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Harpster & Bliss

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Harpster & Bliss
Practice information
PartnersMilton E. Harpster; J. Frederick Bliss
FoundersMilton E. Harpster
Founded1907
Dissolved1925
LocationAkron, Ohio

Harpster & Bliss was an American architectural firm, active in Akron, Ohio from 1907 until 1925. It was the partnership of architects Milton E. Harpster (1871-1949) and J. Frederick Bliss (1874-1925).

Biography and history

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Milton E. Harpster was born in 1871 in Findlay, Ohio and was educated at Findlay College and Cornell University, graduating from the latter in 1897. He worked for architects in Findlay and Cincinnati before moving to Akron in 1904, where he opened his own office.

J. Frederick Bliss was born in 1874 in Baden, Germany. He immigrated to the United States with his family in 1889, where they settled in Akron. He worked for architect Frank O. Weary until 1903, when he formed a partnership with Edward H. Bunts, known as Bunts & Bliss. When Bunts died in 1907 Harpster and Bliss merged their practices to form the firm of Harpster & Bliss. Bliss died in 1925, and Harpster formed a new partnership, Harpster & Billman, with Frank W. Billman. This was dissolved in 1936 and Harpster practiced independently until his own death in 1949.[1]

Legacy

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Harpster & Bliss were the most prominent architects in Akron during their partnership. Their best-known work is the Anna–Dean Farm, a model farm begun in 1909 for O. C. Barber. Though most of the buildings including the mansion have been demolished, five buildings on the property have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Three other buildings in Akron have also been listed, though one has been demolished. Other works contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

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  • Portage Path School, 55 S Portage Path, Akron, Ohio (1907-08, demolished)[11]
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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f A contributing property to the Hall Park Allotment Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2002.
  2. ^ Many of the farm's buildings were demolished after Barber's 1920 death, including the mansion in 1965. Of the eight surviving buildings, five have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the O. C. Barber Barn No. 1, O. C. Barber Colt Barn, O. C. Barber Creamery, O. C. Barber Machine Barn and O. C. Barber Piggery.
  3. ^ a b c d A contributing property to the Main–Market Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2003. Cite error: The named reference "MainMarket" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Main–Market Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2003)
  2. ^ a b c d e f Hall Park Allotment Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2003)
  3. ^ a b "The Work of Harpster & Bliss of Akron, Ohio" in Ohio Architect and Builder 13, no. 4 (April, 1909): 13, illustrations throughtout.
  4. ^ Anna Dean Farm. Accessed June 23, 2022.
  5. ^ East Market Street Church of Christ NRHP Registration Form (1989)
  6. ^ Frank H. Mason House NRHP Registration Form (1995)
  7. ^ Byron R. Barder House NRHP Registration Form (1987)
  8. ^ Engineering News-Record 89, no. 4 (July 27, 1922): 53.
  9. ^ Iron Age 113, no. 12 (March 20, 1924): 916.
  10. ^ Tuscarawas Avenue–Alexander Square Commercial Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  11. ^ Ohio Architect and Builder 10, no. 3 (September, 1907): 54.

Good & Wagner

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Good & Wagner
Practice information
PartnersAlbert H. Good; Edwin D. Wagner
FoundersAlbert H. Good
Founded1922
Dissolved1945
LocationAkron, Ohio
The Akron Municipal Building, designed by Good & Wagner and built in 1924.
The Frank Mason Raymond house in New Franklin, completed in 1929.
The Akron YMCA Building, completed in 1931.

Good & Wagner was an American architectural firm, active in Akron, Ohio from 1922 to 1945. It was the partnership of architect Albert H. Good (1892-1945) and Edwin D. Wagner (1888-1967).

Biography and history

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Albert H. Good was born in Akron in 1892. He attended the Akron public schools and the Carnegie Institute of Technology of Pittsburgh, graduating in 1914. He then worked for Pittsburgh architects until 1917, when he opened an office as an architect in Akron.[1]

Edwin D. Wagner was born in 1888 in New York City. He was educated in ateliers affiliated with the Society of Beaux-Arts Architects and from 1910 to 1916 worked as a drafter for architects Benjamin Wistar Morris, Henry Hornbostel and Ernest Flagg.[2] In 1916 he moved to Akron, where, with Charles W. Frank and G. Evans Mitchell, he formed the Akron firm of Frank, Wagner & Mitchell. Frank and Mitchell had both worked in Hornbostel's office alongside Wagner.[3] In 1920 Mitchell withdrew from the firm, which became Frank & Wagner.[4] In 1922 Wagner dissolved his partnership and joined forces with Good, who had been practicing independently for five years, to form Good & Wagner. The new firm quickly began to win commissions from the local elite, including the clubhouse of the Portage Country Club and several large houses. Other major commissions included the new Akron Municipal Building and the Akron YMCA Building.

In 1933 Good left the partnership to become architectural consultant to the State Park Division of the National Park Service, and moved to Washington, DC. In his absence Wagner continued the firm. In 1944 Good returned to Akron and rejoined the firm, but died the following year. Edwin D. Wagner then formed the firm of Wagner & Luxmore with John R. Luxmore, an employee of the firm since 1926. Wagner died in 1967, and Luxmore retired in 1968.

Legacy

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Good & Wagner were the most prominent architects in Akron during the interwar period. At least two buildings designed by Good & Wagner have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

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  • Ledges (1934-35)

Notes

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References

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  1. ^ "Personals" in American Architect 111, no. 2152 (March 21, 1917): 192.
  2. ^ AIA records
  3. ^ "Personals" in American Architect 109, no. 2111 (June 7, 1916): 383.
  4. ^ "Personals" in American Architect 117, no. 2313 (April 21, 1920): 496.
  5. ^ Engineering News-Record 91, no. 21 (November 22, 1923): 287.
  6. ^ Jack Schafer, "Ravenna post office an architectural lion," Record-Courier, June 11, 2017. Accessed June 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Lake Anna Tour, City of Barberton. Accessed June 23, 2022.
  8. ^ Paul E. Belcher North, Emporis. Accessed June 23, 2022.
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