Frederick Widmann
{{Distinguish|Frederik Wiedmann}}
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| name = Frederick Widmann
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| birth_date = 1859
| birth_place = Germany
| death_date = 1925
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| alma mater= Washington University in St. Louis
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| occupation = Architect, philanthropist
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Frederick Widmann (1859-1925) was a German-born American architect and philanthropist.
Early life
Frederick Widmann was born in 1859 in Germany.{{cite book|last1=Hunter |first1=Julius K. | last2=Pettus | first2=Robert C. |last3=Lujan |first3=Leonard |date=1988 |title=Westmoreland and Portland Places: The History and Architecture of America's Premier Private Streets, 1888-1988 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n68S_weX-AEC&q=%22Frederick+Widmann%22&pg=PA188 |location=Columbia, Missouri |publisher=University of Missouri Press |page=188 |isbn=0826206778 |oclc=635785541}} He emigrated to the United States in 1874, settling in St. Louis, Missouri.{{cite web |url=http://samfoxschool.wustl.edu/news/8928 |title=ARCHITECTURE AWARDS 2013 |website=Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts |publisher=Washington University in St. Louis |access-date=October 6, 2015}} Widmann was an apprentice carpenter to Walsh and Jungenfeld for three years and he studied at Washington University in St. Louis.
Career
Widmann co-founded Widmann & Walsh, an architectural firm with Robert W. Walsh. Around 1900, alongside architect Caspar D. Boisselier they designed the Orthwein Mansion for William D. Orthwein, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web |title=Portland and Westmoreland Places |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/74002276 |website=National Park Service | access-date=October 6, 2015}}
Meanwhile, Widmann designed "many large industrial plants, public buildings, and some of the largest breweries in the country, including the Anheuser-Busch plants in St. Louis, Omaha, San Antonio, Houston, Chicago, and New York." In 1903, he designed "The Pike" for the St. Louis World's Fair 1904.{{cite news|title=Ready to Build Tyrolean Alps.: German Architects Open Offices in City and Inspect Sites for Concession. |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/76490168/?terms=%22Frederick%2BWidmann%22 |newspaper=The St. Louis Republic |location= St. Louis, Missouri |date=April 23, 1903 |page=5 |via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = October 6, 2015 }} {{Open access}}
Widmann designed his private residence at 3545 Longfellow Boulevard in Compton Heights, a German enclave of St. Louis, Missouri.{{cite book|last1=Montesi |first1=Albert | last2=Deposki | first2=Richard |date=2004 |title=St. Louis Garden District |publisher=Arcadia Publishing|location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ii_P6_eFlEsC&q=%22Frederick+Widmann%22&pg=PA60 |page=60 |isbn=0738532592 |oclc=57340572}} It was designed in the Prairie School architectural style, with a side cupola.
Beyond architecture, Widmann was also an explorer of asphalt and oilfields in Utah from 1883 to 1923.
Philanthropy
Widmann was a member of the Liederkranz Club, a German-American social club in St. Louis.{{cite book|last1=Toft |first1=Carolyn Hewes | last2=Porter | first2=Jane Molloy |last3=Pettus |first3=Robert C. |date=1984 |title=Compton Heights: A History and Architectural Guide |publisher=Landmarks Association of St. Louis |location=St. Louis, Missouri |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XTdNAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Frederick+Widmann%22 |page=34 |oclc=12823722}} During World War I, he served as the President of the St. Louis War Relief Bazaar.{{cite news|title=Joseph Decorates St. Louis Men |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/92725208/?terms=%22Frederick%2BWidmann%22 |newspaper=The Salina Evening Journal |location= Salina, Kansas |date=July 4, 1916 |page=1 |via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = October 6, 2015 }} {{Open access}}{{cite news|title=Received Austrian Medals. Three St. Louis Men Raised Relief Funds for War Widows |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/76899442/?terms=%22Frederick%2BWidmann%22 |newspaper=The Ottawa Herald |location= Ottawa, Kansas |date=July 10, 1916 |page=8 |via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = October 6, 2015 }} {{Open access}} The organization raised US$100,000 for German orphans and widows. To honor his effort, Widmann was the recipient of the second degree of the Austro-Hungarian Red Cross from Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1916.
Death and legacy
Widmann died in 1925. In his will, Widmann endowed the Frederick Widmann Prize in Architecture at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts of his alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis.{{cite web |url=http://bulletin.wustl.edu/architecture/honors/ |title=Academic Honors & Awards |website= |publisher=Washington University in St. Louis |access-date=October 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151007054912/http://bulletin.wustl.edu/architecture/honors/ |archive-date=October 7, 2015 |url-status=dead }} The prize gives US$1,500 to an architecture student annually. Furthermore, Widmann Canyon in Utah was named in his honor.
References
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Category:Emigrants from the German Empire to the United States
Category:Architects from St. Louis