Douglas Orr
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
based in New Haven, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. Born in Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden, Connecticut
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 59,653.-History:...
, he was prolific and designed many public and commercial buildings, primarily in the New Haven area. Late in his career, Orr established a partnership with architects William deCossy and Frank Winder; the firm was then called Douglas Orr, deCossy, Winder, and Associates. Orr worked in art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
and colonial revival as well as more modern styles. He was president of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
from 1947 to 1949. In 1949, he also helped to renovate the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. He died in 1966 in Stony Creek, Connecticut
Stony Creek, Connecticut
Stony Creek is an affluent, shorefront section of Branford, Connecticut, centered on a harbor on Long Island Sound, in the southeast corner of the town. Stony Creek residents feel it has its own distinct feeling, that of a small village with a traditional timeless and quaint charm...
.
Selected works
- World War IWorld War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
memorial flagpole, New Haven GreenNew Haven GreenThe New Haven Green is a privately owned park and recreation area located in the downtown district of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It comprises the central square of the nine-square settlement plan of the original Puritan colonists in New Haven, and was designed and surveyed by colonist...
, 1928 - The Eli (Southern New England Telephone), with R. W. Foote, 1937. Art decoArt DecoArt deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
masterpiece on the National Register. Company headquarters converted to apartments. - New Haven Lawn ClubNew Haven Lawn ClubThe New Haven Lawn Club is a private country club located on Whitney Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut close to Yale University. It is both a social and athletic facility. The club is listed on the U.S...
- The Farnam Guest House, 616 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT, 1934. Georgian revival built for Henry W. Farnam.
- Laboratory for Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale School of MedicineYale School of MedicineThe Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
, 1952 - East Pavilion (Memorial Unit), Yale-New Haven HospitalYale-New Haven HospitalYale-New Haven Hospital , Connecticut's largest hospital with 966 beds, is located in New Haven, Connecticut.The hospital is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System, Inc...
, 1953 - Columbia Gas Transmission Building, Charleston, West VirginiaCharleston, West VirginiaCharleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, 1955 - J. W. Gibbs Labs, Yale UniversityYale UniversityYale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
, with Paul Schweikher, 1955. Glass, steel and Tennessee marble. - Willoughby Wallace Memorial Library, Stony Creek, ConnecticutStony Creek, ConnecticutStony Creek is an affluent, shorefront section of Branford, Connecticut, centered on a harbor on Long Island Sound, in the southeast corner of the town. Stony Creek residents feel it has its own distinct feeling, that of a small village with a traditional timeless and quaint charm...
, 1958. Faced with Stony Creek granite. - Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon, Washington, DC, 1959
- One Church Street (First New Haven National Bank, now New Alliance Bank), New Haven, 1961. Interior lobbies faced with Stony Creek granite.
- Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public HealthYale School of Public HealthThe Yale School of Public Health was founded in 1915 by Charles-Edward Amory Winslow and is one of the oldest public health masters programs in the United States...
(with Philip C. Johnson), Yale University, 1964 - Lippard Laboratory of Clinical Investigation, Yale-New Haven HospitalYale-New Haven HospitalYale-New Haven Hospital , Connecticut's largest hospital with 966 beds, is located in New Haven, Connecticut.The hospital is owned and operated by the Yale New Haven Health System, Inc...
, 1965 - Community Services Building (now the Knights of ColumbusKnights of ColumbusThe Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
Museum), New Haven, 1965.