Alexander C. Eschweiler

Alexander C. Eschweiler
Born(1865-08-10)August 10, 1865
DiedJune 12, 1940(1940-06-12) (aged 74)
Alma materCornell University
OccupationArchitect
RelativesFranz C. Eschweiler (Brother) Thomas Chadbourne (Cousin)

Alexander Chadbourne Eschweiler (August 10, 1865 – June 12, 1940) was an American architect with a practice in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He designed residences, churches, and commercial buildings. His substantial turn-of-the-20th-century residences for the Milwaukee business elite, in conservative Tudor, Jacobethan, and neo-Georgian idioms, have preserved their cachet in the city.[1] His eye-catching Japonist pagoda design for Wadham's Oil and Grease Company filling station in Milwaukee is still admired. [2][1]

Early life

Eschweiler was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He studied at Marquette College and Cornell University,[2] graduating in 1890. Eschweiler opened his practice in Milwaukee in 1892. In 1891 he married Maria Theresa Whilhelmina Mueller in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and they had six children survive to adulthood.[3] In 1923 his sons, Alexander C. Eschweiler Jr., Theodore, and Carl joined him in practice.[4][5]

Career

A number of Eschweiler works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

Eighty-one surviving commissions were listed in the exhibition "Alexander Eschweiler in Milwaukee: Celebrating a Rich Architectural Heritage" at the Charles Allis Art Museum in 2007.

Personal life

Summer home

The Eschweilers had a second home overlooking North Lake in the village of Chenequa, Wisconsin. It was originally a 100-acre parcel he had purchased in the early 1900s, which included a small cottage from the 1870s.[7] It was eventually torn down and the land was subdivided to settle the estate. The property was split into a 2.8-acre parcel and an 8.3-acre parcel, but six of the acres in the larger parcel are along the lake and are placed in a conservation easement that prohibits development.[8]

Eschweiler was instrumental in the incorporation of the village of Chenequa. He was one of a handful of notable residents that testified in court that it was his residence.[9]

Death

He is buried at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, North Lake, next to his wife and daughter. His plot is near St. Teresa of Calcutta Church, "so he could overlook his 'masterpiece.'"[10]

Legacy

Cornell University Department of Architecture, Art, and Planning awards the Eschweiler Prize for Merit and Distinction in M.Arch. Design Studio.[11][12]

Selected works

Works include (with attribution): (by year)

(Others, alphabetically)

Notes

  1. ^ "Exhibit celebrates elegance, wit of Eschweiler". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  2. ^ "About the Department of Architecture | Cornell AAP". aap.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
  3. ^ "FamilySearch.org". ancestors.familysearch.org. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
  4. ^ Marathon County Historical Society: Online Research
  5. ^ "Wisconsin Historical Society". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  7. ^ "Architect's retreat causes rift". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  8. ^ "Eschweiler property to be divided". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  9. ^ "The Milwaukee Sentinel - Google News Archive Search". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  10. ^ a b "History - Blessed Teresa Of Calcutta". Archived from the original on 2016-01-22. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  11. ^ "2022–23 Student Academic Awards and Prizes | Cornell AAP". aap.cornell.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-01.
  12. ^ Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning Student, Faculty and Staff Handbook
  13. ^ "Wisconsin Historical Society". Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  14. ^ Levy, Hannah Heidi (2004). Artists and Architects. Milwaukee: Badger Books. p. 246f. ISBN 1-932542-12-4.
  15. ^ Levy 2004, pp. 247–248.
  16. ^ "Madison Landmarks". www.cityofmadison.com. Archived from the original on 2016-04-19. Retrieved 2017-08-29.
  17. ^ Carol Lohry Cartwright (1986-02-03). "NRHP Inventory/Nomination: Merchants Avenue Historic District". National Park Service. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
  18. ^ "1202 S LAYTON BLVD | Property Record | Wisconsin Historical Society". www.wisconsinhistory.org. January 2012. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  19. ^ "South Layton Boulevard Historic District". nps.gov/Nr/. National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service, United States Department of the Interior. April 24, 1996. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  • Wisconsin Architectural Archive The archive, located at the Milwaukee Public Library contains many Eschweiler drawings as well as those of other Wisconsin architects.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alexander Eschweiler.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.