John Edmund Oldaker Pridmore (July 18, 1864 – February 1, 1940) was a British-American architect, best known for his theater designs. He lived in

Edgewater, Chicago Edgewater is a lakefront Community areas of Chicago, community area on the North Side of the city of Chicago, Illinois, six miles north of Chicago Loop, the Loop. The most recently established of the city's 77 official community areas, Edgewater ...

and carried out many residential designs in the area.LeRoy Blommaert
"J.E.O. Pridmore, Edgewater Architect"
Edgewater Historical Society, Vol. IV, No. 3 - Fall/Winter 1992. Pridmore was the architect for three homes he lived in at 6249 N. Magnolia, four years later he designed a larger house at 5959 North Winthrop (since demolished) where he spent the majority of his professional and family life, and then an apartment in the building at 6003 N. Winthrop, to the north of his house.

Biography

Pridmore was born in England on July 18, 1864, and educated in

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

. He immigrated to the United States in 1880, moving to

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, in 1883. Pridmore apprenticed as an architect for the next seven years. He founded his own studio in 1890, partnering with Leon Stanhope for six years starting in 1893. Pridmore designed a number of apartment buildings in the Woodlawn,

Austin Austin refers to: Common meanings * Austin, Texas, United States, a city * Austin (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Austin Motor Company, a British car manufac ...

, Edgewater, and Logan Square neighborhoods. However, he became known as a prominent designer of theaters. In 1901, he designed the Bush Temple of Music at the intersection of Clark Street and Chicago Avenue. From 1909 to 1911, Joseph W. McCarthy studied under him. In 1918, he designed the Midway Theater in Rockford. The State Theater in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, opened in 1921. Also that year, his

Victory Theatre The Victory Theatre is a 1,950-seat venue in Evansville, Indiana. It is home to the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra and also hosts local ballet and modern dance companies, theatre companies, and touring productions. Opened on June 16, 1921 an ...

Evansville Evansville is a city in Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 118,414 at the 2020 census, it is Indiana's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the most populous city in S ...

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, opened. Pridmore worked out of the First National Bank Building in Chicago. He died on February 1, 1940, at the age of 75, and was buried at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is a historic rural cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois in the United States. At , it is the largest cemetery in the city of Chicago and its first private cemetery. The Entrance Gate and Administration ...

.Illinois Historic Preservation Agency
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Major works

* D. H. Stapp House,

, IL (1893) * Richard Nash House, Chicago, IL (1895) * Bush Temple of Music, Chicago, IL (1901) * Catholic Apostolic Church, Chicago, IL (1901) * National Theater, Chicago, IL (1904) (demolished) * A. C. Barnes House, Chicago, IL (1905) * Charles & Annie Murison House, Chicago, IL (1905) * College Theater, Chicago, IL (1907) (demolished) *

Manor House A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

, Chicago, IL (1908) * Episcopal Church of the Redeemer (1909) (demolished) * Oak Theater, Chicago, IL (1910) (demolished) * Orpheum Theater in the Duluth Commercial Historic District,

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

, MN (1910) *

Episcopal Church of the Atonement and Parish House The Episcopal Church of the Atonement and Parish House is a historic church building at 5751 North Kenmore Avenue in Chicago, Illinois. The Gothic Revival building was constructed in 1889 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in ...

, Chicago, IL (1910 and 1920 remodels) * Columbia Theater, Chicago, IL (1911) (demolished) * The Victoria Theater, Chicago, IL (1912) * Lexington Theatre, Chicago, IL (1912) (demolished) * Empress Theater, Chicago, IL (1913) (demolished) * Episcopal Church of the Redeemer rectory (1915) * Adelphi Theater, Chicago, IL (1917) (demolished) * Liberty Theater,

Terre Haute Terre Haute ( ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 58,389 and its metropolitan area had a population of 168,716. Located along the Wabash River about e ...

, IN (1918) (demolished) * Midway Theater in the East Rockford Historic District, Rockford, IL (1918) *

, IN (1921) * The People's Temple, Chicago, IL (1924) * Chapel of St. John the Divine,

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in the state outside the Chicago metr ...

, IL (1925) * Sheridan Theatre, Chicago, IL (1927) (demolished) * Venetian Theatre,

Racine 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 tra ...

, WI (1928) * Nortown Theater, Chicago, IL (1931) (demolished) * Evanston Theater, Evanston, IL (1937) (demolished)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pridmore, John Edmund Oldaker 1864 births 1940 deaths 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects British emigrants to the United States Architects from Birmingham, West Midlands Architects from Chicago Burials at Rosehill Cemetery