Francis M. Ellis (1837-1899), Architect
DBA: F. M. Ellis, Architect, and F. M. Ellis & Company, Architects.
Francis M. Ellis was born July 18, 1837 in New York in 1837. He married Martha J. Davis in 1862. They were enumerated as residing in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania in the 1870 census, with Francis M. listed as a “house carpenter.”[31][e] Chicago directories listed Ellis variously as a builder, carpenter, or contractor from 1874 through 1876. Then he moved to Marshalltown, Iowa where he began a very productive practice as an architect.[h] Frances [sic] M. Ellis was first identified as an architect in a census in 1880.[32][33][e] In his later years (and especially as an architect) he typically went by F. M. Ellis.[31][32][33][34][e][f]. His Marshalltown practice included a considerable number of buildings throughout the region including in Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota, as well as several projects in Nebraska.[2][12][30] In 1884 he advertised an office in Norfolk, Nebraska, via the Norfolk Journal, while he also maintained the Marshalltown office. He then relocated his office to Omaha in 1886.[8][24] In 1889 Ellis opened a second office, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[8][20] He was an elected member of the AIA in 1884; a member of the Architectural Association of Iowa in 1885; and Charter member of the Western Association of Architects.[23][26] He was an invalid in his final three years, died January 10, 1899 in Omaha, and was interred in Marshalltown, Iowa.[25][34]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Omaha, Nebraska, 1886-1898
Educational & Professional Associations
ca. 1860-1871: “house carpenter” in Pennsylvania.[2][31]
ca. 1871-1876: builder in Chicago, Illinois.[2][37
ca. 1876-1885: architect in Marshalltown, Iowa.[2]
1884: advertised architectural services in Norfolk, Nebraska, from the Marshalltown office, via the Norfolk Journal.[24]
1885: Ellis & Turner, Architects, Marshalltown, Iowa.[a]
1886: F. M. Ellis & Co. (Francis M. Ellis & W. L. Plack), architects, Omaha, Nebraska.[39][i]
1887-1896: Francis M. Ellis, Architect, Omaha, Nebraska.[c]
1896-1898: architect and partner, F. M. Ellis & Co., (Frank M. Ellis & W. E. Findley), Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.
Other Associations
1883: employed John H. Kent in the Omaha, Nebraska office.[19]
1887: employed A. H. Sheppard, principal superintendent in the Omaha office.[4]
1889: John H. Kent employed in the Council Bluffs, Iowa office.[20][d]
1889: employed Harry C. Cook in the Council Bluffs, Iowa office.[2]
Buildings & Projects
Dated
Baptist Church (ca. 1880), Waterloo, Iowa.[21]
Renke & Wubke Renken House (1883), 401 Coates Street, Parkersburg, Iowa.[36] Listed on NRHP (2014).
Normal School (ca. 1883), University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa.[21]
Richards Block (1883-1885), 1100 O St., 116 N. 11th, Lincoln, Nebraska.[4][22][38] (LC13:C09-049)
First Congregational Church (1883-1886), 13th & L, Lincoln, Nebraska.[4][23][35][38][g]
McDonough County Insane Asylum and Almshouse (ca. 1884), Macomb, Illinois.[21]
Cherokee High School (ca. 1884), Cherokee, Iowa.[21]
Presbyterian Church (ca. 1884), Council Bluffs, Iowa.[4][21][23]
Brainard High School (ca. 1884), Brainard, Minnesota.[4][21]
High School (ca. 1885), Norfolk, Nebraska.[6][23][38]
N. A. Rainboldt house (ca. 1885), Norfolk, Nebraska.[6][23][38] (MD06-190)
Methodist Episcopal Church (ca. 1885), Beatrice, Nebraska.[4][23][38] (GA03-106-?)
Congregational Church (ca. 1885), Norfolk, Nebraska.[4][6][10][23][38]
First Presbyterian Church of Marion (1885), 802 12th St, Marion, Iowa.[23] (57-04842)
Red Oak High School (1885), Red Oak, Iowa.[4][21][23][38][a]
Ward School (1885), Red Oak, Iowa.[4][23][38]
State Industrial School (Reform School) Building (1885), Kearney, Nebraska.[2][4][21][38]
Insane Asylum (1885), Lincoln, Nebraska.[21][23]
State Insane Asylum (1885), Norfolk, Nebraska.[2][4][6][9][21][38]
Bank Building for Thomas Yule (1885), Beatrice, Nebraska.[23][a]
McClary & Company Building (1885), Norfolk, Nebraska.[6] (MD06-146)
Frame school house (1885), Eagle, Iowa.[38]
"Queen Anne style" frame and shingle residence for J. E. Houtz (1885), Lincoln, Nebraska.[38]
Residence "same and same" as Houtz house for F. Neely (1885), Waterloo, Iowa.[38]
Opera House (c. 1885), Newton, Iowa.[4][38]
Opera house (c. 1885), Huron, (South) Dakota.[38]
St. Mary's School, (c. 1885), Robinson, Illinois.[4][38]
High School (c. 1885), Waukon, Iowa.[38]
Court house (c. 1885), Alexandria, Hanson County, South Dakota.[38]
Three-story building for the Home for the Friendless (1885-1886), Lincoln, Nebraska.[2][4][38]
Doublehouse for A. Neilds (1886), 3006 Mason, Omaha, Nebraska.[14][17] (DO09:0206-020)
Proposal (unsuccessful) for York County Courthouse (1886), York, Nebraska.[23]
Christ Episcopal Church (1886-1887), 1217 10th Ave., Sidney, Nebraska.[16] (CN09-042)
Brownell Hall / Grace Bible Institute (1886-1887), 1509 S 10th, Omaha, Nebraska. (DO09:0115-004)
J. W. Griffith house (b. 1887), Omaha, Nebraska.[4]
M. Toft house (b. 1887), Omaha, Nebraska.[4]
Henry W. Yates house (1887), 3120 Davenport, Omaha, Nebraska.[1][5][11]
Millard Block (1887), 1101-07 Harney, Omaha, Nebraska.[4] (DO09:1-11)
Proposal (unsuccessful) for Buffalo County Courthouse (1887), Kearney, Nebraska.[23]
Commercial Building (1887), 1510 Capitol Ave., Omaha, Nebraska.[17] (DO09:0125-013)
House (1887), 2008 Binney St, Omaha, Nebraska.[17] (DO09:0140-093)
Rowhouse (1887), 2409 Hamilton St, Omaha, Nebraska.[17] (DO09:0217-006)
Morris Mayer house (1887), Norfolk, Nebraska.[13]
Lancaster County Courthouse (1887-1890), Lincoln, Nebraska.[7][15][18][19][21][23] (LC13:C08-322)
F. M. Ellis house (b. 1888), Omaha, Nebraska.[3]
Love Larson Opera House (1888), 545 Broad, Fremont, Nebraska.[16] (DD05:E-003) National Register narrative
N. A. Rainbolt house (1888), Norfolk, Nebraska.[29] (MD06-190)
Plans of a high school (1888), Omaha, Nebraska.[42][44][k]
Two-story, eight-room school (1888), 9th Street near Bancroft, Omaha, Nebraska.[42][43][k]
Proposal (unsuccessful) for Washington County Courthouse (1889), Blair, Nebraska.[23]
Proposal (unsuccessful) for Gage County Courthouse (1889), Beatrice, Nebraska.[23]
West End Hotel (1889), West Kearney, Nebraska.[41]
Superintendent of construction of Commercial National Bank (1889-1890), 16th & Farnam Streets, Omaha, Nebraska.[2][40]
Broadway United Methodist Church (ca. 1890), 11 S 1st St, Council Bluffs, Iowa.[23] (78-00244)
Proposal (unsuccessful) for Jefferson County Courthouse ((1890), Fairbury, Nebraska.[23]
Proposal (unsuccessful) for Cass County Courthouse (1890), Plattsmouth, Nebraska.[23]
Fremont National Bank (1892), Fremont, Nebraska.[12]
Taylor County Courthouse (1892-1893), Bedford, Iowa.[21][30:310] (87-00100)
Stucco House (1893), 3618 Farnam, Omaha, Nebraska.[17] (DO09:0319-036)
Building (1895), 1506 Webster St, Omaha, Nebraska.[17] (DO09:0127-022)
Undated
Opera House and Masonic Temple (n.d.), Oskaloosa, Iowa.[4]
Opera House (n.d.), Sac City, Iowa.[4]
High school (n.d.), Marshalltown, Iowa.[4]
Grand Opera House (n.d.), Peoria, Illinois.[4]
High school (n.d.), Hailey, Idaho.[4]
Malialieu University Building (n.d.), Bartley.[4]
McDonouth County Asylum (n.d.), Illinois.[2]
State Deaf & Dumb Institute (n.d.), Omaha, Nebraska.[2]
Buildings for State Normal School (n.d.), Peru, Nebraska.[2]
Buffalo County Asylum (n.d.), Kearney, Nebraska.[2]
Notes
a. See the 1885 Red Oak School, credited to Ellis & Turner, Architects, Marshalltown, Iowa.[21]
b. Wesley Shank records the name of the architect as Frank M. Ellis[21], as do the records of the Iowa SHPO.[23]
c. The last three years of his life he was confined to bed, due to paralysis.[25]
d. An 1889 bird’s eye view of Kearney, Nebraska lists F. M. Ellis & J. H. Kent as local architects.[27]
e. The 1870 U. S. Census lists Francis M. Ellis, age 32, as a house carpenter in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, with his wife Martha (26) and six-year-old daughter Bessie. All were listed as born in New York State. The U. S. Census of 1880 lists “Frances M. Ellis,” architect, age 43, residing in Marshalltown, Iowa, born in NY State. His wife was Martha J. Ellis (36). Also in the household was his mother-in-law Ellenor [sic] Davis, age 59. The Iowa State Census of 1885 also found “Francis M. Ellis,” architect, in Marshalltown, age 47, with wife Martha (39) and Elinor Davis (59).[31][32][33]
f. F. M. Ellis and his wife Martha Ellis were both interred in Riverside Cemetery in Marshalltown, Iowa. Their gravestone records his lifespan as July 18, 1837 to January 10, 1889; hers as January 30, 1844 to March 21, 1901.[34]
g. The “Clerk’s Records” of First-Plymouth Congregational Church note that Ellis’ plans were adopted in 1883 “to cost, including frescoing, $15,500.” The building was in use by 1886 at a cost of $27,685.[35]
h. The History of Marshall County, Iowa of 1878 probably exaggerated in crediting Ellis as “architect and superintendent of many fine buildings in Chicago.”[37]
i. Inland Architect mused in its "Mosaics" compendium of news from around the region "What is the matter with the [architectural] profession in Iowa?...F. M. Ellis, of Marshalltown, at Omaha...[and] W. L. Plack has gone to Philadelphia..." Plack had practiced in Des Moines, Iowa before partnering with Ellis in Omaha in 1887.[39]
j. The Omaha World-Herald in June 1890 credited L. J. B. Bourgeois as architect of the bank building while noting: "The superintending of the construction of the building was done by F. M. Ellis, architect."[40]
k. In March of 1888, Ellis advertised for bids for a 16-room High school and an 8-room school at "Omaha View." In April, he advertised for bids for an 8-room school at 9th and Bancroft--perhaps the same as "Omaha View." Among the bills recommended for payment by "the committee on claims" of the Omaha Board of Education in May 1888 was "F. M. Ellis, architect, plans for the High school, $450."[42][43][44]
References
1. John Grant, Glimpses of Omaha (Omaha : D. C. Dunbar & Co., ca.1888), 44.
2. Jno Lethem, Historical & Descriptive Review of Omaha (Lethem, 1892), 195.
3. Omaha Illustrated (Omaha: D. C. Dunbar, 1888), 81, 105.
4. “F. M. Ellis,” The (Omaha) Herald (January 1, 1887).
5. Nebraska State Historical Society Photographic Collections, Y32-5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
6. Norfolk Journal (May 15, 1885), 4:3.
7. Ink on Linen Drawings, Nebraska State Historical Society, State Archives (1888).
8. Norfolk Journal (December 17, 1885), 4:4.
9. Norfolk Journal (October 1, 1885), 4:4.
10. Norfolk Journal (October 22, 1885), 4:2.
11. Omaha Herald (January 1, 1887) See Omaha Arch'ts File
12. Fremont Daily Tribune (November 11, 1892).
13. Norfolk Journal (February 24, 1887), 5:3.
14. Landmarks, Inc., An Inventory of Historic Omaha Buildings (Omaha: City of Omaha and Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, 1980), 147.
15. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 48. [725.1.P771n]
16. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
17. City of Omaha Planning Department, Landmarks Heritage Preservation Commission, Database, Query on Architects, May 20, 2002; courtesy of Lynn Meyer, Preservation Planner.
18. Tom Kaspar, comp. Inventory of architectural records in the archives of Davis Fenton Stange Darling, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska. 1996. Nebraska State Historical Society, RG3748, Box 16.
19. [Edward F. Zimmer], “F. M. Ellis Omaha Architect (1886-1898),” TS [Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department], n.d.
20. Omaha Daily Republican (December 1, 1889). John Kent and Harry C. Cook are in charge of the Council Bluffs Office.
21. Wesley I. Shank, Iowa’s Historic Architects: A Biographical Dictionary (Iowa City: University of Iowa Press, 1998), 58.
22. Lincoln Illustrated and Lincoln’s Growth (Lincoln: Journal Company State Printers, 1887), 18.
23. Iowa State Historic Preservation Office, Architect files and database search; data from Barbara A. Mitchell, Architectural Historian (Iowa), to Bob Puschendorf, Deputy SHPO (Nebraska), July 19, 2011.
24. “F. M. Ellis, Architect and Designer of Public and Private Buildings,” Norfolk Journal (June 20, 1884), 4:4.
25. “Architect Ellis Dies,” Omaha World-Herald (January 11, 1899), 5:2.
26. Industrial Chicago: The Building Interests Vol. 1 (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891), 301; accessed August 2, 2012, http://libsysdigi.library.uiuc.edu/oca/Books2008-03/industrialchicag/industrialchicag01good/industrialchicag01good.pdf
27. Henry Wellge, “Kearney, Neb.,” [bird’s eye view] American Publishing Company, 1889. World Maps Online, accessed July 16, 2013, http://www.worldmapsonline.com/historicalmaps/1W-NE-KE-1889.htm
28. Norfolk Journal (January 9, 1885), 4:2.
29. Norfolk Daily News (August 28, 1888), 1. [illus. in elec. file]
30. David Gebhard and Gerald Mansheim. Buildings of Iowa. (Society of Architectural Historians, Buildings of the United States) New York: Oxford University Press, 1993.
31. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line], (s.v. “Fred M. Ellis”), Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
32. Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line], (s.v. “Frank M. Ellis,” residing in Iowa), Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
33. Ancestry.com. Iowa, State Census Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line], (s.v. “Frank M. Ellis,” residing in Iowa), Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007.
34. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
35. First-Plymouth Congregational Church, “Extract from Clerk’s Records, 1866-1965,” mss., 21.
36. Melodie J. McLean, “Renken, Renke and Wubke (Francen), House,” Parkersburg, Iowa; nomination to the National Register of Historic Places, listed 2014.
37. Chicago city directories, 1872-1877.
38. Inland Architect (October 1885), 47.
39. Inland Architect (April 1887), 48.
40. "Notice to Contractors," Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Herald (March 15, 1889), 7; "A Temple to Finance--The Commercial National Banks New Building and Its Distinctive Architecture," Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (June 1, 1890), 8.
41. "West Kearney--Will Undoubtedly be the Centre of the State's Most Important Manufacturing Interests...West End Hotel," Omaha Daily Herald (April 14, 1889) 13 (description), 14 (illustration).
42. "Notice to Contractors," Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (March 18, 1888), 4.
43. "Notice to Contractors," Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Herald (April 15, 1888), 11.
44. "Two More School Buildings--Contracts Awarded Last Night--Many Construction Claims Allowed," Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (May 8, 1888), 2.
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Francis M. Ellis (1837-1899), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, April 22, 2020. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 23, 2024.
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