Floyd Orson Wolfenbarger (1904–1979), was an American architect in Kansas.[1][2] He founded the architectural firm F. O. Wolfenbarger and Associates in 1935, and was part of the architectural firm partnership, Wolfenbarger and McCulley. Wolfenbarger designed several Kansas State University buildings in Manhattan, Kansas.
Floyd Orson Wolfenbarger | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 19, 1904 Winkler, Riley County, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | July 18, 1979 Topeka, Kansas, U.S. |
| Other names | Floyd O. Wolfenbarger |
| Alma mater | Kansas State Agricultural College |
| Occupation | Architect |
Biography
editFloyd Orson Wolfenbarger was born on November 29, 1904, in Winkler, an unincorporated community in Riley County, Kansas.[1][3] He graduated from Manhattan High School.[3]
He graduated from Kansas State Agricultural College (now Kansas State University) in Manhattan, Kansas in 1927.[4] He received a Bemis Foundation grant for work at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to develop modular units as building materials.[4]
He lived in Boston, Massachusetts for 8 years, working at the architecture firm Bigelow, Wadsworth, Hubbard and Smith.[4] In 1934 or 1935, he returned to Manhattan, Kansas to open his own architectural firm F. O. Wolfenbarger and Associates, where he designed hospitals, jails, recreational facilities, businesses and homes.[4][5] He also worked for the Riley County Better Housing Committee.[6] In 1956, he served on the design team for the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.[3] Wolfenbarger served as president of the Kansas chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1949.[4][7]
He established an architectural firm Wolfenbarger and McCulley in the city of Manhattan, Kansas, a partnership with architect Robert Maxwell McCulley, who continued the firm until 1985, after Wolfenbarger's death.[6]
He died on July 18, 1979, in Topeka, Kansas, after a stay in a hospital.[2][3] The Kansas Historical Society has a collection of the firm's records.[6]
Work
edit
- Mattie M. Elliot House (c. 1927, or 1928), at 600 Houston Street, Manhattan, Riley County, Kansas; NRHP-listed[4]
- Nelson Antrim Crawford House (1938), at 2202 SW Seventeenth Street, Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas; NRHP-listed[5][8]
- Riley County Jail (1940), at Colorado and 6th Streets, Manhattan, Kansas[9]
- Riley County Memorial Hospital (1954), at Manhattan, Kansas[5]
- Eisenhower Presidential Library (1956) in Abilene, Kansas; one of the project architects[5]
- Kansas State University, several buildings including McCain Auditorium (1969), King Hall (1966), Caldwell Hall (1963), and Justin Hall (1960)[5][2]
- Manhattan Country Club, at Manhattan, Kansas[5]
- AT&T building at 1640 Fairchild Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas[5]
- Arthur-Green office building at 801 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas[5]
- Riley County Historical Museum at 2309 Claflin Road, Manhattan, Kansas[5]
- Lee Elementary at 701 Lee Street, Manhattan, Kansas[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Who's Who in the Midwest. A.N. Marquis. September 23, 1978. p. 768. ISBN 9780837907161 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c "Architect Wolfenbarger dies at 74". The Manhattan Mercury. 1979-07-18. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ a b c d "Obituary for Architect Wolfenbarger". The Manhattan Mercury (page 2/2). 1979-07-18. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ a b c d e f "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Mattie M. Elliot House". National Park Service. Retrieved February 11, 2023. With accompanying pictures
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Manhattan's Significant Post-War Architect" (PDF). Manhattan/Riley County Preservation Alliance Newsletter. February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Wolfenbarger & McCulley records [manuscript]". State Archives, Kansas Historical Society (KSHS).
- ^ "Local architect to AIA meetings". The Manhattan Mercury. 1970-01-18. p. 17. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
- ^ "Crawford, Nelson Antrim, House". NPGallery, Digital Asset Management System.
- ^ "A Self Guided Drive Down Memory Lane: Manhattan Buildings 1917 – 1963". Riley County Historical Museum. 2015.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Park Service.