Charles A. Alexander (1827-1888), Architect
Charles A. Alexander, born in Boston in 1827, practiced architecture in his native New England for the first half of his career, then was based in Chicago for another two decades. He married Mary C. A. Granger in 1849 and they had at least a son and a daughter by 1860.[3][5] His single known work in Nebraska was a large mansion in Omaha for one of the most prominent attorneys of the city, A. J. Poppleton. When Alexander died in New York City in 1888, a Chicago newspaper referred to him as "formerly a well-known architect of this city." This page is intended to provide some context for Poppleton's "Elizabeth Place" within Alexander's long career.
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Alexander is not found in Nebraska city directories.
Educational & Professional Associations
1850-1851: practiced in Boston with architect William Washburn (1808-1890).[1][2][a]'
1851-c. 1865: architect in Portland, Maine.[1][3][4
c. 1865-1870: architect, New York City.[1][6]
1870-1888: architect (to 1885) and draughtsman (1887-1888), Chicago, Illinois.[7]
Buildings & Projects
Chestnut Street Methodist Church (1857), 15 Chestnut Street, Portland, Maine.[1][a]
Elizabeth Place/Andrew J. Poppleton residence (1880), Sherman Avenue, corner of Spruce, Omaha, Nebraska.[8][9][b][c]
Notes
a. Earle Shettleworth referred to this church in 1966 as Alexander's single remaining Portland work retaining much of its original appearance, except for the loss of two slender spires at the facade. With those spires, the church would have even more closely resembled a William Washburn church in Boston, Grace Church of 1835. (SEE Reference 2.) The Portland church has since been converted to "Grace Restaurant" and event space, while still retaining integrity of the original design.[1][2] That venue's website is at https://www.trineeventsgrace.com/ (accessed December 27, 2023)
b. An Omaha newspaper reported in 1879 that among the guests registered at Withnell Hotel were two gentlemen from Chicago, "Wm. H Wilcox [sic]" and "Chas. A. Alexander." Both were architects with offices in Chicago at that time and practices that took them well beyond the Windy City. William H. Willcox designed Nebraska's second State Capitol, along with other works in Lincoln, and Alexander presumably was visiting in connection with the Poppleton project.[8]
c. Omaha Daily Bee published an centerfold of images and extensive text on January 1, 1881 about major buildings in the city constructed in the previous year. The illustration of A. J. Poppleton's "Elizabeth Place" was accompanied with the following:
"A. J. Poppleton's Residence. [See Illustration.] The residence erected last year by A. J. Poppleton, Esq., on Sherman Avenue, corner of Spruce, is by far the most expensive and substantial in the state, costing, with barn and other improvements about $40,000. The plans were drawn by C. A. Alexander, of Chicago, is of the Old English style, built of brick with slate roof, two stories and a basement, and occupies a tract of five acres of ground. It has a front of 44 feet, is 62 feet through the center north and south, and 70 feet through the center east and west, with a kitchen addition 28 feet wide. The barn, which is a very handsome building, is 30x60."[9]
References
1. Earle Shettleworth Jr., “Portland’s Heritage…Many of city’s notable buildings designed by distinguished architect,” Evening Express (Portland, Maine) (July 23, 1966), 16.
2. “William Washburn (architect),” Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed December 27, 2023, at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Washburn_(architect)
3. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census, s.v. “Charles A. Alexander,” [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
4. Ancestry.com. U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865, s.v. “Charles A. Alexander,” [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
5. “Marriages…At New Haven, Ct….Mr. Charles A. Alexander , to Miss Mary C. A. Granger, both of Boston,” Boston (Massachusetts) Evening Transcript (September 6, 1849), 3.
6. New York City directories listed as C. A. Alexander as "architect" 1867-1870.
7. Chicago city directories listed C. A. Andrews as "architect" 1870 (with advertisement), 1882, 1885; “draughtsman” 1888 & 1889.
8. “The following were registered at the Withnell House yesterday:…Wm. H. Wilcox, Chas. A. Alexander…Chicago,” Omaha (Nebraska) World-Herald (August 14, 1879), 8.
9. "A. J. Poppleton's Residence. [See Illustration.]," Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Bee (January 1, 1881), 15; and 13 (illustration of "Elizabeth Place, Residence of A. J. Poppleton, Erected 1880").
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer & D. Murphy, “Charles A. Alexander (1827-1888), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 27, 2023. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
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