Owen Southwell
American architect
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Owen James Trainor Southwell (1892–1961) was an American architect who practiced in the early 1900s in Atlanta, Georgia; Beaumont, Texas; and New Iberia, Louisiana. His architecture style was a mixture of Southern Greek revival, other revival styles, and antebellum.
September 20, 1892
Owen Southwell | |
|---|---|
| Born | Owen James Trainor Southwell September 20, 1892 New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Died | April 7, 1961 (aged 68) |
| Other names | Owen J. T. Southwell |
| Alma mater | Carnegie Mellon University |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | St. Peter's Church |
Biography
Southwell was born September 20, 1892, in New Iberia, Louisiana, to parents Catherine Trainor and William D. Southwell.[1][2] Southwell's father lived in New York between 1885 and 1888 while studying architecture, returning to New Iberia to open an architecture practice in 1888.[3] Southwell attended high school in Beaumont, Texas.[2] Southwell attended Tulane University for two years before transferring to Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University), where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1915.[1][3] At Carnegie Tech he studied with architect Henry Hornbostel.[3] Between 1914 and 1916, Southwell was hired as an instructor of architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[4][5]
During World War I, Southwell served in the Naval Reserve.[1][3] He was married to Yvonne Arnandez (1895–1993).[6]
He lived in Atlanta from 1919 to 1931, moving there to manage Henry Hornbostel's local architecture office.[3] During the early years in Atlanta, Southwell worked on designing early buildings for Emory University.[3] By 1923, Southwell opened his own private architecture practice in Atlanta.[3] In 1931, Southwell moved back to New Iberia because of the Great Depression, and moving his private architecture practice with him.[7][8]
Southwell died in April 1961, at the age of 68, and is buried in Saint Peter's Cemetery in New Iberia.
Notable buildings
- 1888–1953 – Old St. Peter's Church in New Iberia, Louisiana (now demolished)[9]
- 1927 – Sardis United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia[8]
- 1928 – Caed Mile Failte, the John Henry Phelan mansion and 15.4-acre estate in Beaumont, Texas[7]
- c.1936 – Buddha House at the Jungle Gardens in Avery Island, Louisiana[7]
- 1937 – Essanee Theater in New Iberia, Louisiana[10]
- 1953 – St. Peter's Church in New Iberia, Louisiana (same location as the earlier church)[7]
- 1951 – Sugar Festival Building in New Iberia, Louisiana[11]