Difference between revisions of "Mifflin Emlen Bell (1846-1904), Architect"
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<div style="white-space:nowrap;font-size:125%">'''Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C.'''</div style="white-space:nowrap;font-size:125%"> | <div style="white-space:nowrap;font-size:125%">'''Chicago, Illinois and Washington, D.C.'''</div style="white-space:nowrap;font-size:125%"> | ||
− | '''Mifflin E. Bell''' was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and moved to Bloomington, Illinois with his parents in 1853. He married Susan Adelaide (''nee'' Van Hoff) in 1871 and they had at least five children.[[#References|[9]]] In about 1869, Mifflin Bell entered the architectural field in Chicago, working for A. H. Piquenard. After Piquenard’s death in 1876, he formed a practice in Springfield, Illinois with W. F. Hackney. He was named Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury in 1883, largely on the basis of his experience with the construction of the Iowa and Illinois state capitols, under Piquenard. Bell served as Supervising Architect for four years, resigning in mid-1887.[[#References|[3][6][7][8][9]]] His youngest brother, '''[[Charles Emlen Bell (1858-1932), Architect|Charles E. Bell]]''', apprenticed with Mifflin, possibly during the planning of the U.S. Post Office in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1884, and later practiced architecture in Iowa and Nebraska.[[#References|[4]]][[#Notes|[b]]] In 1885, Mifflin Bell became a Fellow of the AIA for his achievements in architecture.[[#References|[2]]] He returned to Chicago after leaving the Supervising Architect's post and there had both a private practice, and served as superintendent for repairs of federal buildings, including those at the World's Columbian Exposition. He died in Chicago on May 31, 1904.[[#References|[8][9]]] | + | '''Mifflin E. Bell''' was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and moved to Bloomington, Illinois with his parents in 1853. He married Susan Adelaide (''nee'' Van Hoff) in 1871 and they had at least five children.[[#References|[9]]] In about 1869, Mifflin Bell entered the architectural field in Chicago, working for A. H. Piquenard. After Piquenard’s death in 1876, he formed a practice in Springfield, Illinois with W. F. Hackney. He was named [[Supervising Architect of the Treasury|'''Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury''']] in 1883, largely on the basis of his experience with the construction of the Iowa and Illinois state capitols, under Piquenard. Bell served as Supervising Architect for four years, resigning in mid-1887.[[#References|[3][6][7][8][9]]] His youngest brother, '''[[Charles Emlen Bell (1858-1932), Architect|Charles E. Bell]]''', apprenticed with Mifflin, possibly during the planning of the U.S. Post Office in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1884, and later practiced architecture in Iowa and Nebraska.[[#References|[4]]][[#Notes|[b]]] In 1885, Mifflin Bell became a Fellow of the AIA for his achievements in architecture.[[#References|[2]]] He returned to Chicago after leaving the Supervising Architect's post and there had both a private practice, and served as superintendent for repairs of federal buildings, including those at the World's Columbian Exposition. He died in Chicago on May 31, 1904.[[#References|[8][9]]] |
This page is a contribution to the publication, '''[[Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects]]'''. See the [[Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries]] page for more information on the compilation and page organization. | This page is a contribution to the publication, '''[[Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects]]'''. See the [[Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries]] page for more information on the compilation and page organization. |
Revision as of 10:04, 8 July 2024
Mifflin E. Bell was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and moved to Bloomington, Illinois with his parents in 1853. He married Susan Adelaide (nee Van Hoff) in 1871 and they had at least five children.[9] In about 1869, Mifflin Bell entered the architectural field in Chicago, working for A. H. Piquenard. After Piquenard’s death in 1876, he formed a practice in Springfield, Illinois with W. F. Hackney. He was named Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury in 1883, largely on the basis of his experience with the construction of the Iowa and Illinois state capitols, under Piquenard. Bell served as Supervising Architect for four years, resigning in mid-1887.[3][6][7][8][9] His youngest brother, Charles E. Bell, apprenticed with Mifflin, possibly during the planning of the U.S. Post Office in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1884, and later practiced architecture in Iowa and Nebraska.[4][b] In 1885, Mifflin Bell became a Fellow of the AIA for his achievements in architecture.[2] He returned to Chicago after leaving the Supervising Architect's post and there had both a private practice, and served as superintendent for repairs of federal buildings, including those at the World's Columbian Exposition. He died in Chicago on May 31, 1904.[8][9]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Buildings & Projects
U.S. Post Office (1884), Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1884.[4]
U. S. Post Office (1885-1889), 202 S 8th, Nebraska City, Nebraska.[1][5][10-12][a][c] (OT06:A-005) National Register narrative
Notes
a. The National Register narrative incorrectly attributes this building to "W. E. Bell."
b. Mifflin Bell's brother Charles also partnered with Nebraska architect George Berlinghof for a few years around 1890.
c. Bell's Annual Report for 1885 lists his only Nebraska project, the "Nebraska City, Nebr, Court-House, Post-Office, Etc." An appropriation of $75,000 was made March 3, 1885 and by September 30 the site had been purchased and "sketch-plans are being prepared."[10] The report for 1886 noted "The sketch plans for this building have been approved" and "...the masonry of the basement is nearly completed."[11] Bell had resigned in July 1887 and his successor, William Alfred Freret, submitted the Annual Report for the year ending September 30, 1887. On the Nebraska City Post Office, Freret noted that an additional $31,000 had been had been appropriated and new "sketch plans and estimate of cost were approved May 7, 1887, for the enlargement of the building." He added "The extension is now at the height of the first-story sill course,and work is proceeding on the masonry of the second story of the older portion."[12] The Nebraska City Post Office was Nebraska's third USPO constructed by the Supervising Architect's office, after Omaha and Lincoln.
References
1. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 120.
2. AIA Historical Directory of American Architects: A Resource Guide to Finding Information About Past Architects. http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1002911.aspx [accessed 20100413]
3. Henry F. Withey, A.I.A., and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956). Facsimile edition, (Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970), 48.
4. Biographical History of Pottawattamie County (Iowa) (Lewis Publishing Co., 1891), 485-86.
5. Omaha Daily Herald (November 6, 1885), 4.
6. “Mifflin E. Bell’s Career,” New York Times (October 31, 1883), accessed July 25, 2013, http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50A14FF3B5F15738DDDA80B94D8415B8384F0D3
7. “Mifflin E. Bell,” 1881 History of Sangamon County, Illinois (Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Company, 1881), 640, accessed through Roots Web on July 25, 2013, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/sangamon/1881bios/bell_mifflin.html
8. Antoinette J. Lee, Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 135-142.
9. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "Mifflin Emlen Bell," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
10. M. E. Bell, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1885 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1885), 37.
11. M. E. Bell, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1886 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1886), 39-40.
12. W. E. Freret, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1887 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1887), 40.
Other Sources
“Bell, Mifflin,” Pacific Coast Architecture Database, University of Washington, accessed July 25, 2013, https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/5369/
American Architect & Building News 84:1486 (June 18, 1904), 93.
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Mifflin Emlen Bell (1846-1904), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, July 25, 2013; updated July 7, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, June 26, 2025.
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