Brown, Burton & Davis, Architects
Principals:
William R. Brown (1846-1918)
Matthew H. Burton (1869-1947)
David D. Davis (c. 1866-c. 1925)
Brown, Burton & Davis was a short-lived architectural partnership based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The partners had numerous commissions between 1899 and 1901, designing large churches from Pennsylvania to Kansas. Saint Paul Methodist Episcopal (now United Methodist) Church in downtown Lincoln is their single known Nebraska project.[1][2]
Contents
[hide]Lineage of Principals' Associations
1898: Burton & Davis, architects, Cincinnati.
1899-1901: Brown, Burton & Davis, architects, Cincinnati.[III][oo]
1902-1907: Brown & Davis, architects, Cincinnati.
Other Associations
1900-1901: employed Michael Heister, architect, residing in Bellevue, Kentucky.[I][o]
1900-1901: Lincoln architect A. W. Woods supervised construction of St. Paul M. E. Church, Lincoln.[2]
Known Nebraska Work
Saint Paul Methodist Episcopal (now United Methodist) Church (1900-1901), South 12th & M Streets, Lincoln, Nebraska.[1][2]
Similar Church Projects
In 1902............
Notes
a. re William R. Brown IV, in Village of Ridgefield Park. Overpark Township, NJ, with wife Flora P.C., both b. Ohio, both b. 1846
b. re Matthew H. Burton
c. re David D. Davis
d. re Michael Heister
oo. A Cincinnati newspaper noted on October 9, 1901, that "...Matthew H. Burton has severed his connection with the firm of Brown, Burton & Davis, architects...Mr. Burton withdrew from the firm on September 1 last, and as yet has not decided whether he will embark in business as an architect by himself or not. David D. Davis, his former partner...stated that the matter of continuing the firm as Brown & Davis had not as yet been settled."[III] Brown & Davis were listed in Cincinnati directories as partners from 1902 to 1907.
References
1. "New Church Edifice. St. Paul Methodist Official Board Takes Action...Experienced Church Builders Are Employed," (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal (February 10, 1900), 1 (with perspective sketch).
2. "A Worthy New Building. Present Home of St. Paul's Congregation. One of Largest in the West," (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal (November 18, 1901), 3 (with sketch of floor plan). I II III. "It will be news..." (announcement that Burton had "...severed his connection with the firm of Brown, Burton & Davis, architects..."), Cincinnati (Ohio) Enquirer (October 9, 1901), 5. IV. Ancestry.com. New Jersey, U.S., State Census, 1915, s.v. "William R. Brown," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2017. V. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "William R. Brown," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer & D. Murphy, “Brown, Burton & Davis, Architects,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, April 30, 2025. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, June 26, 2025.
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