James J. Egan
Born1839
Cork, Ireland
DiedDecember 2, 1914
Chicago, Illinois
NationalityUSA
Known forArchitect
Hotel St Benedict Flats

James J. Egan, FAIA, (1839, Cork, Ireland—December 2, 1914, Chicago, Illinois) was an Irish-American architect and fellow of the American Institute of Architects practicing in Chicago, Illinois. He was a partner of the Chicago architectural firms Armstrong & Egan, Egan & Kirkland and Egan & Prindeville, which gained prominence designing Roman Catholic structures.

Early life

Born in Cork, Ireland, Egan was educated at a private academy in Cork, Ireland before graduating from the Government School of Design, Queens College, Cork.[1] He also studied in England before emigrating in 1864. He arrived at Castle Garden, New York City and found work as a draftsman for Richard Upjohn.[2] He continued his training under Charles W. Clinton who had previously trained with Upjohn, and was "one of the most refined designers in the Renaissance styles".[3] He also worked under Clinton's sometime associate Edward Tuckerman Potter of Schenectady, New York, whose tastes leaned toward Gothic Revival.[3]

Chicago

He relocated to Chicago, Illinois shortly after Chicago's great fire in 1871, where he became heavily involved in reconstruction. He also developed strong personal connections with leaders in the Chicago Roman Catholic Church, and received the commission for St. Vincent de Paul Church in Lincoln Park.[4] He and formed several partnerships with fellow architects.

Armstrong & Egan

Around 1874, Egan went into partnership with John M. Armstrong, forming the firm of "Armstrong & Egan" which designed the Criminal Court and County Jail (1874).[5]

Egan & Hill

From 1875 to 1881 Egan partnered with Henry W.] Hill.[2]

Egan & Kirkland

In 1882, he formed a partnership with Alex Kirkland. The firm of "Egan & Kirkland" designed the County Building.[6]

With Charles H. Prindeville, the firm of Egan & Prindeville (active from 1897 to 1914) gained prominence building Roman Catholic churches and other structures, including the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, St. Paul Cathedral (1906).[6] Egan died in 1914. The firm continued under Charles Prindeville after Egan's death.[6]

Works

Gallery

Structures designed by James J. Egan

References

  1. ^ James J. Egan at archINFORM
  2. ^ a b "James J. Egan (Architect)", Pacific Coast Architecture Database
  3. ^ a b Wight, Peter J., "James J. Egan", Construction News, January 16, 1914, p. 7
  4. ^ McNamara, Denis Robert. Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago, Liturgy Training Publications, 2005, pp.22-23ISBN 9781568545035
  5. ^ "The Cook County Criminal Court under construction in 1874", Chicago Tribune, February 16, 1874
  6. ^ a b c d Decker, Kevin F. " James J. Egan (d.1914)" Archived 2006-09-08 at the Wayback Machine, University of Plattsburgh, New York (2000)
  7. ^ "Hotel St. Benedict Flats", Chicago Landmarks, City of Chicago
  8. ^ "Church of St. Thomas the Apostle (Catholic)". Architecture and History Inventory. Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved 2017-11-18.
  9. ^ "Part 2: February 1858 – March 1900". St. Raphael's Cathedral. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  10. ^ a b c d Greer, Edward (1956). Cork Hill Cathedral: The Chronicle of St. Margaret's and Sacred Heart Parish Davenport, Iowa 1856-1956. Davenport: Gordon. p. 78.
  11. ^ "St. Mary's Cathedral I: History". Cathedrals of California. Archived from the original on 2012-03-09. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
  12. ^ "Heritage Hill Historic District". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
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