John L. Smithmeyer (1832–1908) was an American architect.

Biography

He was born in

Vienna, Austria Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, in 1832 and came to the U.S. in 1848. He studied architecture 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 ...

and began an architectural practice in

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. After serving in the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded fr ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

, he was appointed superintendent of the construction of Government buildings in the South and subsequently moved to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and partnered with Paul J. Pelz to win the competition for the new building of the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

(now

Thomas Jefferson Building The Thomas Jefferson Building, also known as the Main Library, is the oldest of the Library of Congress buildings in Washington, D.C. Built between 1890 and 1897, it was initially known as the Library of Congress Building. In 1980, the building ...

). Smithmeyer later won other assignments together with Pelz (

Healy Hall Healy Hall is a National Historic Landmark and the flagship building of the main campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., United States. Constructed between 1877 and 1879, the hall was designed by Paul J. Pelz and John L. Smithmeye ...

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

; Carnegie Free Library of Allegheny,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

) but in 1888 was dismissed from the Library of Congress project following controversy over the award of a cement contract. The partnership ended the same year. Pelz has been attributed the main role in the general design of the building and the execution of its exterior, while Smithmeyer was instrumental in securing the commission. In 1906 Smithmeyer published a ''History of the Construction of the Library of Congress'' (1906),''History of the Construction of the Library of Congress'' (1906)
/ref> in which he defended his role in the project. In the early 1890s Smithmeyer worked on the construction of the Chamberlain Hotel in

Fort Monroe, Virginia Fort Monroe is a former military installation in Hampton, Virginia, at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula, United States. It is currently managed by partnership between the Fort Monroe Authority for the Commonwealth ...

, a commission he had won together with Pelz before their separation. The hotel was completed in 1896 but destroyed by fire in 1920 and replaced by the current building. Smithmeyer died in 1908.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smithmeyer, John L. 1832 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American architects Emigrants from the Austrian Empire to the United States Fellows of the American Institute of Architects