Albert Kelsey (1870-1950), Architect
Albert Kelsey was born April 26, 1870 in St. Louis, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and won the Fourth Traveling Scholarship in Architecture of the University of Pennsylvania, allowing him to travel in Europe in 1896. He continued to travel extensively throughout his life and attended the Fourth International Congress of Architects, which was held in 1897 in Brussels, as a delegate. Early in his career, Kelsey apprenticed with Philadelphia architects and often won prizes in drafting competitions held by the T-Square Club of Philadelphia. He continued cultivating his career by participating in municipal art conferences. In June 1899, Kelsey was elected President of the Architectural League of America. He formed architectural partnerships from 1896-1905, then associated with Paul P. Cret in architectural competitions for a few years beginning in 1908, when they won the competition for the Pan-American Union Building in Washington, D.C. He continued a private practice after that time. Additionally, he founded and edited The Architectural Annual, was a member of the American Institute of Architects, and was president of the Pennsylvania State Association of Architects. In 1908, Kelsey was appointed a member of the Columbus, Ohio Plan Commission. Kelsey was married to Henrietta Latitia Allis. He died in 1950.[1][3][8]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
[hide]Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Educational & Professional Associations
1895: University of Pennsylvania.[1]
1895: T.P. Chandler.[1]
ca. 1896: Cope and Stewardson.[1]
1896-1900: architect and partner, Kennedy, Hays & Kelsey.[1][8]
1900-1905: architect and partner, Kennedy & Kelsey.[8]
ca. 1908-1910: Association with Paul P. Cret.[1][8]
ca.1910-1950: architect, Philadelphia.[8]
Architectural Study Travel
1896: Traveled abroad on scholarship.[1]
Buildings & Projects
Selection of Buildings, Nationwide
Pan-American Union Building (1908-1910), Washington, D.C.[4]
Haddington Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia (1915), 446 N. 65th St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2][8]
Carson College for Orphaned Girls/later called Carson Valley School (1917), Flourtown, Pennsylvania.[7]
University Baptist Church (1921) Austin, Texas.[8]
Sole Known Nebraska Project
Roscoe L. Smith Home (1922), 2745 Eastgate St., Lincoln, Nebraska.[1][5][6][a]
Notes
a. Roscoe Likes Smith (1884-1944) was a 38-year old physician and recent veteran of WWI service in the U. S. Army when he commissioned Lincoln builder Peter Hansen to construct a large, Spanish colonial revival "hacienda" southeast of 27th and Van Dorn Streets in Lincoln. The estimated cost of the house was $29,000. It included a large, glass-roofed "patio" surrounded by an arcade and lushly planted with tropical plants. The current address of the extant (2018) house is 2745 Eastgate. It is unclear how Smith obtained Kelsey's design services, which are documented on the Lincoln building permit. A Lincoln newspaper gossiped in 1921 that Dr. Smith "recently purchased a large tract [and] has been in California with his 'Packard' and wife, presumably to get plans." A few years after Smith's death in 1944, a feature story on the "Highlander Place" development that subdivided Smith's original estate noted that the plans for Smith's house "were designed by a man whose name eluded us thru several attempts to uncover it. He was associated with Mr. Goodhue, the man who designed the Nebraska state capitol. Originally the plans were exhibited at the International Architectural exhibition in New York City. They won first prize in the Spanish architecture division. Dr. Smith purchased the plans and built his house in 1922." Kelsey is not known to have been associated with Goodhue, but he was associated with Paul Cret, one of Goodhue's competitors for the Nebraska Capitol design.[6][9][10]
References
1. John Reps, “A Municipal Exhibit: Albert Kelsey,” "Cornell University" http://urbanplanning.library.cornell.edu/DOCS/kelsey.htm.
2. "Elevation's," The Architectural Record 40 (July 1916), 44-46.
3. “Albert Kelsey,” The Successful American Vol. 1, Part 1-Vol. 1, Part 1 (The Press Biographical Company: New York, n.d.), 40.
4. Pamela Scott and Antoinette J. Lee, Buildings of the District of Columbia (Oxford University Press: New York, 1991), 208.
5. Map of Lincoln (New York: Sanborn Map Company), (1928).
6. City of Lincoln, Building Permit #10476 and associated application, issued September 25, 1922; contractor: Peter Hansen; architect: Albert Kelsey; estimated cost: $29,000.
7. “Where No Three Orphans May Dress Alike,” The New York Times (June 11, 1916).
8. "Kelsey, Albert (1870-1950) Architect," in Philadelphia Architects and Buildings, on-line resource accessed December 20, 2018 at https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/25033
9. Lincoln (Nebraska) State Journal (September 18, 1921), 11.
10. "They're Talking About...In Highlands Addition," Lincoln (Nebraska) Evening Journal (August 26, 1949), 10.
Return to Top of Page
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Albert Kelsey (1870-1950), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 20, 2018. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, June 23, 2025.
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