Joseph R. Koberling Jr. (27 May 1900 – 8 June 1990) was a Hungarian-American architect. Born in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

, Hungary, he emigrated to the United States, first to San Francisco, then, in 1917, to

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma and List of United States cities by population, 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

where he was a student of noted art teacher,

Adah Robinson Adah Matilda Robinson (July 13, 1882 – March 10, 1962) was an American artist, designer and teacher, who influenced many other artists, especially architects, during the first half of the 20th century. Born in Indiana, she was educated in art sc ...

.National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, "City Veterinary Hospital."
2007. Retrieved October 20, 2014. He was in the first graduation class of

Tulsa Central High School Central High School is the oldest high school in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was founded in 1906 as Tulsa High School, and located in downtown Tulsa until 1976. The school now has a campus in northwest Tulsa. Tulsa Central is part of the Tulsa Public ...

."Retired Architect Koberling Dies at 90."
''Tulsa World''. June 10, 1990. Retrieved October 20, 2014. He was then educated at the

Armour Institute Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has pro ...

(later part of Illinois Institute of Technology) in Chicago, Illinois. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture in 1925. He returned to Tulsa, where he began practicing. He received his Oklahoma license in architecture in 1929, which he maintained until his death. "Joseph Koberling, Jr.(1900-1991"
Tulsa Foundation for Architecture. Retrieved October 19, 2012. Although much of his work was done solo, he was a principal in three partnerships in Tulsa: * Redlich & Koberling, 1929-1931 (F. W. Redlich) * Fleming & Koberling 1933-1937 (Noble B, Fleming) * Koberling & Brandborg, 1946-1956 (Lennart Brandborg) Even while he was working outside a partnership, Koberling collaborated with several other architects on notable projects. These included Frank W. Atkinson,

Bruce Goff Bruce Alonzo Goff (June 8, 1904 – August 4, 1982) was an American architect, distinguished by his organic, eclectic, and often flamboyant designs for houses and other buildings in Oklahoma and elsewhere. A 1951 ''Life Magazine'' article st ...

and Leon Senter.

Notable projects

The table below lists some of the projects in which Koberling participated. He created several houses, especially in Tulsa, which are still in use as private residences. In 1924, before he received his license as an architect, he worked with Bruce Goff on the design of a residence and studio for their high school teacher, Adah Robinson. He is probably best known in architectural circles for his work designing

Will Rogers High School Will Rogers Middle and High School, located at 3909 E. 5th Place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was built by Tulsa Public Schools in 1939 using WPA workers and designed by Joseph R. Koberling, Jr. and Leon B. Senter. It was named for the humorist Will Rogers ...

in 1936. He is credited with designing what he called, "...101 features that we hoped would make an attractive as well as a functional building." This school, still in use, has been called "... one of the best examples of Art Deco high school architecture...in the United States." Koberling collaborated on the project with Frank Atkinson and Leon Senter. Koberling also designed the 1949 addition to the school.NRHP Registration Form - Will Rogers High School.
September 9, 2007. Retrieved October 12, 2014. Koberling played an active role in civic life, as a member of the

Kiwanis Kiwanis International ( ) is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. Since 1987, the organizatio ...

Club, Tulsa Executive Association, and the Tulsa Chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to ...

, serving as president of the Tulsa chapter. He was a member of the Tulsa Boys Home.

Death and burial

Koberling died June 8, 1990. His funeral was held at Christ the King Roman Catholic Church in Tulsa. Survivors included a daughter and a grandson. He was buried June 11, 1990 in Rose Hill Memorial Park, Tulsa.Find A Grave: Joseph Koberling.
Retrieved November 20, 2014.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Koberling, Joseph R. Jr. 1900 births 1990 deaths Artists from Tulsa, Oklahoma Hungarian emigrants to the United States 20th-century American architects Architects from Oklahoma