Difference between revisions of "Frank E. Davis"

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Francis Earlougher Davis was born in Ellicott Mills, Maryland on August 14, 1839. He was raised in this Patapsco River Valley town where his father was a blacksmith and wainwright. During the Civil War, Davis worked as a draftsman in the Treasury Department in Washington; after the war, he spent two years as a surveyor in the oil fields in Pennsylvania.
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Frank E. Davis, née Francis Earlougher Davis, was born August 14, 1839 in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland. His father was a wagonmaker and ornamental blacksmith, and his mother was the daughter of an innkeeper in Ellicott’s Mills. His early architectural training likely came from his uncle, Charles Timanus, who was the architect and builder of the Howard County Courthouse, which was erected in Ellicott’s Mills and completed in 1843. Around the time Davis was eighteen, he started an apprenticeship under Edmund G. Lind, who was a prominent Baltimore architect. Before and during the Civil War, Davis studied at the Maryland Institute (now MICA) and was accepted into their Architectural Class in 1861.
  
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Davis’s career as an architect began as a draftsman or an apprentice, working for three years under Edmund G. Lind (1829-1909) in Baltimore. He also was a student at the new Maryland Institute of Art and Design, earning top honors and an award of $100. Frank Davis was elected to membership in the Baltimore Chapter of the AIA in December 1870.
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In 1864, he moved to Washington, DC to apprentice as a draftsman in the Office of the Supervising Architect for the United States Treasury Department. In 1865, he created a firm with Thomas Dixon, known as Dixon & Davis. Together they designed the First English Reformed Church and other buildings. They had a downtown office until the firm dissolved in 1868.
  
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In the late 1860s, Frank Davis formed a partnership with Thomas Dixon (1819-1886) that lasted only a few years. During most of the 1870s, Davis practiced alone. He formed a partnership with a younger brother Henry late in that decade or in the early 1880s. In their partnership, Frank was the architect and Henry was the builder. In some projects, they were joined by an older brother, William, who had an ornamental ironworks business. The office of Davis & Davis was located on the southeast corner of Charles and Fayette Streets in Baltimore.
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In 1867, Davis married Emma Eudora Small after a long period of courtship. But she died in 1873, when she was only 29 years old.  
  
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The known works of Frank Davis have been identified from articles in the ''Baltimore Sun'' and the ''American Architect and Building News'', various other published sources, and a list hand-written by Davis himself. Residential and business work ranked highest in Davis’s oeuvre, followed by religious and cultural buildings, educational and railway projects, and finally government and health care. Davis’s own list, probably written in about 1895, claimed five Baltimore city firehouses, five courthouses, nearly two dozen schools, and over fifty churches. Davis also designed his own home at 802 North Carrollton Avenue.
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During their marriage, Davis designed several buildings that came to fruition, such as Engine House #8 and the Old Town Savings Bank. In 1870, he was elected to the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In the years after Emma’s death, he had his most productive period. Between 1874 and 1882, he designed several building that are extant today: Saint Michael’s Church Convent, First English Lutheran Church, Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, Pine Street Police Station, BCP Railway Car Barn and Offices, Holy Innocents Protestant Episocal Church, Male Grammer & Primary School No. 1, and Clifton School. In 1875, the State Normal School on Lafayette Square was built to his design, and while this work was considered one of his most recognizable, it has since been demolished.
  
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Most of Davis’ well-known work is in Maryland, but he was responsible for many works in West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  A few have also been found in Virginia and Delaware. The tally of known Davis works, by state, is as follows: Maryland: 178 (100 in Baltimore City alone, 23 in Baltimore County); Pennsylvania: 13 (8 in Harrisburg); West Virginia: 10; Virginia: 5; Delaware: 5; Washington DC: 1.  About 200 works have been firmly attributed to Davis; another 20 have been identified as probables. About half of Davis’ buildings are extant. Frank Davis’s work is represented by at least ten buildings currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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[[File:Davis At his Drafting Table in his Home 802 N Carrollton Ave.jpg|frameless]]
  
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Frank Davis practiced in Baltimore until about 1914, when he retired and moved to southern California to live with two of his sons, Francis Pierpont Davis and Walter Swindell Davis. Frank Davis died in Los Angeles on April 19, 1921. He was survived by his wife and five of his six children.{{NewArchitectPageFormat}}
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In 1983, Davis got married a second time to Annie Legate Swindell. Their ceremony was held at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, which he himself designed, and they moved into a house catty-corner from the church, on the southwest corner of Lafayette Square, in a row of homes also designed by him. Together they had five children—four boys and one girl. His eldest son, Francis Pierpont Davis, went on to be a prominent architect in Los Angeles, California.
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After starting a family, Davis’ practice slowed down. He designed the Maryland Bicycle Club (1885), townhouses for James Thompson (1885), and an Odd Fellows Hall (1891), but most of his projects were behind him. In 1912, he retired, and he moved to Los Angeles with his wife in 1915 to be closer to two of their sons. Most of his projects were in Maryland, though he also worked in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. His career is notable for its range. He designed residences and businesses, as well as religious, cultural, educational, medical, and governmental buildings. He died on April 19, 1921.
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By Dom Guida, with research done by Helen Hinchliff and Carlos Avery{{NewArchitectPageFormat}}
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
  
 
[[Category:Architects|Davis, Frank E.]]
 
[[Category:Architects|Davis, Frank E.]]

Latest revision as of 15:54, August 18, 2022

Frank E. Davis
Davis Frank E..jpg
General Information
Birth
August 14, 1839
Ellicott Mills, Maryland
Death
April 19, 1921
Los Angeles, California
Professional Accomplishments
Significant Design
First English Reformed Church; Old Town Savings Bank; First English Lutheran Church; Grace Methodist Episcopal Church; Pine Street Police Station; Holy Innocents Protestant Episcopal Church

Biography

Frank E. Davis, née Francis Earlougher Davis, was born August 14, 1839 in Ellicott’s Mills, Maryland. His father was a wagonmaker and ornamental blacksmith, and his mother was the daughter of an innkeeper in Ellicott’s Mills. His early architectural training likely came from his uncle, Charles Timanus, who was the architect and builder of the Howard County Courthouse, which was erected in Ellicott’s Mills and completed in 1843. Around the time Davis was eighteen, he started an apprenticeship under Edmund G. Lind, who was a prominent Baltimore architect. Before and during the Civil War, Davis studied at the Maryland Institute (now MICA) and was accepted into their Architectural Class in 1861.

In 1864, he moved to Washington, DC to apprentice as a draftsman in the Office of the Supervising Architect for the United States Treasury Department. In 1865, he created a firm with Thomas Dixon, known as Dixon & Davis. Together they designed the First English Reformed Church and other buildings. They had a downtown office until the firm dissolved in 1868.

In 1867, Davis married Emma Eudora Small after a long period of courtship. But she died in 1873, when she was only 29 years old.

During their marriage, Davis designed several buildings that came to fruition, such as Engine House #8 and the Old Town Savings Bank. In 1870, he was elected to the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). In the years after Emma’s death, he had his most productive period. Between 1874 and 1882, he designed several building that are extant today: Saint Michael’s Church Convent, First English Lutheran Church, Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, Pine Street Police Station, BCP Railway Car Barn and Offices, Holy Innocents Protestant Episocal Church, Male Grammer & Primary School No. 1, and Clifton School. In 1875, the State Normal School on Lafayette Square was built to his design, and while this work was considered one of his most recognizable, it has since been demolished.

Davis At his Drafting Table in his Home 802 N Carrollton Ave.jpg

In 1983, Davis got married a second time to Annie Legate Swindell. Their ceremony was held at Grace Methodist Episcopal Church, which he himself designed, and they moved into a house catty-corner from the church, on the southwest corner of Lafayette Square, in a row of homes also designed by him. Together they had five children—four boys and one girl. His eldest son, Francis Pierpont Davis, went on to be a prominent architect in Los Angeles, California.

After starting a family, Davis’ practice slowed down. He designed the Maryland Bicycle Club (1885), townhouses for James Thompson (1885), and an Odd Fellows Hall (1891), but most of his projects were behind him. In 1912, he retired, and he moved to Los Angeles with his wife in 1915 to be closer to two of their sons. Most of his projects were in Maryland, though he also worked in West Virginia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. His career is notable for its range. He designed residences and businesses, as well as religious, cultural, educational, medical, and governmental buildings. He died on April 19, 1921.

By Dom Guida, with research done by Helen Hinchliff and Carlos Avery

Projects

Map

Library Blue-marker.png Church Red-marker.png Government Brown-marker.png Commercial Purple-marker.png Dwelling Yellow-marker.png Park Green-marker.png Educational Orange-marker.png

Listing

Project Completed Address Image
Project Completed Address Image
Baltimore County School No. 7 1882 200 Ashland Rd.
BCP Railway Car Barn and Offices 1879 2560 Madison Ave
Davis_BCP Railway Car Barn and Offices.png
Clifton School 1882 2670 Kennedy Ave
Davis_Clifton School.png
Engine House No. 8 1871 1031 W Mulberry St
Davis_Engine House No 8.png
First English Lutheran Church 1875 823 W Lanvale St
Davis_First English Lutheran Church.png
First English Reformed Church (Aisquith Street) 1867 417 Aisquith St
Davis_First English Reformed Church 2.png
Grace Methodist Episcopal Church 1876 1121 W Lanvale St
Davis_Grace Methodist Episcopal Church.png
Holy Innocents Protestant Episcopal Church 1880 1100 N Eden St
Davis_Grace Memorial Baptist Church.png
James Thompson Townhouses 1885 206 Laurens Street
Davis_James Thompson Townhouses.png
Male Grammar & Primary School No. 1 1880 520 W Fayette St
Davis_Male Grammar _ Primary 1.png
Maryland Bicycle Club 1885 2028 Mt Royal Terrace
Davis_Maryland Bicycle Club.png
Odd Fellows Hall 1891 300 Cathedral St
Davis_Odd Fellows Hall Baltimore.png
Old Town Savings Bank 1871 353 N Gay St
Davis_Old Town Savings Bank 3.png
Pine Street Police Station 1877 214 N Pine St
Davis_Pine Street Station 1.png
Saint Michael’s Church Convent 1874 1901 E Lombard St
Davis_Saints Michaels Convent 1.png

Biography

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