James Clinton Holland (1853-1919), Architect
dba J. C. Holland
James Clinton Holland was born in Lima, Ohio to Lydia and B. A. Holland. The father was a "House Joiner" to whom James was apprenticed in 1870.[]1[2] He attended Northwestern Ohio Normal University (NONU) for two years and Cornell University, studying architecture, for two years. He worked as a carpenter, contractor, and architect in Ohio, then taught architecture at NONU in 1883-1884 before moving to Topeka, Kansas in 1885, where he had a productive architectural career for over 3o years. He married Lizzie Baker in 1882 and they had two sons and a daughter. He died in 1919 in Topeka.[3][4]
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
Buildings & Projects
Jefferson County Courthouse (1890-1892), Fairbury, Nebraska.[x1][x2][x4][a] (JF04-050) NRHP
Notes
a. Listed as Topeka, Kansas and Lincoln, Nebraska.[2] A Nebraska newspaper mentioned in 1891 that the newly laid cornerstone was inscribed "J. C. Holland, architect."[4]
References
1. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current,]] s.v. "James Clinton Holland, [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
2. Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census, s.v. "J. C. Holland" in Liberty, Ohio, [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009.
3. "James C. Holland," in Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia, database on-line accessed May 23, 2025 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C._Holland
4. "J. C. Holland Dies--Veteran Topeka Architect Came Here in 1885. He Planned State House and Many Big Buildings," Topeka (Kansas) State Journal (May 28, 1919), 1.
x1. Correspondence, Nebraska State Historical Society Archives, RG238.
x2. Oliver B. Pollak, "Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community" [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 61. [725.1.P771n]
x3.
x4. "Corner Stone Laying" (Jefferson County Courthouse), Diller (Nebraska) Record (July 10, 1891), 2.
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer & D. Murphy, “James Clinton Holland (1853-1919), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, January 26, 2015; updated May 23, 2025 http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, June 29, 2025.
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