Henry C. Koch (March 30, 1841 – May 19, 1910) was a

German-American German Americans (, ) are Americans who have full or partial German ancestry. According to the United States Census Bureau's figures from 2022, German Americans make up roughly 41 million people in the US, which is approximately 12% of the pop ...

architect based in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Biography

Born in

Hanover Hanover ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Lower Saxony. Its population of 535,932 (2021) makes it the List of cities in Germany by population, 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-l ...

in the

Kingdom of Hanover The Kingdom of Hanover () was established in October 1814 by the Congress of Vienna, with the restoration of George III to his Hanoverian territories after the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleonic era. It succeeded the former Electorate of Hanover, and j ...

, Koch immigrated as a toddler with his family to the United States. His architectural career began at the age of 16 when he worked for early Milwaukee architect, G. W. Mygatt. He enlisted in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

with the 24th Wisconsin Infantry as a private, later becoming a draftsman on General

Philip Sheridan Philip Henry Sheridan (March 6, 1831 – August 5, 1888) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general in the American Civil War. His career was noted for his rapid rise to major general and his close association with General-i ...

's staff. After the war Koch returned to Milwaukee, where he formed a partnership with Mygatt until 1870, when he started his own firm. He married and had six children, including Harry and Armand D. Koch. The latter also became an architect, joining his father's firm in the 1890s and helping with the design of the Milwaukee City Hall. Henry C. Koch died at his home in Milwaukee on May 19, 1910.

Style

Koch worked in the

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...

style, inspired by medieval architecture and popularized by

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

. The style is characterized by semicircular arches, symmetry, round towers with pointed caps, copious use of stone, and generally simple facades.

Works

Koch's most recognizable work was the 1895

Milwaukee City Hall The Milwaukee City Hall is a skyscraper and town hall located in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It was finished in 1895, and was Milwaukee's tallest building until completion of the U.S. Bank Center (Milwaukee), First Wisconsin ...

. Reflecting his own (and Milwaukee's) German Heritage, Koch took his design inspiration for City Hall from German buildings such as the

Hamburg Rathaus Hamburg City Hall (, ) is the seat of local government of Hamburg, Germany. It is the seat of the government of Hamburg and as such, the seat of one of Germany's 16 state parliaments. The Rathaus is located in the Altstadt quarter in the city ...

, as well as nearby Pabst Building (which was razed in 1980). When completed it was one of the tallest buildings in the United States, and it remains Milwaukee's most recognizable landmark. Turner Hall (1882–83), 1034 N. 4th St., an "iconic" example of Koch's work, resembles a school as it was built during a period when Koch was designing many Milwaukee schools. The Pfister Hotel (1893), 424 E. Wisconsin Ave, utilizes Wauwatosa Limestone Koch designed buildings for the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

. He designed 26 courthouses and more than 120 schools. and

Other works

* Calvary Presbyterian Church,

, 1870 * Stutsman County Courthouse and Sheriff's Residence/Jail,

Jamestown, North Dakota Jamestown is a city in and the county seat of Stutsman County, North Dakota, United States. The population was 15,849 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in North Dakota, ninth most populous city in North ...

, 1883 * David W. and Jane Curtis House,

Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin Fort Atkinson is a city in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. It lies along the Rock River (Illinois), Rock River a few miles upstream from Lake Koshkonong. The population was 12,579 at the 2020 census. Fort Atkinson is the largest city ...

, 1885 *

Mahaska County Courthouse The Mahaska County Courthouse in Oskaloosa, Iowa, United States, was built in 1886. It was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 as a part of the County Courthouses in Iowa Thematic Resource. In 1986 it was includ ...

Oskaloosa, Iowa Oskaloosa is a List of cities in Iowa, city in, and the county seat of, Mahaska County, Iowa. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, Oskaloosa was a national center of bituminous coal mining. The population was 11,558 in the 2020 U ...

, 1886 * Science Hall, on the campus of the

, 1888 *

Golda Meir School The Golda Meir School (originally Fourth Street School) for gifted and talented students is a Milwaukee Public Schools district elementary, middle, and high school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The school offers classes for students in grades three t ...

, Milwaukee, 1890 * Montgomery County Courthouse,

Red Oak, Iowa Red Oak is a city in, and the county seat of, Montgomery County, Iowa, United States, located along the East Nishnabotna River. The population was 5,596 in the 2020 census, a decline from the 6,197 population in 2000. History Red Oak derives ...

, 1891 * Milwaukee Protestant Home for the Aged, Milwaukee, 1892 * Jefferson County Courthouse,

Fairfield, Iowa Fairfield is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. It has a population of 9,416 people, according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The median family income is $46,138, with 10% of families belo ...

, 1893 * Gesu Church, Milwaukee, 1894 * Webster County Courthouse,

Fort Dodge, Iowa Fort Dodge is a city in and the county seat of Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000 United States Census, 2000. F ...

, 1902 *

The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel The Roosevelt New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, is a 504-room hotel owned by AVR Realty Company and Dimension Development and managed by Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts. The hotel was originally built by Louis Grunewald, a German immigrant, ...

, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1908

References

External links

*
The restoration of Milwaukee City Hall, Traditional Building Portfolio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Koch, Henry 1841 births 1910 deaths 19th-century American architects Architects from Milwaukee Emigrants from the Kingdom of Hanover to the United States