Mifflin E. Bell
Encyclopedia
Mifflin Emlen Bell was an American architect
who served from 1883 to 1886 as Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Department
. Bell delegated design responsibilities to staff members, which resulted in a large variety of building styles, including Second Empire, Châteauesque
, Queen Anne
and Richardsonian Romanesque
.
with his wife and two children, working as Assistant Superintendent of the statehouse. Bell's tenure as Supervising Architect for the US Treasury began on November 1, 1883, with an annual salary of $4,500. He was member of the Joint Commission to Complete the Washington Monument
, and his name is engraved on the north face of the monument's capstone. Bell submitted his resignation from the position by mid-1887 and moved to Chicago. In Chicago, Bell was appointed as superintendent of repairs for the city's federal buildings, and was in charge of federal buildings at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
. He died in Chicago of pneumonia
in 1904.
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...
who served from 1883 to 1886 as Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Department
Office of the Supervising Architect
The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....
. Bell delegated design responsibilities to staff members, which resulted in a large variety of building styles, including Second Empire, Châteauesque
Châteauesque
Châteauesque is one of several terms, including Francis I style, and, in Canada, the Château Style, that refer to a revival architectural style based on the French Renaissance architecture of the monumental French country homes built in the Loire Valley from the late fifteenth century to the...
, Queen Anne
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
and Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
.
Life and career
Bell was born in Birmingham Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. He married Addie Vanhoff on June 7, 1871, and by 1876 he was living in Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
with his wife and two children, working as Assistant Superintendent of the statehouse. Bell's tenure as Supervising Architect for the US Treasury began on November 1, 1883, with an annual salary of $4,500. He was member of the Joint Commission to Complete the Washington Monument
Washington Monument
The Washington Monument is an obelisk near the west end of the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first U.S. president, General George Washington...
, and his name is engraved on the north face of the monument's capstone. Bell submitted his resignation from the position by mid-1887 and moved to Chicago. In Chicago, Bell was appointed as superintendent of repairs for the city's federal buildings, and was in charge of federal buildings at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
. He died in Chicago of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
in 1904.
Works
- 1884 — U.S. Custom House and Post Office, Albany, New YorkAlbany, New YorkAlbany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=4D8E6CA3BBC5F9A68525718B0069FFBD - 1885 — U.S. Custom House, Court House, and Post Office, Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=07F4A41F36D085F88525718B00732B14 - 1887 — U.S. Post Office and Court House, Quincy, IllinoisQuincy, IllinoisQuincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=B846587833F5905E8525718B005BB00E - 1887 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Frankfort, KentuckyFrankfort, KentuckyFrankfort is a city in Kentucky that serves as the state capital and the county seat of Franklin County. The population was 27,741 at the 2000 census; by population it is the 5th smallest state capital in the United States...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=C85841BC479961F38525718B005E2EB0 - 1887 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Greensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=346FBFD44A7972A58525718B006B94D6 - 1888 — U.S. Post Office, Hannibal, Missouri
- 1888 — U.S. Custom House and Post Office, Toledo, OhioToledo, OhioToledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=6CBC4C55B51018C28525718B0070806E - 1888 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Council Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, IowaCouncil Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=6F25E8DDC21B482D8525718B005D17DA - 1888 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Dallas, TexasDallas, TexasDallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=1E3970B0BCEDD3CA8525718C00496E77 - 1888 — United States Post Office and Court House, Aberdeen, MississippiAberdeen, MississippiAberdeen is a city in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The population was 6,415 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County....
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=0709D9F150EB0A798525718B006745F6 - 1889 — U.S. Post Office and Court House, Peoria, IllinoisPeoria, IllinoisPeoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=D9F7053720C3E3428525718B005BA537 - 1889 — U.S. Post Office, Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=1AE1B4A654F0D3D78525718B00671D24 - 1889 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Jefferson City, MissouriJefferson City, MissouriJefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=D064E76EA18AC3B68525718B0067CCFD - 1889 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Tyler, TexasTyler, TexasTyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=D51F493A1ACBE9C98525718C004A00F6 - 1889 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Syracuse, New YorkSyracuse, New YorkSyracuse 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...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=E7227C022022DE578525718B006A7F85 - 1889 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Macon, GeorgiaMacon, GeorgiaMacon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=73394B4BC52977D58525718B005A4313 - 1890 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Keokuk, IowaKeokuk, IowaKeokuk is a city in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Iowa and one of the county seats of Lee County. The other county seat is Fort Madison. The population was 11,427 at the 2000 census. The city is named after the Sauk Chief Keokuk, who is thought to be buried in Rand Park...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=DB4B333FA986311F8525718B005D5B3C - 1890 — U.S. Post Office and Court HouseU.S. Post Office, Former, and Federal Courthouse (Auburn, New York)The Old Post Office and Courthouse is a historic courthouse and former post office in Auburn in Cayuga County, New York. It is a monumental Richardsonian Romanesque limestone-and-brick civic building built in 1888–1890 and expanded in 1913–1914 and again in 1937. It serves as a courthouse of the...
, Auburn, New YorkAuburn, New YorkAuburn is a city in Cayuga County, New York, United States of America. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 27,687...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=EAEC1DE6374B34D18525718B006A0B4B - 1890 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Fort Scott, KansasFort Scott, KansasFort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States, south of Kansas City, on the Marmaton River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 8,087. It is the home of the Fort Scott National Historic Site and the Fort Scott National...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=951837C7306201018525718B005DB639 - 1891 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Carson City, NevadaCarson City, NevadaThe Consolidated Municipality of Carson City is the capital of the state of Nevada. The words Consolidated Municipality refer to a series of changes in 1969 which abolished Ormsby County and merged all the settlements contained within its borders into Carson City. Since that time Carson City has...
, http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=C557C40D8D70F1678525718B0068F93E - 1892 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Denver, ColoradoDenver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=9574402A6E0FFDF28525718B0055BA41 - 1892 — U.S. Post Office, Brooklyn, New York http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=4CB5DB7A6DAF4F338525718B006A1B2E
- 1893 — U.S. Court House and Post Office, Louisville, KentuckyLouisville, KentuckyLouisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
http://www.fjc.gov/history/courthouses.nsf/getcourthouse?OpenAgent&chid=2EE7B31F4885DC818525718B005E4AAC - 1896 — DuPage County CourthouseDuPage County CourthouseThe Old DuPage County Courthouse is a Richardsonian Romanesque style court house designed by Mifflin E. Bell in Wheaton, Illinois. It was constructed in 1896 and housed many important events. Clarence Darrow defended George Munding in a trial in 1924 that made regional headlines. The first...
, Wheaton, IllinoisWheaton, IllinoisWheaton is an affluent community located in DuPage County, Illinois, approximately west of Chicago and Lake Michigan. Wheaton is the county seat of DuPage County...