Mifflin Emlen Bell (1846-1904), Architect
Mifflin E. Bell was born in Chester County, Pennsylvania, and moved to Bloomington, Illinois with his parents in 1853. He married Susan Adelaide (nee Van Hoff) in 1871 and they had at least five children.[9] In about 1869, Mifflin Bell entered the architectural field in Chicago, working for A. H. Piquenard. After Piquenard’s death in 1876, he formed a practice in Springfield, Illinois with W. F. Hackney. He was named Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury in 1883, largely on the basis of his experience with the construction of the Iowa and Illinois state capitols, under Piquenard. Bell served as Supervising Architect for four years, resigning in mid-1887.[3][6][7][8][9] His youngest brother, Charles E. Bell, apprenticed with Mifflin, possibly during the planning of the U.S. Post Office in Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1884, and later practiced architecture in Iowa and Nebraska.[4][b] In 1885, Mifflin Bell became a Fellow of the AIA for his achievements in architecture.[2] He returned to Chicago after leaving the Supervising Architect's post and there had both a private practice, and served as superintendent for repairs of federal buildings, including those at the World's Columbian Exposition. He died in Chicago on May 31, 1904.[8][9]
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.
Buildings & Projects
U.S. Post Office (1884), Council Bluffs, Iowa, 1884.[4]
U. S. Post Office (1885-1889), 202 S 8th, Nebraska City, Nebraska.[1][5][10-12][a][c][d] (OT06:A-005) National Register narrative
Notes
a. The National Register narrative incorrectly attributes this building to "W. E. Bell."
b. Mifflin Bell's brother Charles also partnered with Nebraska architect George Berlinghof for a few years around 1890.
c. Bell's Annual Report for 1885 lists his only Nebraska project, the "Nebraska City, Nebr, Court-House, Post-Office, Etc." An appropriation of $75,000 was made March 3, 1885 and by September 30 the site had been purchased and "sketch-plans are being prepared."[10] The report for 1886 noted "The sketch plans for this building have been approved" and "...the masonry of the basement is nearly completed."[11] However, in the spring of 1887 an additional $31,000 was appropriated to extend the building, at the urging of U. S. Senator Van Wyck. A Nebraska City newspaper expressed concern as to how to add an extension to a building already designed and partially built "...but Mrs Van Wyck, who, you know, is a good architect, get [sic--got] around that difficulty [that the height of the building might appear insufficient when increased in length] by suggesting that the roof could be made differently from the east part by having different projectious [sic--projections] and turrefs [sic--turrets]. Mr. Bell approved the suggestion and is satisfied the general appearance of the building will be improved by the addition."[13] Bell had resigned in July 1887 and his successor, William Alfred Freret, submitted the Annual Report for the year ending September 30, 1887. On the Nebraska City Post Office, Freret noted that the additional $31,000 had been had been appropriated and new "sketch plans and estimate of cost were approved May 7, 1887, for the enlargement of the building." He added "The extension is now at the height of the first-story sill course, and work is proceeding on the masonry of the second story of the older portion."[12] The Nebraska City Post Office was Nebraska's third USPO constructed by the Supervising Architect's office, after Omaha and Lincoln.
d. Major General (and later, U. S. Senator) Charles H. Van Wyck married Katharine Broadhead in 1873. Until his death in 1896, they lived on a farm outside Nebraska City. According to a Nebraska newspaper "Mrs. Van Wyck was a woman of extraordinary ability, and during the general's life ardently devoted to his political interests." She died in 1901.[14]
References
1. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 120.
2. AIA Historical Directory of American Architects: A Resource Guide to Finding Information About Past Architects. http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1002911.aspx [accessed 20100413]
3. Henry F. Withey, A.I.A., and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956). Facsimile edition, (Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970), 48.
4. Biographical History of Pottawattamie County (Iowa) (Lewis Publishing Co., 1891), 485-86.
5. Omaha Daily Herald (November 6, 1885), 4.
6. “Mifflin E. Bell’s Career,” New York Times (October 31, 1883), accessed July 25, 2013, http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=F50A14FF3B5F15738DDDA80B94D8415B8384F0D3
7. “Mifflin E. Bell,” 1881 History of Sangamon County, Illinois (Chicago: Inter-State Publishing Company, 1881), 640, accessed through Roots Web on July 25, 2013, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilmaga/sangamon/1881bios/bell_mifflin.html
8. Antoinette J. Lee, Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 135-142.
9. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "Mifflin Emlen Bell," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
10. M. E. Bell, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1885 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1885), 37.
11. M. E. Bell, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1886 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1886), 39-40.
12. W. E. Freret, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1887 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1887), 40.
13. "The Voice of Sen. Van Wyck," Daily Nebraska Press (Nebraska City) (April 13, 1887), 8.
14. "Mrs. Katharine Van yck, widow of Major General Charles H. Van Wyck...died...," Columbus (Nebraska) Journal (December 4, 1901), 2.
Other Sources
“Bell, Mifflin,” Pacific Coast Architecture Database, University of Washington, accessed July 25, 2013, https://digital.lib.washington.edu/architect/architects/5369/
American Architect & Building News 84:1486 (June 18, 1904), 93.
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Mifflin Emlen Bell (1846-1904), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, July 25, 2013; updated July 11, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, October 11, 2024.
Contact the Nebraska State Historic Preservation Office with questions or comments concerning this page, including any problems you may have with broken links (see, however, the Disclaimers link at the bottom of this page). Please provide the URL to this page with your inquiry.
