Joseph Miller Huston (February 23, 1866 – November 16, 1940) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

notable for designing the third and current

Pennsylvania State Capitol The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg. The building was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with de ...

, located in

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg ( ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,099 as of 2020, Harrisburg is the ninth-most populous city in Pennsylvania. It is the larger of the two pr ...

. Construction started in 1902 of his '' Beaux-Arts'' design. He was one of five people convicted of

graft Graft or grafting may refer to: *Graft (politics), a form of political corruption *Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp Science and technology *Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure *Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...

in 1910 after a state investigation of cost overruns in association with construction and furnishing the capitol.

Early life and education

Huston was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Pennsylvania, February 23, 1866. When he was seventeen, Joseph joined the firm of Frank Furness and Sons, where he worked during his college years. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

in 1892, and then rejoined the Furness firm full-time.

Career

In 1895, Huston founded his own firm, and began designing buildings in Philadelphia, such as the

Witherspoon Building Witherspoon Building is a historic office building located in the Market East neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by architect Joseph M. Huston (1866–1940) and built in 1896. It was built for the Presbyterian Board of ...

, (1895). In 1898–99, Huston toured Europe and Asia, along with his older brother, Samuel, experiencing historic styles which greatly influenced his later designs.

Pennsylvania State Capitol

In 1901, at the age of 36, Joseph Huston won the design competition for the commission for the new Pennsylvania State Capitol over eight other competitors. His design was overwhelmingly heralded as a success. At its dedication on October 4, 1906,

President Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

described the building as, "... the handsomest State Capitol I ever saw!" The total cost of the project was nearly triple what the legislature had appropriated, in part because of inflated costs for construction and furnishings due to the state's purchasing mechanism. Huston, and four other officials were convicted of

in 1910 and sentenced to up to two years in prison for their parts in the overruns. Although he appealed, Huston lost his case and went to the

Eastern State Penitentiary The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located in the Fairmount, Philadelphia, Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from 1829 until 1971. The penitentiary refined the r ...

in 1911.

Oaks Cloister

Huston's home, known as Oaks Cloister and built around 1904, is located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia and has been described as one of the finest residences in the city. The Huston family sold the property in 1955 and it fell into disrepair over time and ultimately was abandoned. This venerable landmark was saved from demolition in 2002 by Dr. Russell Harris and Mr. John Casavecchia, who spent the following decade restoring the mansion to its original glory. In 1911, Huston designed the Searles Memorial Methodist Church, now located in the Old Pottstown Historic District. ''Note:'' This includes

Personal life

Huston married Matilde Lewis MacGregor on May 1, 1901. An active member of the Republican Party, he spoke at several conventions and campaigned for

William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until Assassination of William McKinley, his assassination in 1901. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

in Pennsylvania. Huston died on November 16, 1940.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Huston, Joseph Miller 1866 births 1940 deaths Architects from Philadelphia Princeton University alumni 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects Pennsylvania Republicans