Hermann V. Von Holst
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Hermann Valentin von Holst (1874–1955) was an American architect practicing in
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, and
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, from the 1890s to the 1940s. He is best remembered for agreeing to take on the responsibility of heading up
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 ...
's architectural practice when Wright went off to Europe with Mamah Cheney in 1909. Von Holst was born in
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, on June 17, 1874,Book of Chicagoans, 1911 the son of the eminent historian
Hermann Eduard von Holst Hermann Eduard von Holst (June 19, 1841 – January 20, 1904) was a German-American historian and author. Von Holst emigrated to the United States and wrote extensively on the Constitution of the United States, largely from an anti-slavery perspe ...
and a
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, New Jersey, native, Annie Isabelle Hatt, who had married on April 23, 1872, in New York City. The von Holsts lived in Germany with visits to the United States until they emigrated from Germany to Chicago in 1891, where von Holst, Sr., became head of the department of history at the
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
.


In Chicago

Von Holst graduated from the architecture program at the University of Chicago in 1893 and the architecture program at
MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...
in 1896. He found employment as a draughtsman at the prestigious architectural firm of
Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge was a successful American architectural firm based in Boston. As the successor to the studio of Henry Hobson Richardson, they completed his unfinished work before developing their own practice, and had extensive commissi ...
, in their Chicago office, one of the successor firms of the celebrated architect
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 ...
. By 1900, von Holst was head draughtsman at the firm. Following extensive travels, von Holst opened his own practice in Chicago in 1905, with offices in The
Rookery Building The Rookery Building is a historic office building located at 209 South LaSalle Street in the Chicago Loop. Completed by architects Daniel Burnham and John Wellborn Root of Burnham and Root in 1888, it is considered one of their masterpie ...
, Chicago. In 1909, he moved his office to Chicago's
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, where he was among a collegial group of
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 ...
architects. Active in professional organizations, von Holst served as treasurer of the Architectural League of America in 1905. He published several books on architectural subjects, including ''Cyclopedia of Drawing'' (1907) and ''Modern American Homes'' (1913) which featured work of fellow architects, including
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 ...
, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Lawrence Buck. He served as professor of architectural design at the Chicago School of Architecture at 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 ...
. He also taught design in the Department of Architecture at the
Armour Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour ...
(later IIT). In the period 1904–1906, von Holst created summer countryside estate architecture in the White Mountains of
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
for socially prominent and wealthy clients, including
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glassmaking millionaire George A. Macbeth and
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partner John Glessner, whose Chicago Glessner House was designed 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 ...
.


Overseeing Frank Lloyd Wright's practice

Before Frank Lloyd Wright and Mrs. Cheney went off together to Europe, Wright asked various architects to take on the responsibility of his office, including
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 ...
and
George Grant Elmslie George Grant Elmslie (February 20, 1869 – April 23, 1952) was an American Prairie School architect whose works are is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a partne ...
, both of whom refused. Finally, he arranged for von Holst to oversee the work. Along with continuing Wright studio architects
Isabel Roberts Isabel Roberts (March 1871 – December 27, 1955) was a Prairie School figure, member of the architectural design team in the Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and partner with Ida Annah Ryan in the Orlando, Florida architecture firm, " ...
and John Van Bergen, von Holst contracted with Marion Mahony (who stipulated that she would have complete control of architectural design) and her husband
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 ...
(for landscape architecture). Together, they brought what work they could of Wright's to completion, much of it modified to Marion Mahony Griffin's designs. The result of this collaboration is a collection of Prairie Style residences in a Griffin-planned landscape on Millikin Place in
Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
and a pair of homes, one by Wright and the other by von Holst and Mahony, on the same street in
Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
. Clara and
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
also commissioned a design that was not realized, building instead a home,
Fair Lane Fair Lane was the estate of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Ford, in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was named after an area in Cork, Ireland, where Ford's adoptive grandfather, Patrick Ahern, was born. The ...
, designed by others. Architectural historians have tended to underestimate von Holst's abilities and influence in the world of architecture. However, it is clear that a man with degrees from two outstanding architecture departments, who had served as head draughtsman for the leading firm of Shepley, Rutan & Coolidge, who taught design and served as treasurer of the Architectural League of America was a solid choice for this task. Also, architectural critics have tended either to undervalue or misattribute work done while Wright was mostly incommunicado in Europe. The output of Wright's office in the years 1909–11 should be assessed on its own merit as work designed by the team headed by Marion Mahony under the auspices of von Holst. Modern architectural critics have wondered why Wright selected an architect not known for the
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 ...
to supervise his office. However, even a cursory glace at his work both during and after supervising Wright's office shows an impressive collection of buildings contributing to the Prairie School's output in Chicago and the Midwest (see partial listing of work below, especially the non-Wright work of 1910–11). While von Holst was supervising Wright's office, he and Lucy Edith Hammond were married. For a time he shared a partnership with James L. Fyfe. Von Holst continued to practice in Chicago through the 1920s, and served as president of the Chicago Architectural League. He collaborated with
George Grant Elmslie George Grant Elmslie (February 20, 1869 – April 23, 1952) was an American Prairie School architect whose works are is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a partne ...
on a number of Prairie Style commercial and industrial structures, particularly a series of train stations and power company buildings. On June 10, 1928, Condell Memorial Hospital, which von Host designed, was dedicated in
Libertyville, Illinois Libertyville is a village in Libertyville Township, Lake County, Illinois, Libertyville Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan, approximately 40 miles north of the Chicago Loop. As such, it is part o ...
.


In Florida

Von Holst was lured to Florida by the possibilities for work there during the land boom as well as the relief from Chicago winters. Practicing in
Boca Raton Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
, he was engaged in architecture and land development from the late 1920s onward. In Boca Raton, von Holst headed a group that completed a subdivision of 29 Florida
Spanish Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival architecture (), often known simply as Spanish Revival, is a term used to encompass a number of Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural styles based in both Spanish colonial architecture and Spanish archi ...
homes named ''Floresta'', which means ''a delightful rural place''. In addition to designing many of the homes, including his own (''
Lavender House The Lavender House (also known as the Hermann V. von Holst House) is a historic home in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It is located at 875 Alamanda Street. On February 24, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Pl ...
'', c. 1928), von Holst named the suburb and named its streets for native Florida birds and plants, denoting an appreciation von Holst shared with noted Florida artists Sam Stoltz and Joy Postle (who drew von Holst's portrait). It was von Holst who brought the subdivision to completion following the Florida land bust. Modern real estate agents in Boca Raton tend to mistakenly describe von Holst's residential work there as by the colorful, quixotic
Addison Mizner Addison Cairns Mizner ( ) (December 12, 1872 – February 5, 1933) was an American architect whose Mediterranean Revival Style architecture, Mediterranean Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival style interpret ...
. While Mizner did serve as the general contractor / developer of "Floresta" the
architectural plan In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a structure. Dimensio ...
s for these homes were von Holst's. Moreover, Mizner defaulted on payments to contractors, was successfully sued by von Holst, et al., and thereafter von Holst took chief responsibility for its success. Lucy von Holst, along with the wives of their two remaining partners (John Verhoeven and Fred Aiken), prepared unsold homes for stylish winter rentals for snowbirds. The true story of old ''Floresta'' has been documented by Dr. Donald W. Curl in the journal of the Boca Raton Historical Society. Von Holst retired from architecture in 1932. He was chairman of the Boca Raton Town Planning Board in 1940. Von Holst served on the Boca Raton Council from 1934 to 1947 and again in 1948–1949 and was granted honorary life membership on the board in 1953.


Publications

In conjunction with his architectural practice and teaching, von Holst published works on architecture, including: * ''A Study of the Orders'' – 1906 * ''Cyclopedia of Drawing: A General Reference Work on Drawing'' – 1907 * ''Modern American Homes'' – 1913


Architectural work – partial listing

* The Glamis, summer country estate of Mr. and Mrs. George A. Macbeth,
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– 1904–05 * Agricultural buildings at The Rocks, the John Glessner Summer Estate, Bethlehem, New Hampshire – 1905 * David Amberg Residence,
Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
, Michigan (office of Frank Lloyd Wright; Hermann V. von Holst, architect, Marion Mahony, associate architect) – 1909 * E. P Irving Residence, Millikin Place,
Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city in Macon County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
, (office of Frank Lloyd Wright; Hermann V. von Holst, architect, Marion Mahony, associate architect) – 1909 * Robert Mueller, Millikin Place, Decatur, Illinois, (office of Frank Lloyd Wright; Hermann V. von Holst, architect, Marion Mahony, associate architect) – 1909-11 * Adolph Mueller Residence, Millikin Place, Decatur, Illinois, (office of Frank Lloyd Wright; Hermann V. von Holst, architect, Marion Mahony, associate architect) – 1909 * Clubhouse for Howe School,
Howe, Indiana Howe is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Lima Township, LaGrange County, Indiana. As of the 2010 census its population was 807. History Howe was settled in 1834. At that time, it was named "Mongoquinong", a name that ...
– 1910-12 * Residence, with gable roof, side entry porch and urn bearing plinths, location unknown, c. 1911 * Maurice LeBosquet Residence, Tracy, Illinois - c. 1911 * A. J. Mason Residence, Flossmore, Illinois – c. 1911 * C. H. Wills Residence, Detroit, Michigan, (project) (office of Frank Lloyd Wright, with Marion Mahony) – 1912 * "
Fair Lane Fair Lane was the estate of Ford Motor Company founder Henry Ford and his wife, Clara Ford, in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was named after an area in Cork, Ireland, where Ford's adoptive grandfather, Patrick Ahern, was born. The ...
" residence for
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...
, Detroit (office of Frank Lloyd Wright, unbuilt original design, with Marion Mahony Griffin) – 1912 *
Commonwealth Edison Commonwealth Edison, commonly known by syllabic abbreviation as ComEd, is the largest electric utility in Illinois, and the primary electric provider in Chicago and much of Northern Illinois. Its service territory stretches roughly from Iroquoi ...
Electric Power Substation, 4401 N. Clifton Ave., Chicago, Illinois – 1916 * Howe School Chapel, Howe, Indiana – 1917 (von Holst and Fyfe) * People's Light & Gas Company, Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago, Illinois, c. 1923/1924 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie, associate architect) * Lake Lawn Hotel, 2400 E. Geneva St., Delavan, Wisconsin, c. 1923/1924 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie associate architect) * People's Light & Gas Company, Larrabee Street, Chicago, Illinois, c. 1924/1925 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie associate architect) * People's Light & Gas Company, 114 N. Oak Park Avenue,
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 ...
c. 1926 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie associate architect) *Condell Memorial Hospital, 303 East Cleveland,
Libertyville, Illinois Libertyville is a village in Libertyville Township, Lake County, Illinois, Libertyville Township, Lake County, Illinois, United States. It is located west of Lake Michigan, approximately 40 miles north of the Chicago Loop. As such, it is part o ...
, c. 1927/1928 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect). Spanish revival hospital with a floor plan in the shape of a cross. Demolished 2004. * People's Light & Gas Company, Irving Park Store, Illinois, c. 1927/1928 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie associate architect) * Humboldt Park Distributing Station, Humboldt Park, Illinois, (no date) (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie, delineator) *
Lavender House The Lavender House (also known as the Hermann V. von Holst House) is a historic home in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. It is located at 875 Alamanda Street. On February 24, 1995, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Pl ...
, Hermann V. von Holst residence, "Old Floresta", 875 Allamanda St.,
Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 97,422 in the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and it ranked as the 23rd-largest city in Florida in 2022. Many people with a Boca Raton Address, ...
– 1927 * Oleander House, Rev. Henry Mizner residence, "Old Floresta", 888 Oleander St., Boca Raton, Florida – 1927 * Ilex House, 775 Azalea St., "Old Floresta", Boca Raton, Florida – 1927 * Elgin Station,
Elgin, Illinois Elgin ( ) is a city in Cook County, Illinois, Cook and Kane County, Illinois, Kane counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is located northwest of Chicago along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River. As of the 2020 United Stat ...
, 1928 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie associate architect) * Aurora Terminal,
Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in northeastern Illinois, United States. It is located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River west of Chicago. It is the List of municipalities in Illinois, second-most populous city in Illinois, with a popul ...
, 1928 (Hermann V. von Holst, architect; George Grant Elmslie, associate architect) * Wisconsin Power and Light Company Building,
Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Lake Geneva is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located in Walworth County and situated on Geneva Lake, it was home to 8,277 people as of the 2020 census, up from 7,651 at the 2010 census. It is located southwest of Milwaukee and no ...
, 1929-30 * Maxwelton Braes Hotel (Rosslyn Hall),
Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin Baileys Harbor is a town in Door County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,003 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated community of Peninsula Center is located in the town. The census-designated place of Baileys Harbor is also l ...
, 1930 (Hermann V. von Holst, associated architect; George Grant Elmslie, associate architect) * Ocean Beach Pavilion II, Boca Raton – 1930


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Von Holst, Hermann 1874 births 1955 deaths 19th-century American architects Prairie School architects Holst, Hermann V Holst, Hermann V 20th-century American architects University of Chicago alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Delta Upsilon members