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 two sons and four 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, Washington, and Wisconsin.[10,14] Died December 29, 1942, survived by his wife and five of their six children.[10][13] 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.
1904-1906: 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 and endured through the sharp economic downturn and Lincoln's population decline of the mid-1890s. In 1894 Woods authored Square Root Delineator and was employed by Nebraska Wesleyan University as a professor of drawing.[14]. The partnership 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 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.
1903
In 1903 Woods and George W. Shaffer together designed a pair of buildings for the University of Nebraska's agricultural campus, although funding issues delayed construction of one of the buildings until 1908. No other works are currently known to have been produced by them in partnership. See Woods & Shaffer, Architects for their joint work.
1904-1906
Woods alternated between independent practice and partnerships for the rest of his career, with his first years as a solo practitioner occurring in 1904-1906. In 1905 he also began a fifteen year association with American Carpenter and Builder magazine as an associate editor and frequent contributor, and in 1906 started a similar connection with Cement World magazine.
Dr. Everett B. Finney House (1905), 2315 S 17th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[11][d]
Brick factory for Gillen & Boney Candy Company (1906), 209-233 N 8th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[12][h] (LC13:C09-086)
1906-1912
In 1906 Woods entered into a highly productive partnership with John Cordner that lasted a half-dozen years but resulted in dozens of residences and commercial buildings in Lincoln and several churches across Nebraska. See Woods & Cordner, Architects for their projects.
1912-1917
In another stint of solo practice, Woods' commissions continued to include commercial, residential, and public buildings, but his focus on church design sharpened, with ecclesiastic commissions for a range of denominations from Texas to Pennsylvania as well as throughout Nebraska.
Saint Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church (1913), Saint Joseph, Missouri.[18][f]
Remodeling C. F. McCain residence (1913), 1418 C St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[19]
New front and interior for Fred. Schmidt & Brothers store (1913), 917-921 O St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[20]
Picture Show, with Store Rooms in front, for Don L. Love (1913), 1511-1515 O St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[32][33][i]
Women's Dormitory - Sparks Hall (1913-1914), Chadron State College, Chadron, Nebraska.[9][15][21][g] (DW03-089)
School (1913), Grant, Nebraska.[34][j]
Produce building for Sam Shotak (l913), 217 S 9th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[35]
Garage for W. H. Mathews (1913), 1015 N St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[36][37]
Garage for Nicholas Ress (1913), 248 S 9th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[38][39]
Secular Church (1914), Paris, Tennessee.[17][e]
Two-story addition to Barkley Bldg (1915), 1144 O St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[23]
Plymouth Congregational Church (1915), 1640 A St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][24]
ButterNut Bread Bakery (1916), 1001-1005 L St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[25]
German Congregational Salem Church (1916), 901 Charleston St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10][26]
1918
Woods' final partnership was perhaps shortened by a downturn in construction during the Great War. See Woods & Anderson, Architects for the joint projects of A. W. Woods and Sten T. Anderson.
1918-1933
For the final fifteen years of his professional work until his retirement in 1933, Woods operated as a solo practitioner.
Elm Park Methodist Church (1918), 2900 Randolph St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[3][4][10]
Second Methodist Church (circa 1919), 301 S 15th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[10]
First German Congregational Church (1920), 100 W F St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[7][10]
Farmers Mutual Insurance Co. Remodel (1921), 1218-1222 P St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[22] (LC13:C09-118)
Dr. E. B. Finney house (1922), 2110 Ryons St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15]
Calvary Evangelical Church (1923), 1610 S 11th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[6][10]
Alex Wekesser House (1925), 1020 S 19th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[15] (LC13:D07-255)
Dailey Apartments (1925), 828 S 16th St, Lincoln, Nebraska. (LC13:D07-009)
Quinn Chapel AME Church Addition and Remodel (1926), 845 C St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[27]
McAnulty house (1926), 3060 Sheridan Blvd, Lincoln, Nebraska.[28]
Welfare Society Hall (1927), 1430 N 10th St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[29]
Ebenezer Church (1927), 8th & B Sts, Lincoln, Nebraska.[30]
St. Johns Evangelical Lutheran Church (1927), 1324 New Hampshire St, Lincoln, Nebraska.[31]
Bethany Christian Church (1930), 1645 N Cotner Blvd, Lincoln, Nebraska.[5][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.
d. Woods married Haidee Finney in 1885; Dr. Everett B. Finney was her brother. Woods published the design for the first of two houses he designed for Dr. Finney in the November 1905 edition of American Carpenter and Builder, including a description, photograph, and two floor plans.[11]
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." On June 28, 1913, the location was specified as "Highland av. & Svaannah st." Contracts, were let, then (August 30, 1913) it was announced the contractor had been released and the work delayed until spring.[18]
g. American Contractor in July 5, 1913 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 mis-attribution probably arose from that.
h. This brick factory consisting of basement and three stories was estimated to cost $28,000 to construct. It occupied two-thirds of the site of the four-story Clarke Building of 1887, being the portion destroyed by fire in 1895. The southern third of the building survived the fire. Gillen & Boney Candy Company in-filled the destroyed portion in 1906, then added a fourth floor in 1918, and finally remodeled the exterior of the 1887 remainder to coordinate with the twentieth century additions. Woods' drawings accompanying the June 1906 building permit for this project carefully detail the heavy-timber, "slow-burn" structure of the building. They are inscribed "A. W. Woods, Arch't," without mention of John Cordner. By September 1906, the new partnership of Woods & Cordner designed a reinforced concrete warehouse in the same district. See the Register nomination for the Lincoln Haymarket Historic District.[12]
i. American Contractor refers to this project as a $10,000 effort, and mentions contracts being issued and brick work begun. The City of Lincoln building permit refers only to a $2,000 brick addition, seemingly only part of a larger project.[32][33]
j. American Contractor of July 5, 1913 describes the Grant school as "2 sty. & bas. 45x50. $10,000....Plans completed...Vitrified brick & Bedford stone trim, wood shingle roof, pin finish, pine & cement floors."[34]
References
2. Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
3. "New home of the Elm Park M. E. Church congregation," Lincoln Sunday State Journal (January 5, 1919), with photograph.
4. City of Lincoln Building Permit #7541 with application and drawings, July 29, 1918.
5. City of Lincoln Building Permit #19741 with application and drawings, September 23, 1930.
6. City of Lincoln Building Permit #11125 with application and drawings, May 10, 1923.
7. City of Lincoln Building Permit #8563 with application and drawings, May 15, 1920.
8. A. W. Woods Collection, Nebraska State Historical Society, Museum Collections, 8840-1.
9. "New Building at Chadron," perspective drawing with caption, inscribed "A. W. Woods, Architect," Lincoln Star (September 7, 1913).
10. “A. W. Woods, Architect Who Planned 100 Churches, Dies,” Lincoln Star (December 29, 1942): 1, 10.
11. American Carpenter and Builder (November 1905), 561, 563.
12. City of Lincoln Building Permit #1126 and associated drawings, July 24, 1906. Plans marked "A. W. Woods, Arch't."
13. "Woods, Alfred W.," in Sara Mullins Baldwin, ed., Who's Who in Lincoln (1928), 231.
14. Who's Who in Nebraska (Lincoln: Nebraska Press Assn., 1940).
15. City of Lincoln Building Permit #10025 with application, May 5, 1922.
17. American Contractor (August 1, 1914), 104.
18. American Contractor (April 5, 1913), 42, 106, 107; (May 17, 1913), 37, 100, 101; (June 28, 1913), 27, 85, 87; (August 30, 1913), 24, 79, 81.
19. American Contractor (April 19, 1913), 93; (May 24, 1913), 96D--"Postponed to fall."
20. American Contractor (May 24, 1913), 96D; (June 21, 1913), 97.
21. American Contractor (July 5, 1913), 43; (August 23, 1913), 22, 82; (September 27, 1913), 22, 83.
22. City of Lincoln Building Permit #9179 with application and drawings, June 30, 1921.
23. City of Lincoln Building Permit #6040 with application, June 3, 1915. Estimated cost $12,000.
24. City of Lincoln Building Permit #5923 with application, April 13, 1915. Estimated cost $30,000.
25. City of Lincoln Building Permit #6658 with application and drawings, June 28, 1916. Estimated cost $12,000.
26. City of Lincoln Building Permit #6727 with application, August 10, 1916. Estimated cost $8,750.
27. City of Lincoln Building Permit #15625 with application and drawings, July 13, 1926. Estimated cost $3,000.
28. City of Lincoln Building Permit #15050 with application, February 25, 1926. Estimated cost $10,000.
29. City of Lincoln Building Permit #16491 with application and drawings, May 26, 1927. Estimated cost $12,000.
30. City of Lincoln Building Permit #16496 with application and drawings, May 26, 1927. Estimated cost $21,000.
31. City of Lincoln Building Permit #16803 with application and drawings, August 30, 1927. Estimated cost $8,000.
32. City of Lincoln Building Permit #5130 with application, July 14, 1912; #5169 with application, August 5, 1913. Cost estimated at $3,765.
33. American Contractor (July 5, 1913), 37, 102; (August 23, 1913), 17.
34. American Contractor (July 5, 1913), 43, 102.
35. American Contractor (July 5, 1913), 47.
36. City of Lincoln Building Permit #5176 with application, August 8, 1913. Estimated cost $10,000.
37. American Contractor (August 23, 1913), 30.
38. City of Lincoln Building Permit #5187 with application and drawings, August 16, 1913. Estimated cost $8,000.
39. American Contractor (August 23, 1913), 28.
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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