Herbert Reynolds Best (1862-1891), Architect
Herbert Reynolds Best was born in England in 1862 and came to America in 1884. He practiced in England for a time after having completed a course in the Royal Academy, and subsequent employment in the office of Edward Burgess. He became a partner of C. Howard Walker in Boston in 1888, and opened an office of Walker & Best in Omaha in 1890. He died suddenly in Omaha, early in 1891.[3][a] Sometime around Best's removal to Omaha, Thomas R. Kimball joined the firm and the name was changed to Walker, Kimball & Best, Architects. Following Best's death, the firm became Walker & Kimball.
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Compiled Directory Listings
Omaha, Nebraska, 1890-1891; Boston, Massachusetts, 1888-1892
Educational & Professional Associations
1888-1891: Walker & Best, Architects, Boston, Massachusetts, and in 1890, a branch office in Omaha, Nebraska.[1][b]
1891: Walker, Kimball & Best, Architects, Boston, Massachusetts and Omaha, Nebraska.[2:346]
Buildings & Projects
See Walker & Best, Architects and Walker, Kimball & Best, Architects
Notes
a. Batie gives the name, Herbert D. Best, while Withey and Withey give Henry Reynolds Best. Though the Withey's cite the Inland obituary[3], much of their entry, including Best's first name, appears to be inaccurate.[1][2:346]
b. Best first appears in the Boston Directory in 1888, as a partner with Walker.
References
1. Henry F. Withey and Elsie Rathburn Withey, comps. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970), 55.
2. David Lynn Batie, “Thomas Rogers Kimball (1890-1912): Nebraska Architect,” Nebraska History 60 (1979): 321-356.
3. “Obituary,” Inland Architect and News Record 17:4 (May, 1891): 48. Haitha Trust, Accessed February 24, 2017. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015007566295;view=1up;seq=174
Page Citation
D. Murphy, “Herbert Reynolds Best (1862-1891), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, February 25, 2017. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, April 20, 2024.
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