James Knox Taylor (1857-1929), Architect
James Knox Taylor was born on October 11, 1857 in Knoxville, Illinois to Mary Young and Herman Knox.[5][24] He graduated from MIT in architecture in 1879 and practice in New York City, Saint Paul, and Philadelphia.[24] He joined the office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. in 1895 as a draftsman and rose to chief draftsman by 1897. He entered the first civil service examination for appointment as the Supervising Architect and was chosen in October, 1897.[5][24] He held the post until 1912, second longest tenure among more than a dozen Supervising Architects in the nine decades the Office operated. His imprint on Nebraska surpassed any of his predecessors, with construction of more than a dozen substantial masonry Post Offices in the state's communities between 1897 and 1912. He was married to Adele Chambers (1854-1922) from Philadelphia in 1887.[25] James Taylor died in Tampa August 27, 1929 and was interred beside Adele in Philadelphia.[3][5][23]
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
[hide]Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Educational & Professional Associations
1879: B.A., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.[5]
1879-1882: architect in the offices of C. C. Haight and Bruce Price, New York City.[5][24]
1882-1893: architect in partnership with Cass Gilbert, St. Paul, Minnesota.[5][24]
1884-1889: fellow, Western Association of Architects.[3]
1889-1929: member/fellow, American Institute of Architects.[3]
1893-1895: architect in partnership with Amos J. Boyden, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[24]
1895-1897: draftsman, Office of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, Washington, D. C.[24]
1897-1912: Supervising Architect, U. S. Department of the Treasury, Washington, D.C..[3][5][24]
1912-1914: faculty, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts.[5][24]
1914-1923: architect, Yonkers, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[5][24]
1924-1928: semi-retired architect, Tampa, Florida.[5][23][27][s]
Nebraska Buildings & Projects
Completed or under construction during Taylor's term
Completion of the U. S. Federal Building (1891-1899), and addition to same (1899-1904), 16th Street at Capitol Avenue, Omaha, Nebraska.[8][10-15[a]
U. S. Post Office (1897-1899), South Omaha, Nebraska.[7][b]
U. S. Post Office (1899-1903), Blair, Nebraska.[6][8-14][c]
U. S. Post Office (1900, 1902-1906), Hastings, Nebraska.[11-16][d]
U. S. Post Office and Courthouse (1902-1905), Norfolk, Nebraska.[1][2][11-16][e] National Register narrative
U. S. Post Office & Courthouse (1902-1907), 10th & P, Lincoln, Nebraska.[2][4][12-18][f]
U. S. Post Office & Courthouse (1903, 1906-1912), Grand Island, Nebraska.[13][14][16][17][19][21][22][g]
U. S. Post Office (1903, 1906-1911), 626 Grant Ave., York, Nebraska.[13-16][18][h] (YK11-002)
U. S. Post Office (1906, 1910-1911), Columbus, Nebraska.[16][20][21][i]
U. S. Post Office (1906, 1912), Plattsmouth, Nebraska.[16][20-22[j]
U. S. Post Office (1906, 1909-1911), 2401 Central Ave., Kearney, Nebraska.[[#References|[2][16][[17][19]]][k](BF05-169) National Register narrative
Extension to U. S. Post Office (1907, 1910-1911), Beatrice, Nebraska.[17][20][21][l]
U. S. Post Office (1908-1912), Fairbury, Nebraska.[17][20][22][m]
Extension to U. S. Post Office (1908, 1910-1912), Fremont, Nebraska.[19-22][n]
U. S. Post Office (1908, 1911-1912), Holdrege, Nebraska.[19][21][22][o]
U. S. Post Office and Courthouse (1908, 1912), North Platte, Nebraska.[19][22][q]
Projects authorized, but construction not undertaken during Taylor's tenure
Extension to United States Post Office (1906-1907), Nebraska City, Nebraska.[16][17][r]
U. S. Post Office and Courthouse (1908), McCook, Nebraska.[19][20][p]
U. S. Post Office (1910), Alliance, Nebraska.[20][p]
U. S. Post Office (1910), Aurora, Nebraska.[20][p]
U. S. Post Office (1910), Chadron, Nebraska.[20][p]
U. S. Post Office (1910), Falls City, Nebraska.[20][p]
U. S. Post Office (1910), Wahoo, Nebraska.[20][p]
Initial authorization and preliminary design work for extension to U. S. Courthouse and Post Office (1910-1912), Lincoln, Nebraska.[20-22][31][t]
Notes
a. Taylor reported in 1899 that the Omaha Federal building was completed and occupied early in that calendar year, and that commencement of an extension had been authorized, to a limit of $150,000. In September of 1900 he reported that a proposal for construction had recently been accepted but construction of the extension had not yet commenced. Construction was underway in 1901, with work on two wings in 1902, and some changes anticipated "in the central wing." Taylor's annual report of 1902-3 confidently predicted "completion will be secured...before the close of the present calendar year." The annual report of 1903-4 noted "Work on extension completed."[8][10-14]
b. Taylor's forward to the Annual Report of 1898 mentions that the South Omaha building was among ten structures which “have been put under contract” since the beginning of FY1987-1898 “which was practically coincident with…the time of my appointment as Supervising Architect….”[7] Taylor also illustrated that annual report with a rendering of the South Omaha P.O.
c. In 1899, Congress authorized commencement of site purchase and contracting for construction of a USPO in Blair, Nebraska, limiting the budget to $43,000. Taylor reported that the site selection was in progress in his 1899 report, but only $7 had been expended by September of 1899.[8] Taylor reported in 1900 that the site had been procured, sketches and estimates approved, and working drawings prepared.[10] In 1901 Taylor stated that a contract for construction had been entered into, but progress was unsatisfactory, therefore "Action is being taken with a view to securing greater dispatch in the prosecution of the work."[11] The report of June 1902 expressed frustration with the contractors and pessimism that completion would be accomplished before 1903. Nevertheless, the 1902-3 Annual Report noted completion of the Blair PO before the end of 1902, yet reported in mid-1903 "...it has become necessary to demand from the contractors a correction of certain defects which is now receiving the attention of this office." Finally in June, 1904, Blair's USPO received a simple accounting of expenditure of $42,414.33 for site and construction, about $600 under the $43,000 limit.[10-14]
d. A USPO was authorized for Hastings, Nebraska in 1899. A site was secured by 1901 and the next year's report indicated approvals were in hand for preparing sketch plans. In 1903 Taylor noted that "the preparation of working drawings is well advanced" with a budget limit of $125,000 for site acquisition and construction. The next year the construction was under contract and in 1905 was "well advanced." The 1905-6 report described Hastings USPO as "Building occupied, but not finally completed." Finally in 1907, the report was made "Building completed and occupied."[11-17] The perspective sketch of the Hastings Post Office is signed "W. B. Olmsted 04." Walter B. Olmsted was a draftsman in the Office of the Supervising Architect.[29] Below the title block for this perspective is a cursive inscription: "Pen. sketch for Mr. Dietrich." Charles H. Dietrich of Hastings was a U. S. Senator from 1901-1905, after a very brief stint as Nebraska's governor.[30]
e. Site acquisition for Norfolk, Nebraska's new Post Office was authorized in 1899, but a site was not reported as secured until 1901. By 1902, Taylor reported "working drawings are now in hand with a view to placing invitations on the market before the close of the present calendar year for bids..." Taylor reported by mid-1903 that "foundations are complete and masonry is up to first-floor level," foreseeing completion by June, 1904. The 1903-4 annual report of June 30, 1904 noted the building was "Nearing completion." A year later, the building was "Occupied, but not finally completed." The 1905-6 annual report acknowledged "Building completed and occupied."[11-16]
f. Taylor's annual report of 1902 indicated in regard to the USPO in Lincoln, Nebraska, that "In accordance with recent legislation drawings will be prepared looking to the enlargement of the [1870s] building to better adapt it to the needs of the public service." $25,000 was the sum appropriated for that purpose. In October, 1902, a Lincoln newspaper published a rendering for "Proposed Postoffice and Custom House for Lincoln," described as "Plan Accepted for the New Structure by Supervising Architect Taylor." The illustration was based on a small drawing "made in pencil and 'wash'..." received by Congressman Burkett."[28] By 1903, the "limit of cost" had been extended to $350,000 "for the construction of a new building." The next year construction was under contract and in 1905 construction was still "progressing." In 1906 the report was "Work well advanced." In 1907, Taylor reported "Building occupied, but not finally completed." Taylor's office supplied a drawing of electric lampposts for the building's grounds in 1907. It was not until the 1908 report that Taylor noted "Building completed and occupied." The 1909 report noted the expenditure of $349,882.81 on the new building, and the authorization of sale of the old Post Office/Courthouse to the City of Lincoln for $50,000 "for municipal purposes only," noting "that the building shall revert to the United States when it ceases to be used for municipal purposes."[12-19]
g. "Grand Island, Nebr., Post-Office" was first mentioned in Taylor's 1902-3 report, noting Congressional authorization for acquisition of a site, and that "an agent of this Department" had been directed to visit Grand Island and make a report. The 1903-4 report simply noted a site had been acquired. In mid-1906, a cost limit of $125,000 was set and appropriations were made in 1906 and 1907, but construction apparently had not yet commenced. The 1909 report announced that the contract for construction was in force for a "Post-Office and Court-House" and by 1911 and 1912 the building was reported to be "Occupied. Not entirely completed."[13][14][16][17][19][21][22]
h. A USPO for York, Nebraska received mention in the 1902-3 annual report, noting site acquisition had received Congressional authorization and a Department representative would visit and submit a report. The next annual report simply noted "Site acquired." Taylor's annual report of 1905-6 indicated that construction was authorized, with a cost limit of $70,000, and an initial appropriation of $70,000.[13-16] The 1908 report noted simply "Contract in force for erection of building." In 1911, Taylor reported "Work practically complete," but in 1912 the annual report again noted "Occupied. Not entirely completed."[18][21][22]
i. Site acquisition for a USPO in Columbus, Nebraska was authorized in 1906. The 1911 annual report noted that construction was under contract for "Building complete" at a cost of $65,000 plus $7,500 for the site. In 1912 the building was "Occupied. Not entirely completed."[16][21][22]
j. Site acquisition for a USPO in Plattsmouth, Nebraska was authorized in 1906. Construction was finally under contract in 1911 and in 1912 the building was "Occupied. Not entirely completed."[16][21][22]
k. A USPO in Kearney, Nebraska was listed in the 1905-6 report, with the cost limit for site and building noted as $80,00, of which the first $18,000 had been appropriated. In 1907, mention was made that a site had been selected but title was "not yet vested in the Government." By 1909, Taylor could report that the construction contract was "in force for erection of the building." In 1911, the building was "nearing completion."[16][17][19][21]
l. Authorizing legislation was passed in 1908 for an extension to the Beatrice Post Office, with a cost limit set at $50,000 and the first $20,000 appropriated. A construction contract was reported in 1910; in mid-1911 "Extension and remodeling [were] nearing completion."[17][20][21]
m. A USPO for Fairbury, Nebraska was authorized in 1908, with a cost limit for both site and construction of $70,000 and an initial appropriation of $15,000. In 1911 the construction was under contract for "Building complete" at a cost of $70,000. In 1912 Taylor reported the Fairbury Post Office was "Occupied. Not entirely completed."[17][21]
n. In 1911, a contract was in force for an expansion and remodeling of Fremont's USPO, with a "Limit of cost" set at $50,000. In 1912 the building was "Occupied. Not entirely completed."[21]
o. Construction of the Holdrege Post Office was under contract in 1911. Construction continued in 1912 with a budget limit of $80,000.[21][22]
p. At the end of Taylor's tenure as Supervising Architect, post office projects in the following half-dozen Nebraska communities had preliminary authorization, typically through the site acquisition stage, but "No provision for building" had been appropriated: Alliance, Aurora, Chadron, Falls City, McCook, and Wahoo.[22]
q. The North Platte Post Office and Courthouse was under contract for construction by 1912, with a "Limit of cost" of $110,000.[22]
r. An expansion of the Post Office site occurred in 1906-1907, but an authorized addition to the building seems not to have been constructed (through 1912).
s. Taylor's obituary in a Tampa newspaper noted that he was a member of the Florida Association of Architects and of the Tampa chapter, as well as maintaining an office there. "His Tampa work was more in the way of recreation, friends said, although he was supervising architect of the First Baptist church and designed many of Tampa's most beautiful homes."[23] The $400,000 First Baptist church began construction in 1923. The church architects were from South Carolina and NYC; while the "Supervisors" were identified as "James Knox Taylor, Philadelphia [and] A. L. Shaw, Tampa."[26][27]
t. An extension to the recently finished federal Courthouse and Post Office in Lincoln was authorized by 1910, with a limit of cost set at $100,000. Preparation of plans began under Taylor's administration, but under that cost limit the proposal was described by a Lincoln newspaper as a "two-story lean-to..." As a result of the community objections, "...the entire matter will now be held up pending efforts..." to increase the budget limit "...to complete a wing on the west identical with that now built." [20-22][31] That wing was finished by 1916 under designs by Taylor's successor Oscar Wenderoth.
References
1. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 121. [725.1.P771n]
2. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
3. "James Knox Taylor," in AIA Historical Directory of American Architects accessed December 1, 2024 https://aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AHDAA/pages/36975353/ahd1044342
4. Thomas Lee 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.
5. "James Knox Taylor" FindaGrave.com Accessed February 6, 2019 via https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/155432840/james-knox-taylor
6. "James Knox Taylor" St. Croix Architecture (May 24, 2011). www.stcroixarchitecture.com
7. 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), 47 (illustrated).
8. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1899, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1899), 13 (Blair); 54 (Omaha Federal Building).
9. “Notice” (call for bids), The Pilot (Blair, Nebraska) (August 9, 1900), 8.
10. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1900, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1900), 14 (Blair); 58 (Omaha Federal Building).
11. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1901, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1901), 15 (Blair); 37 (Hastings); 61 (Norfolk); 63 (Omaha Federal Building).
12. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1902, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1902), 25 (Blair); 59 (Hastings); 77 (Lincoln), 101 (Norfolk); 106 (Omaha Federal Building).
13. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1903, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1903), 24 (Blair); 66 (Grand Island); 70 (Hastings); 89 (Lincoln), 122 (Norfolk); 128 (Omaha Federal Building); 166 (York).
14. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1904, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1904), 15 (Blair); 34 (Grand Island); 36 (Hastings); 44 (Lincoln), 56 (Norfolk); 58 (Omaha Federal Building); 80 (York).
15. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1905, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1905), 14 (Hastings); 16 (Lincoln), 18 (Norfolk); 19 (Omaha Federal Building); 24 (York).
16. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1906, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1906), 13 (Columbus); 18 (Hastings); 21 (Kearney); 22 (Lincoln), 25 (Nebraska City); 26 (Norfolk); 28 (Plattsmouth); 36 (York).
17. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1907, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1907), 30 (Beatrice); 53 (Columbus); 102 (Fairbury); 87 (Grand Island); 96 (Hastings); 118 (Kearney); 122 (Lincoln).
18. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1908, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1908), 163 (Lincoln), 310 (York).
19. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1909, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1909), 111 (Fremont); 117 (Grand Island); 133, (Holdrege); 149 (Kearney); 164 (Lincoln); 181 (McCook); 213 (North Platte).
20. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1910, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1910), 187 (Alliance, Aurora, Beatrice, Chadron, & Columbus); 188 (Fairbury, Falls City, Fremont); 189 (Grand Island, Holdrege); 190 (Kearney, Lincoln, McCook); 191 (North Platte, Plattsmouth).
21. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1911, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1911), 106 (Beatrice, Columbus, & Fairbury); 107 (Fremont, Grand Island, Holdrege, Kearney); 108 (Lincoln, North Platte, Plattsmouth, York).
22. James Knox Taylor, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending June 30, 1912, (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1912), 105 (Alliance, Aurora, Beatrice, Chadron), 106 (Columbus, Fairbury, Falls City, Fremont); 107 (Fremont, Grand Island, Holdrege, Kearney, Lincoln); 108 (North Platte, Plattsmouth, York).
23. "James Taylor, Architect of Tampa, Dies," Tampa (Florida) Times (August 28, 1929), 1.
24. Antoinette J. Lee, "James Knox Taylor," in Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office," (New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000), 197-216.
25. Ancestry.com. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U. S., Marriage Index, 1885-1951, s.v. "James K. Taylor," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.
26. "Masons Lay Corner Stone for New $400,000 Church," Tampa (Florida) Daily Times (March 30, 1923), 9.
27. "Bentley Residence Under Construction--To Be One of Most Distinctive Homes of Entire Bayshore Section," Tampa (Florida) Tribune (February 23, 1924), 11.
28. "Will Be a Beauty--The New Lincoln Postoffice and Custom House--Pencil Sketch Pleases...Promises to be an Architectural Gem," (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal (October 29, 1902), 1.
29. "Olmsted Funeral to be Tomorrow," (Washington, D.C.) Evening Star (December 11, 1937), 12.
30. "Charles H. Dietrich," in Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia on-line database accessed November 19, 2024 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_H._Dietrich
31. "More Changes in Postoffice Plans--Further Delay to Start of Extensive [sic, should be Extension] on Lincoln Federal Building," Lincoln (Nebraska) Star (August 4, 1912), 1.
Other Sources
Entry in Henry F. Withey, A.I.A., and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956. Facsimile edition, Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970).
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer & D. Murphy, “James Knox Taylor (1857-1929), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 9, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, March 30, 2025.
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