the New South Wales towns of Griffith, New South Wales, Griffith and Leeton, New So ...

. As Wright's son John Lloyd Wright recorded:

William Drummond, Francis Barry Byrne, Walter Burley Griffin, Albert McArthur, Marion Mahony, Isabel Roberts and George Willis were the draftsmen. Five men, two women. They wore flowing ties, and smocks suitable to the realm. The men wore their hair like Papa, all except Albert, he didn't have enough hair ... I know that each one of them was then making valuable contributions to the pioneering of the modern American architecture for which my father gets the full glory, headaches and recognition today!

Architecture Practice in Texas

Willis moved to

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1904 and worked for

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

. Projects on the boards during the time that Willis worked with Hunt and his partner

Elmer Grey Elmer Grey, FAIA (April 29, 1872 – November 14, 1963) was an Americans, American architect and artist based in Pasadena, California. Grey designed many noted landmarks in Southern California, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Huntingto ...

include:the Edith Daniels House, in Aradia, CA (1904), the Livingston Jenks House, San Rafael, CA (1904), the Astronomer's House (aka The Monastery) and other buildings, at the

Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an Observatory#Astronomical observatories, astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson (California), Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabrie ...

, Mount Wilson, CA (1904), the Thomas H. Foote House, East Colorado Street, Pasadena, CA (1905), and the J.W. Gillespie House, in Montecito, CA. Then, Willis moved to

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, and formed a partnership with Stewart Moore in 1906. From 1907 to 1909 he worked with J. Edward Overbeck in a practice known as Overbeck and Willis. They collaborated on the expansive J. T. Trezevant House along Turtle Creek of 1907, providing Dallas with one of the two most imposing Prairie houses in Texas. In 1910 Willis was practicing alone in Dallas.

Work in San Antonio

In 1911, he moved to

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

and was employed by Atlee B. Ayres until 1916, where he produced

Prairie Style Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped i ...

homes for Frank Winerich (1913) and Lonnie Wright (1914-1917). Thereafter he formed his own architectural practice. Among Willis' San Antonio works are the Lawrence T. Wright house (1914-1917), houses in Alamo Heights and Monte Vista, and a grouping of four small apartments at the corner of Bandera Road and E. Skyview, providing fine Texas example of

architecture. In 1928 he designed the Milam Building. It was the first office building in the United States with built in air conditioning when constructed and the tallest

brick A brick is a type of construction material used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a unit primarily composed of clay. But is now also used informally to denote building un ...

and

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

structure in the United States when it opened. It was also the first high-rise

air-conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...

office building An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform administrative work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...

in the United States The air-conditioning design team was led by Willis H. Carrier, founder of the Carrier Engineering Corporation. Architect Willis also designed or had input in a series of San Antonio landmarks: Builders' Exchange Building; Bexar County Courthouse;

San Antonio Municipal Auditorium The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was a building located at 100 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, Texas. It was built as a memorial to American soldiers killed in World War I. The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was also used as a concert venu ...

(1926); San Antonio Country Club (ca 1920) original building (with Atlee B. Ayres); Palace Theatre (1923); Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Warehouse and Office Building (1923); and El Conquistador Tourist Hotel (1927); and Brackenridge Park Amphitheater.

Personal life

Willis met his future wife, Louise Scott, about 1918 in San Antonio. They had no children. Willis was a member of the West Texas chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He maintained his office in the Smith-Young Tower until his death on January 22, 1960.

Architectural Work - Partial Listing

* J. T. Trezevant House, 2925 Cedar Springs Road (along Turtle Creek), Dallas, TX - 1907 (with J. Edward Overbeck) * Jim Wells County Courthouse, Alice TX – 1912 (with Atlee Ayres) * Cameron County Courthouse, Brownsville, TX – 1912 (with Atlee Ayres) * Lawrence T. Wright Residence, 342 Wilkins Avenue,

San Antonio San Antonio ( ; Spanish for " Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the third-largest metropolitan area in Texas and the 24th-largest metropolitan area in the ...

, TX - 1912-1917 (with Atlee Ayres) * Williams-Tarbutton Residence, 626 Lindsey Street, San Marcos, TX – 1912-1914 * Frank Winerich House (later, John J. Kuntz House I), 118 Kings Highway, Monte Vista, San Antonio, TX, 1913 * Robert N. Martindale House, 108 West Kings Highway, San Antonio, TX, 1914 (with Atlee Ayres) * Marshall Terrell House, 213 west agarita, San Antonio, TX, 1914 (with Atlee Ayres) * L. E. Cartwright House, Uvalde, TX, 1914 (with Atlee Ayres) * Graham Hamilton House, 980 Terrell Street, Cuero, TX, 1915 (with Atlee Ayres) * Alexander Hamilton House, 906 North Esplanade, Cuero, TX, 1915 (with Atlee Ayres) * Charles M. Cain House, 320 Brahan Blvd., Westfort, San Antonio, TX, 1915 (with Atlee Ayres) * J. A. Browne House, Brownsville, TX, 1916 (with Atlee Ayres) * Refugio County Courthouse, 808 Commerce Street, Refugio, TX – 1917 (with Atlee Ayres) * Dr. Lenma Young Residence, 828 Cambridge Oval, Alamo Heights, San Antonio, TX – c. 1918 * R. B. Cherry House, 218 Huisache Avenue, San Antonio, TX, 1918 * John T. Simmons House, 311 Breeden Street, San Antonio, TX, 1919 * John J. Kuntz House II, 602 Garraty Road, Terrell Hills, San Antonio, TX, 1920 * T. and Maria Apostolon, 900 W. Woodlawn Ave., San Antonio, TX, 1920 * Melrose W. Holmgreen House 306 Terrell Road, San Antonio, TX, 1920 * Vivroux / Traeger / Pedigo House, 503 S Austin St, Seguin, TX, 1923 * San Antonio Country Club, 4100 N New Braunfels Avenue, San Antonio, TX, 1920 (demolished) * Builders Exchange Building, 152 Pecan Street, San Antonio, TX, 1925 (with Emmett T. Jackson) * Bexar County Courthouse, between W. Nueva St. and Main Plaza, Dwyer and S. Main Aves., San Antonio, TX, (second unit, with E. T. Jackson) * San Antonio Municipal Auditorium, 200 East Market Street, San Antonio, TX, 1926 (with Atlee Ayres, Robert M. Ayers and Emmett T. Jackson) * Milam Building, 115 East Travis Street, San Antonio, TX - 1928 * The Sunken Garden Theater, 3875 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX, 1937 (with Harvey P. Smith and Charles T. Boelhauwe) * Mac's Flowers Building, 2806 North Saint Marys Street, San Antonio, TX * Four Small Apartments, Bandera Road and E. Skyview, San Antonio, TX

References

External links

George Rodney Willis at the Handbook of Texas Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, George Rodney 1879 births 1960 deaths Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Architects from Chicago Architects from Texas Architects from San Antonio 20th-century American architects