John Rudolph Niernsee (May 27, 1814 – June 7, 1885) was an American architect. He served as the head architect for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B. & O.).[when?] Rudolph also largely contributed to the design and construction of the South Carolina State House located in Columbia, South Carolina. Along with his partner, James Crawford Neilson, Rudolph established the standard for professional design and construction of public works projects within Baltimore and across different states in the United States.[1][2]
Early life
He was born as Johann Rudolph Niernsee in Vienna, capital city of the old Austrian Empire and immigrated to the United States in 1837, at age 22.
ca. 1870: Clifton Mansion (renovation of earlier mansion of Col. Henry Thompson) for new owner Johns Hopkins (1795-1873), at Clifton Park (by Niernsee & Neilson), listed on the NRHP in 2007.[4]
The Greek RevivalSouth Carolina State House, in Columbia, is another National Historic Landmark building which Niernsee designed, c. 1851, although full implementation was delayed. From 1888 to 1891, a time when much of the interior work was completed, it was in fact Niernsee's son, Frank McHenry Niernsee, who served as architect. NRHP-listed.[4]<-- Grace Church, Baltimore Sun Paper March 12, 1852 pg1—unclear fragment -->