Charles C. Rittenhouse (ca.1852-1937), Architect
DBA: C. C. Rittenhouse
Charles C. Rittenhouse was born in Ohio, circa 1852. He worked as an architect in Nebraska and Colorado, notably functioning as half of Rittenhouse & Brage, an architectural firm in Grand Island. He is noted as Adam County's first practicing architect, designing many buildings and projects between 1877 and 1895. One of these was the Adams County Courthouse. He also designed over 40 public buildings and homes across the state of Nebraska. He was also the Hastings city councilman and mayor for over 10 years. [8] Rittenhouse was married to Elvira, and he had at least four children with her.[4][5] Rittenhouse died in Glendale, California in 1937. [8]
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
Hastings, Nebraska, 1879-1880, 1882-1891, 1893, 1894-1895
Educational & Professional Associations
1877-1895: architect, Hastings, Nebraska.[4][8]
ca.1880-ca.1890: city councilman and mayor, Hastings, Nebraska.[8]
1888-1891: architect and partner, Rittenhouse & Brage, Architects, Grand Island, Nebraska.
1900: architect, Canon City, Colorado.[5]
Buildings & Projects
Farrell Block (1880, ca. 1890), 533-537 W 2nd, Hastings, Nebraska.[3][6][8] (AD04-012) National Register narrative
Two-story school house (1884), Wahoo, Nebraska.[12]
McCormick Hall at Hastings College (1884), Hastings, Nebraska.[6][8][13]
College for North Nebraska Conference, Methodist Episcopal church (1885), Central City, Nebraska.[9][b]
Enterprise Building (1887), 1st & Burlington, Hastings, Nebraska.[1]
Keith County Courthouse (1888), Ogallala, Nebraska.[2]
Adams County Courthouse (1889) (Demolished 1964) 3rd to 4th between Hastings and Denver Avenues, Hastings, Nebraska.[7][8]
Proposal (unsuccessful) for Kearney Opera House (1890), Kearney, Nebraska.[14]
Proposal for the Nebraska State Building (1892), Columbian Exposition, Chicago.[11]
Undated
Nebraska Loan and Trust, Downtown, Hastings, Nebraska.[6][8]
Notes
a. Not found in federal census in Nebraska in 1870 or in U.S. in 1910.
b. Architect John J. Kouhn visited Central City in 1885 "looking after the new college building to be put up there."[10] No evidence has been found that Kouhn had subsequent involvement in the design or construction of the college, beyond that exploratory trip from York, where he was then residing.
References
1. Hastings Gazette-Journal (March 23, 1887), 8:3.
2. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 46. [725.1.P771n]
3. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
4. 1880 United States Census, s.v. “C. C. Rittenhouse,” Hastings, Adams County, Nebraska, accessed through HeritageQuestOnline.com.
5. 1900 United States Census, s.v. “Chas C. Rittenhouse,” Canon City, Fremont County, Colorado, accessed through HeritageQuestOnline.com.
6. Catherine Renschler and Elizabeth Spilinek, “Central Hastings Historic District,” Historical News (Adams County Historical Society) 36:5 (2003), 9.
7. Hastings: A Walking Tour Guide of the Historic Downtown Area (Hastings: Cornhusker Press, for the Adams County Historical Society, [1980]).
8. "Rittenhouse & Way: Architects of Hastings' First Half Century," (Adams County Historical Society), accessed on April 25, 2017 via http://www.adamshistory.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=43:architects&catid=2:history&Itemid=42
9. "Notice to Contractors," The Nonpareil (Central City, Nebraska) (April 16, 1885), 3.
10. "Mr. J. J. Kouhn, the architect...," York (Nebraska) Republican (February 4, 1885), 3 (column 6).
11. "The Nebraska State Building. Plans for a $15,000 Structure to Be Erected on the World's Fair Grounds," (Lincoln) Nebraska State Journal (January 20, 1892), 7.
12. "The plans and specifications for our school house...can now be seen at the First National Bank," (Wahoo, Nebraska) Independent (April 3, 1884), 3.
13. "The plan of the new college building...by Architect Rittenhouse...," Hastings (Nebraska) Weekly Gazette-Journal (April 24, 1884), 4.
14. "Local Notes...The following architects are here to make estimates of cost and submit plans and specifications for the new opera house and bank: Ellis...Gray...and Rittenhouse," Kearney (Nebraska) Hub (May 8, 1890), 4.
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Charles C. Rittenhouse (ca.1852-1937), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 26, 2023. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, April 28, 2024.
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