Maher, George Washington

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George Washington Maher Soundex Code M600

George Washington Maher Architect

Wikipedia page about George Washington Maher

Elected to A.I.A.: 1901

Elected to Fellowship: 1916

Born: Sunday, December 25, 1864, Mill Creek, West Virginia

Died: Sunday, September 12, 1926, Ganges, MichiganGeorge Washington Maher

George Washington Maher married Elizabeth Maher, nee: Elizabeth Brooks in 1893.

Chicago Tribune, Obituary, Tuesday, September 14, 1926, page 9

Health Failing, Noted Architect Kills Himself

George W. Maher, an architect who specialized in designing model cities and villages, killed himself early Sunday, September 12, 1926, at his summer home in Ganges, Michigan, it was learned yesterday, Monday, September 13, 1926.

Despondency over his health over several years hindered his work which was blamed by the coroners jury which returned a verdict of suicide.

Maher, complaining of a headache, had left for a walk and his wife, Elizabeth Maher, nee: Elizabeth Brooks, followed in a few minutes. She found his body in their garage; a revolver was clutched in his right hand.

Was Architect of Kenilworth

The architect who laid out the villages of Kenilworth and Glencoe built numerous "show place" houses along the North Shore and was consulting to the Kenilworth Planning Commission, was born on Sunday, December 25, 1864, at Mill Creek, West Virginia. He studied architecture in Chicago and later in Europe, starting work here in 1888, gradually specializing in residences, memorials, city and village planning. At Kenilworth he not only laid out the village, designed and built the schools and churches, but donated the public park. He was trustee of the Kenilworth board in 1906. He accomplished similar work in Glencoe and Evanston, building the homes of James A. Patten and George B. Dryden and the Patten Gymnasium of Northwestern University.

Mr. Maher was a fellow in theAmerican Institute of Architects and served that organization as president of the Illinois Chapter in 1918.

Last Work Was at Gary

His last work was at Gary, Indiana, where he helped draft the planning code and opened the gateway to the city.

In 1920, his health began to fail and he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1922, the result of overwork.

Biographies of Architects, Designers, and Builders

George Washington Maher (December 25, 1864-September 12, 1926)

George Washington Maher was born in Mill Creek, West Virginia, on December 25, 1864. During his teens he apprenticed to prominent Chicago architects Augustus Bauer and Henry Hill. Maher joined the office of Shingle style architect J. L. Silsbee as a draftsman in 1887, where he worked with fellow draftsman Frank Lloyd Wright.

Old Fresno Water Tower

In 1888 Maher formed a short-lived partnership with Cecil Corwin. After Corwin left, Maher practiced alone until 1914, when his son Philip Maher joined him for a brief period. After the war the firm became George W. Maher and Son.

During the 1890s Maher worked in a variety of styles. His Shingle and Queen Anne projects were widely reviewed in the Journal Inland Architect during this period. Maher modeled his design for the Fresno Library and Water Tower on a Medieval Romanesque tower. By the late 1890s Maher's work began to reflect characteristics of the Prairie style. He was one of the pioneer Prairie style architects along with Frank Lloyd Wright, Purcell & Elmslie, and Walter Burley Griffin.

Maher's most important and productive period came after 1904. His bold and idiosyncratic residential interpretations of the Prairie ideal were built throughout Chicago's suburbs, including Oak Park, Evanston, Kenilworth, and Winnetka. He developed the campus plan for Northwestern University in 1907 and designed Swift Hall and Patten Gymnasium on that campus. He also did a great deal of work in Wausau, Wisconsin.

After World War I, Maher became a vocal proponent of community planning and prepared development plans for Glencoe and Kenilworth. He is also credited with forming the committee that launched the first efforts to restore the Fine Arts Building designed by Charles Atwood for the 1893 Columbian Exposition at Chicago.

Subject to bouts of depression all his life, Maher became despondent in 1925 and never fully recovered. He committed suicide on September 12, 1926.

The AIA Historical Directory of American Architects

File number: ahd1027930

George W. Maher (1864-1926)

Name: Maher, George W.

Personal Information:

Birth/Death: deceased 09/13/1926

Occupation: American architect

Location (state): IL

This record has not been verified for accuracy.

AIA Affiliation

Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) 1901-decease

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) 1916

Biographical Sources:

Biographical directories:

Biographical entry in A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno, California

Obituaries:

Journal of the American Institute of Architects, death notice, November 1926

Related Records:

Father of Philip Brooks Maher

Archival Holdings:

The American Institute of Architects Archives

Membership file may contain membership application, related correspondence. Contact the AIA Archives at archives@aia.org for further information.

Northwest Architectural Archives, University of Minnesota Libraries, Minneapolis

E.L. King residence (Rockledge) plans (N 181)

Collection contains the plans of the 1928 renovation of the E.L. King residence "Rockledge." The Ernest L. King residence, known as "Rockledge," was constructed in 1912 by architect George W. Maher. The house, built in Homer, Minnesota, near Winona, was designed in the Chicago Prairie School style. Rockledge was demolished in 1987. The collection contains plans for the 1928 renovation of Rockledge for then owners Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Boalt. The architect for the renovation was Philip B. Maher, son of George W. Maher.

For more information http://special.lib.umn.edu/manuscripts/architect.html Publications:

- See more at: http://public.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1027930.aspx#sthash.hbG2koOV.dpuf