Frederick S. Holmes
{{Short description|American vault engineer (1865 to 1941)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Frederick S. Holmes
| image = Frederick_S._Holmes.png
| image_size =
| birth_name = Frederick Stacy Holmes
| birth_date = August 27th, 1865 in
| birth_place = Boston, MA
| death_date = November 10th, 1948 (age 84)
| death_place = in Hathorne, MA
| education = * Boston High School in Boston, MA
- Private Engineering Instruction in Exeter, NH
| occupation = Vault Engineer
| era = Early 1900s
| organization =
| known_for = * Designer of the world's largest vaults
- Pioneer in the vault engineering field
- Designer of jamb-controlled vaults
| party = Republican / Independent
| spouse = Katherine E. Vincent, married on March 27th, 1886 in Chelsea, MA
| mother = Frances A. Stacy
| father = George W. Holmes
| children = None
| module = {{Infobox engineering career
| discipline = Mechanical Engineering
| institutions =
| practice_name = Frederick S. Holmes
2 Rector St. New York, NY
| employer =
| significant_projects =
| significant_design =
- Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland vault
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York vault
- One King West Hotel & Residence vault
- Sun Life Insurance vault
| significant_advance =
| significant_awards =
}}
| signature =File:Frederick S. Holmes - New York State Employment Card Signature.png
}}
Frederick S. Holmes was an American safe and vault engineer,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b1A2AQAAMAAJ&dq=frederick+s.+holmes+bank+vault+engineer&pg=PA625|title=Bankers Magazine. (1911). United States: Bradford Rhodes.|year=1911 }} and inventor who designed the largest vaults in the world. During his career, Holmes designed over 200 vaults throughout the United States, Canada and Japan from 1895{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y4qycKahcHUC&dq=frederick+s.+holmes+mosler+supreme+court&pg=RA2-PR3|title=Supreme Court Case on Appeal.(1910).(n.p.).}} to 1941. The majority of Holmes designed vaults are located in New York's Financial District; many are publicly accessible and in buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. His name is engraved on the builder's plaques, typically located on the vault door's encased jamb controls.
File:Vault Door Combination Viewer.jpg
File:Typical Frederick S. Holmes Builder's Plaque.png
File:Frederick S. Holmes Company Logo.jpg
Holmes' vault designs evolved over time to keep up with attacks from safe-crackers or 'Yeggmen'{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QydCAQAAIAAJ&dq=the%20menace%20of%20the%20yeggman&pg=RA10-PA13|title= B and O Magazine. (1914). United States: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.|year= 1914}} adept at vault penetration. A Holmes advertisement from 1921 reads, "Newly discovered methods of attack necessitate radical departures from hitherto accepted standards of design".{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gUROAAAAYAAJ&dq=Newly+discovered+methods+of+attack+necessitate+radical+departures+from+hitherto&pg=PA1487|title=United States Investor.(1921). United States: Investor Publishing Company.|date=1921 }} Holmes specialized in jamb-controlled vaults where the combination locks and bolt-throwing mechanism are located inside the vault creating a solid vault door with no spindle holes. Entry requires two points of attack (door and jamb), which doubles the time required for burglars to breach the vault.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDpKAQAAMAAJ&dq=doubles%20the%20usual%20amount%20of%20time&pg=PA386|title=Construction: A Journal for the Architectural Engineering and Contracting Interests of Canada. (1918). Canada: H. Gagnier Limited Publishers.|year=1918 }}
Holmes was an expert in his field and described as 'one of the leading, if not the leading vault engineer of America, and a man whose word is unquestioned by those who have had transactions with him'.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B4m3EtkocGsC&dq=frederick+s.+holmes+mob+attack&pg=PA188|title=Coast Banker. (1916). United States: Coast Banker Publishing Company.|year=1916 }} In recognition of significant contributions to the field of bank vault engineering, a tribute was written in The Journal of the Franklin Institute stating,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kJIqAQAAIAAJ&dq=Coincident+with+the+modern+development+of+the+safe+and+bank+vault+industry&pg=PA435|title=Journal of the Franklin Institute. (1910). United Kingdom: Elsevier.|year=1910 }} “Coincident with the modern development of the safe and bank vault industry was that of the profession of the Bank Vault Engineer. The industry owes much of its progress to the work done by the pioneers of this profession: William H. Hollar,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K-UsAAAAYAAJ&q=william+H.+hollar&pg=PA194-IA11|title= Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania Biography: Illustrated. (1914). United States: Lewis Historical Publishing Company.|year= 1914}} John M. Mossman, George L. Damon,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=quE-AAAAYAAJ&dq=george%20l.%20damon&pg=PA142|title= Massachusetts of Today: A Memorial of the State, Historical and Biographical, Issued for the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago. (1892). United States: Columbia publishing Company.|year= 1892|last1= Toomey|first1= Daniel P.}} Emil A. Strauss,{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xMlMAQAAMAAJ&dq=e.+a.+strauss+vault+engineer&pg=PA61|title=Chicago, Historical, Pictorial.(1902).United States:Rand, McNally & Company.|year=1902 }} Frederick S. Holmes, Benjamin F. Tripp,{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QjczAQAAMAAJ&dq=benjamin+f.+tripp+round+doors&pg=PA484|title=Bankers' Magazine and State Financial Register.(1908).United States:(n.p.).|date=1908 }} and George L. Remington.”{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GmOUjAyKK_4C&dq=george+L.+remington&pg=PA142|title=Coast Banker.(1913).United States:Coast Banker Publishing Company.|date=1913 }} Holmes is known to have collaborated with all these vault engineering greats except for Strauss.
Holmes collaborated with prominent architects such as Cass Gilbert and Alfred Bossom and leading vault builders including Bethlehem Steel, Carnegie Steel, Damon Safe & Iron Works, Diebold, Herring-Hall-Marvin, [http://www.torontohistory.net/j-and-j-taylor-safe-works/ J&J Taylor], LH Miller Safe & Iron Works,{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bB8LZPpLfXsC&dq=lh+miller+safe+iron+works&pg=PA906|title=Sweet's Indexed Catalogue of Building Construction.(1907).United States:Architectural Record Company.|date=1907 }} Mosler Safe, Remington & Sherman,{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h0IAeM-IrtEC&dq=remington+%26+sherman+vaults&pg=PA143|title=New York Illustrated.(1894).United States:A.F. Parsons Publishing Company.|date=1894 }} and York Safe & Lock.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4P4gAQAAMAAJ&dq=the+york+safe+%26+lock+company+is+located+at+york%2C+pennsylvania&pg=PA1081|title=United States Investor.(1914). United States:Frank P. Bennett & Company.|date=1914 }}
Early life
Frederick Stacy Holmes was born on August 27th, 1865 in Boston, MA to George W. Holmes and Frances A. Stacy. His father was from Maine and worked as a Pattern Maker and his mother was from New Hampshire and was a housewife. Holmes attended Boston High School and received private engineering instruction in New Hampshire.
Career
Homes first worked as a Pattern Maker like his father, a Machinist and then a Mechanical Draftsman. He worked his way up to General Superintendent for safe and vault manufacturers in Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia before venturing out on his own. Holmes was co-owner of Hoyer & Holmes with Isaiah Wellington Hoyer in Philadelphia that specialized in safe and vault design and construction. He worked as a Bank Vault Engineer for John M. Mossman from 1900-1904 where he designed the Maiden Lane Safe Deposit Company vault among others. Frederick S. Holmes started his company of the same name in 1901 and by 1910 was designing jamb-controlled vaults for which he was known. He was in private practice for 40 years where he designed his most notable vaults: Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, One King West Hotel & Residence in Toronto, and Sun Life Insurance in Montreal.
| class="wikitable"
!1879 to 1883 | 1883 to 1887 | 1887 to 1891 | 1891 to 1895 | 1895 to 1900 | 1901 to 1941 |
| style="vertical-align: top;"
| Pattern Maker and Machinist | General Superintendent for Chicago Safe & Lock{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bpMpAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22chicago+safe+and+lock+company%22&pg=PA104|title=Chicago Securities: A Manual for Bankers, Brokers and Investors.(1888).United States:J.W. Strong.|date=1888 }} in Chicago, IL | General Superintendent for Damon Safe & Iron Works in Boston, MA and Philadelphia, PA | Co-Owner / Bank Vault Engineer at Hoyer & Holmes,{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tdIwAQAAMAAJ&dq=%22hoyer+%26+holmes%22+bank+and+safe+deposit&pg=PA102|title=Directory of the Principal Office Buildings in Philadelphia.(1896).United States:Waldeck Publishing Company.|date=1896 }} a Partnership with Isaiah W. Hoyer in Philadelphia, PA | Owner / Bank Vault Engineer at Frederick. S. Holmes, a private practice in New York, NY. Bank Vault Engineer was his most commonly used title, but similar combinations were used in his published works and [https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ar4DqTVY4ahUkivtAtKwQ3IrQ1-x?e=GzEncq advertisements] |
Personal life
Frederick S. Holmes married Katherine E. Vincent from New Hampshire on March 27th, 1886 in Chelsea, MA. He was involved with industry groups such as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1913-1930), the Bankers Club (1920-1930), the Investigating Committee of Architects & Engineers (1926), the Engineers’ Club (1920-1930), the Hardware Club of New York (1914), and the New York State Society of Professional Engineers (1936). Holmes had an active social life with membership in the American Club in Toronto (1920), the Brotherhood of Man (1924), the New York Athletic Club (1914-1941), and the Saint Nicholas Society of the City of New York (1920-1930). His political affiliations changed throughout his life; he was a registered Republican (1914-1930) and Independent (1924, 1926, 1931-1932). In 1932, Holmes was critically injured when struck by an automobile while walking home. He was 67 years old at the time and suffered a fractured skull from the hit-and-run driver. Holmes recovered and managed to work another nine years before retiring in 1941 at the age of 76. He died eight years later from arteriosclerotic heart disease on November 10th, 1948 in Hathorne, MA at the age of 84 and was buried at Exeter Cemetery in New Hampshire.
Published works
This list includes articles, copyrights, court testimony, interviews, patents, and speeches by Frederick S. Holmes in chronological order.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ar4DqTVY4ahUkivtAtKwQ3IrQ1-x?e=GzEncq Holmes Advertisements]
- [https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ar4DqTVY4ahUkiZ-chfLCBYn7Wkn?e=dvAcJC Holmes Biographical Info]
- [https://1drv.ms/b/s!Ar4DqTVY4ahUkionj0qY95GuNpCK?e=sr59PP Jamb-Controlled Vault Evolution]
{{Federal Reserve Banks}}
{{Financial District, Manhattan}}
{{Locksmithing}}
{{Portal bar|Banks}}
{{Portal bar|National Register of Historic Places}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:19th-century American inventors
Category:Federal Reserve Bank buildings
Category:Financial District, Manhattan
Category:Locks (security device)