William Martin Aiken (1855-1908), Architect
William Martin Aiken was born in Charleston, South Carolina on April 1, 1885, son of Joseph Daniel Aiken. He attended the University of the South in Charleston from 1872-1874, then taught high school and at University of the South until 1877. He next studied architecture at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1879, then worked as a draftsman for Boston architects before moving to Cincinnati where he established his own practice by 1886. In 1895 he was appointed the Supervising Architect of the Treasury. His brief, two-year tenure in that post produced some substantial public buildings around the country. Upon Aiken's resignation in 1897, he relocated to New York City, where his practice included private and public commissions. He died in New York City December 7, 1908.[1][2]
Aiken was appointed Supervising Architect in March 1895, with Kemper continuing as his chief administrator.[3][4] Kemper was first hired under Supervising Architect Jeremiah O'Rourke by Treasury Secretary Carlisle. Carlisle's son Logan served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury and was a college chum of Kemper.[2][a] Kemper reportedly played a lead role in persuading Secretary Carlisle to demand O'Rourke's resignation in September 1894. Carlisle put Kemper in charge as "Acting Supervising Architect," then reorganized the office to separate administration from design and construction and made Kemper "executive officer of the bureau...[with]...absolute charge of the office force and...nothing whatever to do with the scientific [design and engineering] work...."[5] Aiken's tenure was also rocky, lasting just over two years, before he was asked to resign in May 1897.[9] Kemper was again Acting Supervising Architect until the appointment of James Knox Taylor in October 1897. In that half-year Kemper presumably took the lead in preparing the Annual Report to the Treasury Secretary for the October 1896-September 1897 period. As a lawyer, rather than designer or builder, Kemper's role in the office of the Supervising Architect appears to have been largely administrative, but he claimed design credit for the U.S. Government Building of 1897-1898 at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha--a monumental, albeit ephemeral structure.
A major project of that period was the U.S. Government Building at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition in Omaha. Newspaper reports credited Kemper with "general direction" of the design and cited Edward A. Crane as "the draughtsman in immediate charge."[11-13] Then in his first Annual Report for October 1897 through September 1898, J. K. Taylor proclaimed that "the erection of the Government building" at the Omaha Exposition was "completed within the stipulated time, and the result was most gratifying both as an artistic treatment and accommodation for the Government exhibit." That report also published a rendering of the building inscribed "U. S. Government Building Trans Mississippi International Exposition Omaha, Nebraska. Chas. E. Kemper Acting Supervising Archt."[14]
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
Education & Professional Associations
Nebraska Buildings & Projects
SEE W. M. Aiken and James Knox Taylor for Nebraska projects on-going in the 1894-1897 period.
U.S. Government Building, Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition (1897-1898), Omaha, Nebraska.[10-14][c][d]
Notes
a. A brief mention in a Richmond, Virginia newspaper of Kemper's appointment in 1893 called him "an able young lawyer of this city" and pointed out "Mr. Kemper was at Washington and Lee with Mr. Logan Carlisle, Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, and the warm intimacy began at college continues to this day and has stood Mr. Kemper in good stead."[2] Their friendship probably contributed to O'Rourke's departure from the Treasury Department, at least as reported in Kemper's hometown newspaper: "Upon receiving the letter of Mr. Kemper [complaining of O'Rourke], Secretary Carlisle...demanded the immediate resignation of Mr. O'Rourke."[3] W. M. Aiken was announced as O'Rourke's successor in March 1895.[6][7]
b. Early in his term, Aiken undertook and extensive tour of federal construction projects, including a stop in Omaha. Carlisle reportedly approved the trip, but when it was publicized that Aiken's itinerary included Alaska, the Treasury Secretary summoned him back to Washington.[8]
c. The Omaha Evening Bee reported September 24, 1897 that the U.S. Government Building for the Trans-Mississippi Exposition "was designed under the general direction of Charles E. Kemper, acting supervising architect of the Treasury..." and further identified "Edward A. Crane being the draughtsman in immediate charge."[11] The Annual Report to the Treasury Secretary noted that as of September 30, 1897 the drawings for the U.S. Government Building for Omaha's Trans-Mississippi Exposition "...are now well advanced, with a view of obtaining, at an early day, proposals for the construction of the Government building."[12] By October of 1897, a perspective drawing for the U.S. Gov't Building was being widely published, with the design credited to Kemper and drafting to Crane.[13]
d. Crane visited Omaha twice in connection with the U.S. Government Building at the Trans-Mississippi Exposition. As early as July 1897 he visited "to make an examination of the ground upon which the government buildings for the Omaha Exposition are to be erected and to prepare an estimate of their cost." The next May, the Omaha World-Herald offered the following "Notes of the Exposition. Edward A. Crane of the government supervising architect's office and designer of the Government building on the grounds, is here to see how the completed structure looks."[19][20]
References
1. "Obituary. William Martin Aiken," The Western Architect (February 1909), V13:2, 24.
2. "Stepped into O'Rourke's Shoes," Omaha (Nebraska) Evening Bee (March 21, 1895), 2.
3. "Resignation Called For. Chief Clerk Chas. E. Kemper Could Stand It No Longer," Staunton (Virginia) Vindicator (September 21, 1894). 3.
4. "Until a new supervising architect of the Treasury is appointed, Mr. Charles E. Kemper of Staunton, Va...will be in charge of the office.," Alexandria (Virginia) Gazette (September 22, 1894), 2.
5. "Will Defer the Appointment of a Supervising Architect Until the Middle of Next Month," Atlanta (Georgia) Constitution (December 31, 1894), 1.
6. "Stepped into O'Rourke's Shoes," Omaha (Nebraska) Evening Bee (March 21, 1895), 2.
7. Antoinette J. Lee, Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 159.
8. "Cut Short a Junket: Secretary Carlisle Called Down the Supervising Architect. This Made Mr. Aiken Very Angry and His Resignation is Soon Expected," The San Francisco (California) Call and Post (October 25, 1895), 2.
9. "Architect Aiken Too Slow--His Resignation Considered Necessary by Secretary of the Treasury Gage. Lacking in Experience and Permits Inexcusable Delay With Public Buildings," Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) (May 4, 1897), 5.
10. "Government Building. Work Now Being Pushed as Rapidly as Possible," Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) (September 24, 1897), 1.
11. "Plans of the Building--Government Structure at Exposition," Omaha (Nebraska) Evening Bee (September 24, 1897), 1.
12. Charles E. Kemper, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year Ending September 30, 1897 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1897), 46.
13. "Trans-Mississippi and International Exposition U. S. Government Building," Daily Nonpareil (Council Bluffs, Iowa) (October 24, 1897), 8.
14. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year Ending September 30, 1898 (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1898), 36-37.
15. Catalogue of Washington and Lee University, Lexington, VA for the Year ending June, 1882. (Lynchburg: Virginian Steam Book and Job Printing, 1882; 9.
16. "Charles E. Kemper" (obituary), Daily News Leader (Staunton, Virginia) (December 17, 1942), 11.
17. "Official Under Charges. C. E. Kemper Accused of Insubordination and Incompatibility," Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) (September 28, 1910), 18.
18. "Changes Are Made. Appointments in Office of Architect of the Treasury. J. H. Wetmore is Named," Evening Star (Washington, D.C.) (June 18, 1911), 2.
19. "Architect Goes to Omaha," St. Louis (Missouri) Globe-Democrat (July 31, 1897), 3.
20. "Notes of the Exposition," Evening World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska) (May 5, 1898), 3.
Other Sources
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer, “William Martin Aiken (1855-1908), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, November 14, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
Contact the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office with questions or comments concerning this page, including any problems you may have with broken links (see, however, the Disclaimers link at the bottom of this page). Please provide the URL to this page with your inquiry.
