James A. Johnson (architect)
Encyclopedia
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
architect known for his design of various architectural landmarks and his use of decorative work that many consider a foreshadowing of 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...
design.
Johnson was born and educated near Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
. Johnson apprenticed and partnered with architects Edward Kent
Edward Kent
Edward Kent was the 12th and 15th Governor of the U.S. state of Maine during the Aroostook War. Born in 1802 in Concord, New Hampshire, he later moved to Bangor, Maine and spent the rest of his life there. He was among the last prominent members of the Whig Party in Maine before it collapsed in...
, Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Joseph Lyman Silsbee
Joseph Lyman Silsbee was a significant American architect during the 19th and 20th centuries. He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles.his most prominent works ran through Syracuse, Buffalo and Chicago He was influential as mentor to a...
, Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
, James Marling and the firm of McKim, Mead and White in New York City.
Johnson came to Buffalo in 1892 and continue his architectural practice. Significant projects from this period include the Alexander Main Curtiss House designed with partner James Marling.
After Marling's death, Johnson formed a partnership with the German born and trained architect August Esenwein. From its inception in 1897 Esenwein & Johnson was one of the most successful architectural firms of the time and is credited with the design of many buildings that have become Buffalo landmarks. These include the Niagara Mohawk Building
Electric Tower
Electric Tower, or General Electric Tower, is a historic office building and skyscraper located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is the seventh tallest building in Buffalo. It stands and 13 stories tall and is in the Beaux-Arts Classical Revival style. It was designed by James A. Johnson...
, the United Office Building
United Office Building
United Office Building is an art deco skyscraper located in Niagara Falls, New York at 220 Rainbow Boulevard.Designed by architect James A. Johnson. Completed in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression, the building is one of the most important landmarks in downtown Niagara Falls...
in Niagara Falls, New York, the Ellicott Square Building
Ellicott Square Building
The Ellicott Square Building is an office complex in Buffalo, New York, USA. It was designed by Charles Atwood of D. H. Burnham & Company, and completed in May, 1896. At the time of its completion, it was the largest office building in the world...
and various buildings for the Pan-American Exposition
Pan-American Exposition
The Pan-American Exposition was a World's Fair held in Buffalo, New York, United States, from May 1 through November 2, 1901. The fair occupied of land on the western edge of what is present day Delaware Park, extending from Delaware Ave. to Elmwood Ave and northward to Great Arrow...
notably the Temple of Music
Temple of Music
The Temple of Music was a concert hall and auditorium built for the Pan-American Exposition which was held in Buffalo, New York, in 1901. U.S. President William McKinley was assassinated inside the building on September 6, 1901...
(infamous as the site where President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
was assassinated). Esenwein & Johnson designed many buildings for the United Hotels Company, which was the largest hotel chain in the country at the time.
Esenwein & Johnson's work was known for its diverse styles through a sixty year history of designs, executing projects in Georgian Revival, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and 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...
styles. Of special note is the decorative features of Johnson's design for the 1912 Niagara Mohawk Building
Electric Tower
Electric Tower, or General Electric Tower, is a historic office building and skyscraper located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is the seventh tallest building in Buffalo. It stands and 13 stories tall and is in the Beaux-Arts Classical Revival style. It was designed by James A. Johnson...
which foreshadowed Art Deco ornamentation.
A number of Johnson's Buffalo, New York buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
including M. Wile and Company Factory Building
M. Wile and Company Factory Building
M. Wile and Company Factory Building is a historic garment factory located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is an early and significant example of the "Daylight Factory." The four story building erected in 1924, is constructed of reinforced concrete and features curtain walls of metal sash...
, Fosdick-Masten Park High School
Fosdick-Masten Park High School
Fosdick-Masten Park High School, now known as City Honors School, is a historic public high school building located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. The school is located on a site...
and Lafayette High School
Lafayette High School (Buffalo)
Lafayette High School is the oldest public school in Buffalo that remains in its original building; a stone, brick and terra-cotta structure in the French Renaissance Revival style, by architects August Esenwein and James A. Johnson. Although classes began off-site during construction of the...
.
Johnson died in 1939 in Buffalo, New York.
Works
- 1894 - Harlow C. Curtiss Residence (with Marling) - Buffalo, NY
- 1896 - Colonial Apartments - Buffalo, NY
- 1899 - Mayer & Weill Building - Demolished in 1977 - Buffalo, NY
- 1898 - Curtiss House / International Institute - 864 Delaware Avenue - Buffalo, NY
With August Esenwein
- 1899 - Clarence L. Bryant House - 591 Delaware Avenue - Damaged by Arson - Buffalo, NY
- 1901 - Lafayette High School (Buffalo)Lafayette High School (Buffalo)Lafayette High School is the oldest public school in Buffalo that remains in its original building; a stone, brick and terra-cotta structure in the French Renaissance Revival style, by architects August Esenwein and James A. Johnson. Although classes began off-site during construction of the...
- 370 Lafayette Avenue - Buffalo, NY - 1901 - Pan American Exposition Temple of MusicTemple of MusicThe Temple of Music was a concert hall and auditorium built for the Pan-American Exposition which was held in Buffalo, New York, in 1901. U.S. President William McKinley was assassinated inside the building on September 6, 1901...
- Demolished - Buffalo, NY - 1901 - Pan American Exposition Administration Building - Demolished - Buffalo, NY
- 1901 - Pan American Exposition Alt Nurnberg - Demolished - Buffalo, NY
- 1901 - Pan American Exposition Brick Art Gallery - Demolished - Buffalo, NY
- 1901 - Public School No. 43 Building - 161 Benzinger Street - Buffalo, NY
- 1903 - Myron G. Farmer Residence - 46 Summit Avenue - Buffalo, NY
- 1905 - Ethel Mann Curtiss House - 100 Lincoln Parkway, Buffalo, NY
- 1905 - Ansonia Building - 712-726 Main Street - Buffalo, NY
- 1905 - Charles Mosier Residence - 96 Bidwell Parkway - Buffalo, NY
- 1906 - Calumet Building - 46-58 West Chippewa Street - Buffalo NY
- 1907 - Asa Silverthorne House - 877 Delaware Avenue - Buffalo, NY
- 1907 - Louis Kurtzman Residence - 24 Lincoln Parkway - Buffalo, NY
- 1908 - Barker Square Condominiums - 172 Linwood Avenue - Buffalo, NY
- 1908 - Emily H. Swift House - 21 Colonial Circle - Buffalo, NY
- 1908 - Buffalo Hotel (The first Statler HotelStatler HotelThe Statler Hotel company was one of the United States' early chains of hotels catering to traveling businessmen and tourists. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton Statler in Buffalo, New York.- Early ventures :...
) - Washington & Swan Streets - Buffalo, NY - 1910 - William H. and Essie Barr Statler House - 177 Bidwell Parkway, Buffalo, NY
- 1911 - J. N. Adam & Company BuildingJ.N. Adam-AM&A Historic DistrictJ.N. Adam-AM&A Historic District is a national historic district located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. The district resulted from the agglomeration of commercial structures over many years of commercial growth and still reflects conscious decisions made by the original planners of the J. N....
- 371 Washington Street - Buffalo, NY - 1911 - Automobile Club of Buffalo - 10405 Main Street - Clarence, NY
- 1911 - John SinclairJohn SinclairJohn Sinclair may refer to:* John Sinclair , Ordinary Lord and later Lord President in the Court of Session* Sir John Sinclair, 1st Baronet , politician and writer on agriculture and finance...
House - 94 Jewett Parkway - Buffalo, NY - 1912 - AM&A'sAM&A'sAdam, Meldrum & Anderson Company was a chain of department stores based in Buffalo, New York. It was an institution to generations of shoppers in the Buffalo area. The company remained family owned until its sale to The Bon-Ton in 1994....
Department Store (Corner of Washington and Eagle Street - Buffalo, NY - 1912 - Niagara Mohawk Building / The Electric TowerElectric TowerElectric Tower, or General Electric Tower, is a historic office building and skyscraper located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is the seventh tallest building in Buffalo. It stands and 13 stories tall and is in the Beaux-Arts Classical Revival style. It was designed by James A. Johnson...
- Buffalo, NY - 1912 - Root Building - 70-86 West Chippewa Street - Buffalo, NY
- 1912 - Schoellkopf-Vom Berge Manor - 121 Chapin Parkway - Buffalo, NY
- 1913 - Ellsworth Milton StatlerEllsworth Milton StatlerEllsworth Milton Statler was an American hotel businessman born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.-Biography:...
Residence - 154 Soldier's Circle - Demolished in 1938 - Buffalo, NY - 1914 - Fosdick-Masten Park High SchoolFosdick-Masten Park High SchoolFosdick-Masten Park High School, now known as City Honors School, is a historic public high school building located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. The school is located on a site...
- Buffalo, NY - 1919 - Dickinson Jewelry Store - 620 Main Street - Buffalo, NY
- 1923 - The NiagaraThe NiagaraThe Niagara, also known as Grand Hotel Niagara is a landmark hotel in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York. At 12 stories, it was designed by noted Buffalo architects Esenwein and Johnson and considered a skyscraper when it was built between 1923 to 1925. Located 1/4 mile from the Horsehoe...
(Fallsview Travelodge Hotel) - Niagara Falls, NY - 1924 - Curtiss Building / Pleu Building - 357-363 Delaware Avenue - Buffalo, NY
- 1924 - M. Wile FactoryM. Wile and Company Factory BuildingM. Wile and Company Factory Building is a historic garment factory located at Buffalo in Erie County, New York. It is an early and significant example of the "Daylight Factory." The four story building erected in 1924, is constructed of reinforced concrete and features curtain walls of metal sash...
- 77 Goodell Street - Buffalo, New York - 1926 - Frank DudleyFrank DudleyFrank Ernest Dudley, born Southend-on-Sea 9 May 1925 is a former professional footballer who played as a centre-forward for Southend United, Leeds United and Southampton....
Residence - 551 Mountainview Drive - Buffalo, NY - 1926 - Niagara Share Building - 70 Niagara Street - Buffalo, NY
- 1927 - Thomas J. McKinney House - 35 Lincoln Parkway - Buffalo, NY
After Esenwein's Death
- 1929 - Buffalo Museum of ScienceBuffalo Museum of ScienceBuffalo Museum of Science is a science museum located at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park in Buffalo, New York USA, northeast of the downtown district, near the Kensington Expressway. The historic building was designed by August Esenwein and James A. Johnson and opened in 1929...
- 1020 Humboldt Parkway - Buffalo, NY - 1929 - Inlaid marble floors of Ellicott Square BuildingEllicott Square BuildingThe Ellicott Square Building is an office complex in Buffalo, New York, USA. It was designed by Charles Atwood of D. H. Burnham & Company, and completed in May, 1896. At the time of its completion, it was the largest office building in the world...
- Buffalo, NY - 1929 - United Office BuildingUnited Office BuildingUnited Office Building is an art deco skyscraper located in Niagara Falls, New York at 220 Rainbow Boulevard.Designed by architect James A. Johnson. Completed in 1929 on the eve of the Great Depression, the building is one of the most important landmarks in downtown Niagara Falls...
- Niagara Falls, NY - James A. Johnson biography