Otis H. Placey (ca. 1829-1892), Architect
Otis H. Placey was born in New York, circa 1829. He practiced architecture in Chicago for many years before moving to Lincoln in 1885. Indeed, Placey was one of the architects credited with rebuilding Chicago after the devastating fire of October 8-9, 1871. He also signed an American Meteorological Society petition that pushed the adoption of the metric system of Measures and Length, by July 4, 1876, provided that a majority of architects in the five largest U.S. cities agreed. In Lincoln, Placey was involved with two short-lived partnerships. His wife's name was Mary, and they had four children.[4:122][11][12] He later was married to Olive Y. Placey.[17] Otis Placey died April 10, 1892, in a "runaway accident" at Palisades, Nebraska, where he was an Adventist preacher.[13][b]
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
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1887-1891
Educational & Professional Associations
1859-1885: O. H. Placey, Architect, Chicago, Illinois.[4:294][5][8][16][d]
1870: residing in Aurora, Illinois.[19]
1880: residing in Waukegan, Illinois.[12]
1885-1886: architect and partner, Gray & Placey, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1887-1891: architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1891: architect and partner, Placey & Cordner, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1892: Adventist preacher, Palisades, Nebraska.[13]
Buildings & Projects
Adams County Courthouse (ca. 1876), Quincy, Illinois.[5]
Shelby County Courthouse (1880-1881), Shelbyville, Illinois.[9]
Proposal for Tippecanoe County Courthouse (ca. 1881), Lafayette, Indiana.[5]
Building for P. Humiston (1883), 665-667 W Lake, Chicago, Illinois.[6][7]
Building for M. G. Colson (1883), 235 Western Ave, Chicago, Illinois.[6]
J. Rogerson house (1883), 309 W Monroe, Chicago, Illinois.[8]
York County Courthouse (1885-1888), 5th at Lincoln Ave, York, Nebraska.[1:49][2][18][a] Demolished, 1978. (YK11-001)
Four houses for S. Davenport (1886), Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
House for J. Z. Briscoe (1886), 1645 Locust (now SW corner 17th & Prospect), Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
House for Rev. Lewis Gregory (1886), 1230 L, Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
House for George B. Chapman (1886), 1345 T, Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
18th & Q School (1886), (later Bryant Elementary School), Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
11th & C School (1887), (later Everett Elementary School), Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
A school building in East Lincoln (1887), Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
A school building in South Lincoln (1887), Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
Dawes County Courthouse (1887-1888), Chadron, Nebraska.[18][19][e]
Central Christian Church (1887-1888), NE corner of 14th & K Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska.[18]
Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church (1889), E Street between 10th & 11th, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][c] Demolished (ca. 1940).
Washington County Courthouse (1889-1891), 16th at Colfax, Blair, Nebraska.[1:59][2][3] (WN02-001) Extant (2016). National Register narrative
Notes
a. Architects of record, Gray & Placey. Formerly listed in the National Register of Historic Places, since demolished.
b. Evening News of Lincoln, Nebraska, reported on April 12, 1892 "O. H. Placey, formerly an architect of this city, was fatally injured in a runaway accident at Palisades, Neb., Sunday. Placey was also a preacher of the Advent Christian denomination, and had charge of a church at Palisades."[13]
c. Quinn Chapel AME Church owned this building for a decade, then moved one block north to a converted residential building at 1028 F. The congregation built a new church on that site in 1905, then relocated the building to the southwest corner of 9th & C Streets (845 C) in 1915. Their original church on E Street was listed as "1st United Evangelical Church" on the 1903 Sanborn atlas of Lincoln, then "The 1st Church of the Nazarene" on the 1928 Sanborn atlas. According to Lincoln City Directories, the Nazarene church still occupied the structure in 1939, but it was not listed by 1940. In 1948 a 5-unit residence was built on the site.[14][15]
d. Chicago City Directories list Placey in 1870, 1871, 1875, 1880, and 1885, but not in 1866.[16] His 1880 place of residence was Waukegan, Illinois.[12][16]
e. A January 1, 1888 newspaper account of the very active Lincoln building community includes mention of Placey as designer of "the new court house now being erected at Chadron, Neb." A second article in the same edition lists J. V. Consaul as "now putting up a neat court house at Chadron, Dawes County."[18]
References
1. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002). [725.1.P771n]
2. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
3. “George W. Shaffer, Architect,” Nebraska State Historical Society Collection, MS4243/RG4258.
4. Industrial Chicago: The Building Interests Vol. 1 (Chicago: Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1891), accessed August 2, 2012, http://libsysdigi.library.uiuc.edu/oca/Books2008-03/industrialchicag/industrialchicag01good/industrialchicag01good.pdf
5. Benjamin L. Ross, “Tippecanoe County Courthouse,” August 2002. Benjamin L. Ross website, http://b-levi.com/research/arch/e_max/courthouse.php Accessed August 8, 2012.
6. American Architect & Building News XIV: 401 (September 1, 1883), 108.
7. American Architect & Building News XIV: 404 (September 22, 1883), 143.
8. American Architect & Building News XIV: 404 (November 17, 1883), 239.
9. Julie A. Elbert, Shelby County [Images of America] (Charleston, S.C.: Arcadia Publishing, 2010), 9, 13.
10. Kathryn E. Colwell (Hill), “African American Historic and Architectural Resources in Lincoln, Nebraska,” National Register of Historic Places: Multiple Property Documentation Form (Lincoln, NE: City of Lincoln-Lancaster County Planning Department, March 12, 1999), E-9, accessed August 8, 2012, http://pdfhost.focus.nps.gov/docs/NRHP/Text/64500386.pdf
11. Proceedings of the American Meteorological Society 1 (December 1873-May, 1878). (New York: American meteorological Society, 1880), 43, 45, accessed August 8, 2012 through Google Books, http://books.google.com/books?id=DKhPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA45&lpg=PA45&dq=%22o+h+placey%22+architect&source=bl&ots=gTaj4ysLg9&sig=qijrJMR-h7V_7B4dRw6W417qFCo&hl=en#v=onepage&q=%22o%20h%20placey%22%20architect&f=false
12. 1880 United States Cenusus, s.v. “Otis H. Placey,” Waukegan, Lake County, Illinois, [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc.
13. Evening News (Lincoln, Nebraska), (April 12, 1892); also reprinted in "Thirty Years Ago Today," (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal, (April 11, 1922).
14. Kathryn E. Colwell (Hill), "Identifying Cultural Resources: A Case Study of African American Historic Landmarks in Lincoln, Nebraska," Master of Community & Regional Planning thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 1999, 61-67.
15. City of Lincoln Building Permit 49069, 1948.
16. Chicago city directories, 1866, 1870, 1871, 1875, 1880, 1885. The Newberry Library, ChicagoAncestors.org. Accessed June 22, 2016. http://www.chicagoancestors.org/#tab-tools
17. "Hung to His Small Change," (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal (August 28, 1890), 7:4.
18. "A Good Showing. The Record of Mr. O. H. Placey as a First Class Architect" and "Large and Many Contracts. All Faithfully Fulfilled," [account of 1886-1887 work of contractor J. V. Consaul], (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal (January 1, 1888), 8.
19. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line], s.v. "O. H. Placey," Aurora, Kane County, Illinois. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. Zimmer, “Otis H. Placey (ca. 1829-1892), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 19, 2017. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
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