Alfred Wilderman Woods (1857-1942), Architect
DRAFT BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Alfred Wilderman Woods was born January 30, 1857 at St. Clair County, Illinois, the sixth son of Robert and Elizabeth Short Woods.[2] His father was a farmer. Alfred was educated at Musselmans Business College in Quincy, Illinois; studied architecture at Quincy, Illinois, 1881-82, and practiced at Lincoln, Nebraska, 1885 to 1933. Married Haidee Finney at Lincoln, December 30, 1885; they had one son and three daughters. Specialized in church design, having planned more than 100 of them. While many are in Nebraska, an even greater number are in other states, including Arkansas, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington.[10,14] Died December 29, 1942.[10] Invented: "Key to the Steel Square" (similar to a slide rule), 1902, to aid carpenters for cuts on rafters, etc.[8][10] Invented the Standard Foot Decimal Scale, 1921.[14]
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
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1886, 1887 1900-06, 1913-17, 1920, 1922, 1924-31
Educational & Professional Associations
1878-1879: student, Musselman’s Business College, Quincy, Illinois.[14]
1881-1882: architecture student, Quincy, Illinois.[13,14]
1884-1885: penmanship teacher at Lincoln Business College.[14]
1886: draftsman for Artemas Roberts, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1887-1903: architect and partner, Roberts & Woods, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1903: architect and partner, Woods & Shaffer, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1904-1905: architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1906-1912: architect and partner, Woods & Cordner, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1912-1918: architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1918: architect and partner, Woods & Anderson, Architects, Lincoln, Nebraska.
1918-1933: architect, Lincoln, Nebraska.[14]
Buildings & Projects
1887-1903
Alfred Woods was listed in the 1886 Lincoln city directory as a draftsman for architect Artemas Roberts, and the next year was in partnership with the experienced architect as Roberts & Woods. The partnership began in a period of rapid growth for Nebraska's capital city, endured through the sharp economic downturn and Lincoln's population decline of the mid-1890s, and only dissolved around 1903 as Roberts approached semi-retirement and relocation to Florida. Their practice was broad and included churches, residences, and especially commercial buildings, mostly in Lincoln but also elsewhere in Nebraska and a project in Cody, Wyoming. The partners' projects of this period are detailed under Roberts & Woods, Architects, with attention to whether one or the other appears to have taken the principal design role in various projects.
Gillen & Boney Candy Co. Building Addition (1906), 201 N 8th, Lincoln, Nebraska (LC13:C09-086)
Glenwood Carnegie Library (1906-07), Glenwood, Iowa.[9]
Tifereth Israel Synagogue (1912-1913), 344 S 18th St., Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][15][16] (LC13:D08-264)
Saint Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church (1913), Saint Joseph, Missouri.[18][f]
Remodeling C. F. McCain residence (1913), 1418 C Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[19]
New front and interior for Fred. Schmidt & Brothers store (1913), 917-921 O Street, Lincoln, Nebraska.[20]
Women's Dormitory - Sparks Hall (1913-1914), Chadron State College, Chadron, Nebraska.[15][21][g] (DW03-089)
Secular Church (1914), Paris, Tennessee.[17][e]
Elm Park Methodist Church (c1914), 2900 Randolph, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][16]
Barkley Bldg (1915), 1144 O St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
Plymouth Congregational Church (1915), 1640 A St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][16]
German Congregational Salem Church (1916), 901 Charleston, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][16]
ButterNut Bread Bakery (1916), 1001-1005 L St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. Remodel (1921), 1218-1222 P St., Lincoln, Nebraska.[16] (LC13:C09-118)
Dr. Finney house (1922), 2110 Ryons, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
Alex Wekesser House (1925), 1020 S 19th, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15] (LC13:D07-255)
Dailey Apartments (1925), 828 S 16th, Lincoln, Nebraska. (LC13:D07-009)
Quinn Chapel AME Church Addition and Remodel (1926), 845 C St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
McAnulty house (1926), 3060 Sheridan Blvd, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
Welfare Society Hall (1927), 1430 N 10th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
Ebenezer Church (1927), 8th & B Sts, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church (1927), 1324 New Hampshire, Lincoln, Nebraska.[16]
Undated
Martin Wagner Grocery Store, 10th & Plum, Lincoln, Nebraska.[1]
Oakdale Methodist Church remodel, Oakdale, Nebraska.[3]
Prof. Emerson cottage, Lincoln, Nebraska.[4]
Second Presbyterian Church (1902), 132 N 26th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[5][c] (LC13:D09-224)
George H. McCain house, 16th & R, Lincoln, Nebraska.[6]
C. J. Bell house, David City, Nebraska.[7]
Tabernacle Christian Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
Calvary Evangelical Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
First German Congregational Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
Second Methodist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
Emmanuel Methodist Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
University Methodist Church.[10]
Havelock St. Patrick's Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
Bethany Christian Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
College View Union Church, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
Publications
Associate editor, American Carpenter & Builder, 1905-1920.[14]
Associate editor, Cement World, 1906-1916.[14]
Author, Square Root Delineator, 1894.[14]
Author, Key to the Steel Square, 1902.[14]
Author, Master Key to the Steel Square, 1933.[14]
Assistant Editor, The Steel Square and its Uses Two vols. (New York: Industrial Publication Co., 1907).[14][a]
Author and Collaborator, Radford’s Cyclopedia of Construction, Carpentry, Building, and Architecture. Twelve vols. (Chicago: Radford Architectural Company, 1909).[14][b]
Notes
a. The Steel Square publication was under the editorial supervision of William A. Radford, and is online through the Hathi Trust website. Accessed January 11, 2016. http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433066371331;view=1up;seq=11 Alfred Woods is described on the title page as "The World's Greatest Expert with the Steel Square."
b. The Cyclopedia is online at archive.org, Accessed January 11, 2016. https://archive.org/details/radfordscycloped06johnuoft . Also see the Radford Architectural Company.
c. This may have been a project, and not a commission; see Zimmer [16n4], who attributes the building to Fisher & Lawrie, Architects, Omaha, Nebraska.
e. American Contractor reported "Secular Church (seating 400): $20M. Paris, Tenn. Archt. A. W. Woods, 109 S. 10th st., Lincoln. Owner Secular Church Society, Paris, Tenn., Otto Harni, secy. Plans in progress. Press & common brk., comp. rf., metal corner cornice, struc. & orn. iron."[17]
f. American Contractor of April 5, 1913 notes: "St. Joseph, Mo.--Church" 59 1/2 x 40. $15,000. St. Joseph. Archt. A. W. Woods..." The same edition also notes the church address as "Highland av. & Savannah st. St. Joseph." Further details provided include: "Buff & vitrified brick, Carthage marble, Bedford stone trim, composition roof, struct. iron, oak & pine finish, pine, cement & tile floors, tile, gas & electric fixtures."[18]
g. American Contractor of July 5, 1913 is the first edition which lists A. W. Woods as architect for the "Girls' Dormitory" at the state normal school in Chadron, Nebraska. The status is described as "Plans in progress" for a two-story, 38'x 88', $20,000 building, detailed as "Vitrified brick & reinforced concrete, pine finish, pine, concrete & cement floors, electric fixtures." The edition of August 23, 1913, announces "Bids will be received until Sept. 2." By September 27th, the magazine states "Entire contract let to F. E. Mullholen, Rapid City, S. Dak. Work will start at once."[21]
This building has also been attributed to architect Arthur Dixon Baker, who practiced in Omaha, Gering, and Grand Island. Baker also had a brief stint in California which coincides with the construction of the Chadron dormitory. Woods' connection is amply documented. Baker designed another women's dormitory on the same campus in 1932 and the misattribution probably arose from that.
References
1. Lincoln Trade Review 1:48 (1903): 9.
2. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
3. Lincoln Trade Review 2:4 (1903): 3.
4. Lincoln Trade Review 2"4 (1903): 3.
5. Lincoln Trade Review 1"3 (1902): 4.
6. Lincoln Trade Review 1:5 (1902): 4.
7. Lincoln Trade Review 1:40 (1903): 3.
8. A. W. Woods Collection, Nebraska State Historical Society, Museum Collections, 8840-1.
9. "An Architectural & Historical Survey of Public Libraries of Iowa, 1870-1940." MS. (Iowa State Historical Department, Division of Historic Preservation, 1980).
10. “A. W. Woods, Architect Who Planned 100 Churches, Dies,” Lincoln Star (December 29, 1942): 1, 10.
13. Sara Mullins Baldwin, ed., Who's Who in Lincoln (1928).
14. Who's Who in Nebraska (Lincoln: Nebraska Press Assn., 1940).
15. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, see National Register narrative.
16. Zimmer, Edward F., “Alfred Wilderman Woods (1857-1942),” TS. [copy in SHPO files, April 18, 2003].
17. American Contractor (August 1, 1914), 104.
18. American Contractor (April 5, 1913), 42, 106, 107; (May 17, 1913), 37, 100, 101.
19. American Contractor (April 19, 1913), 93; (May 24, 1913), 96D--"Postponed to fall."
20. American Contractor (May 24, 1913), 96D.
21. American Contractor (July 5, 1913), 43; (August 23, 1913), 22, 82; (September 27, 1913), 22, 83.
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer and D. Murphy, “Alfred Wilderman Woods (1857-1942), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, July 5, 2011. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, May 14, 2024.
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