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.[20][a] 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][f]
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
ca.1868-1885: O. H. Placey, Architect, Chicago, Illinois.[4:294][5][8][16][20][a][d]
1870: residing in Aurora, Illinois.[19]
1871-1872: architect and partner, Placey & Armstrong, Chicago, Illinois.[20][a]
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
Plans for a "family hotel" for E. W. Griffin (1872), North Dearborn Street, Chicago, Illinois.[22]
Two dwellings for Dr. Freer (1872), Ontario Street, Chicago, Illinois.[21]
Block of two stores for Calvin DeWolf (1872), Madison Street, Chicago, Illinois.[21]
Fraser Building (1872), Clark Street, Chicago, Illinois.[21]
Block of five stores for W. S. Harding (1872), Indiana Avenue and 22nd Street, Chicago, Illinois.[21]
Four dwellings for E. W. Griffin (1872), Ontarior Street, Chicago, Illinois.[21]
Second Ward school-house (ca. 1874), Sterling, Illinois.[23][24] (cost $40,000)
Adams County Courthouse (ca. 1876), Quincy, Illinois.[5]
Wilbur F. Storey mansion (1879), Chicago, Illinois.[24][g]
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]
School house (1884), Napierville, Illinois.[25][h]
Residence for M. C. Callahan (before 1884), Chicago, Illinois.[26] (cost $6,000)
Residence for I. M. Harne (before 1884), Chicago, Illinois.[26] (cost $6,000)
School house (before 1884), Aurora, Illinois.[26] (cost $30,000)
High school (before 1884), Streater, Illinois.[26] (cost $32,000)
School house (before 1884), Vinton, Iowa.[26] (cost $34,700)
School house (before 1884), Liskilwa, Illinois.[26} (cost $28,000)
York County Courthouse (1885-1888), 5th at Lincoln Ave, York, Nebraska.[1:49][2][18][b] 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. The partnership of Placey & Armstrong is listed among architects in a Chicago business directory of 1871, but not in 1870. A "Dissolution Notice" in Chicago Tribune of February 14, 1872 announced: "The copartnership existing under the name of Placey & Armstrong, Architects is this day dissolved by mutual consent. O. H. PLACEY will continue the business at 417 State st. Mr. Placey has been in Chicago four years, and we can recommend him to all as a practical Architect,, and all who wish plans and specifications that will carry them through without extra work will do well to call on him. Feb. 13, 1872." John M. Armstrong, architect is listed as a partner with James J. Egan in an 1872 directory.[20]
b. Architects of record, Gray & Placey. Formerly listed in the National Register of Historic Places, since demolished.
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]
f. 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]
g. Chicago Tribune of January 1, 1879 carried a brief notice under the heading "Burlington Marble Company": "The new residence of Wilbur F. Storey, of the Chicago Times, is to be of white Vermont marble, and the Burlington Marble Company have closed the largest contract for that kind of marble ever let in the West or west of New York. O. H. Placey is the architect of the new building."[24]
h. The Inter Ocean newspaper of Chicago published a correction in 1885: "Architect O. H. Placey, through erroneous information, was not mentioned in connection with one of his latest designs, a fine new school-house at Napierville, Illinois. In his absence the work was superintended by architect M. L. Beers."[25]
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.
20. "Dissolution Notices," Chicago Tribune (February 14, 1872), 5.
21. "New Chicago. Another Week of Exceeding Activity in the Burnt District...Miscellaneous New Building Projects...," Chicago Tribune (May 12, 1872), 5.
22. "To Rent--To Hotel Keepers," Chicago Tribune (April 23, 1872), 6.
23. "Sterling, Ill. A Lively City in the Rock River Valley. Its Manufacturing Enterprise and Educational Facilities...," Chicago Tribune (September 5, 1874), 11.
24. "Burlington Marble Company," Chicago Tribune (January 1, 1879), 16.
25. "Buildings. Newest Chicago Work," (Chicago, Illinois) Inter Ocean (January 17, 1885), 7.
26. "Builders and Brokers...A round of the Architects and Contractors' Offices Pans Out Fairly Well," (Chicago, Illinois) Inter Ocean (March 28, 1885), 7.
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 20, 2017. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
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