User:JPRiley/Cervin

Olof Zakarias Cervin was born October 18, 1868, in Paxton, Illinois, to Anders Richard Cervin, a professor at Augustana College, and Emma C. Cervin, née Thulin. His father was a native of Kristianstad, Sweden, who had immigrated to the United States in 1864. He was a prominent figure in the Augustana Synod. The family moved to Rock Island in 1875 with the college. Cervin was educated at Augustana College and Columbia University, graduating from the latter in 1894 with an AM. He worked as a drafter for architects in Rock Island, Chicago and New York City before opening his own Moline office in 1896. Likely due to his family connections, the same year he was appointed architect to the Augustana Synod.^[1] In 1909 he relocated to Rock Island, opening new offices in the Safety Building, which he had designed. Cervin's most notable and long-running clients were Swedish and Lutheran institutions.^[2] In 1914 he was chosen architect of the Bethphage Mission in Nebraska, and designed buildings there until his death.^[3]

In 1926 the partnership was expanded to include William Stuhr.^[4] Horn withdrew in 1928 and the firm continued as Cervin & Stuhr. Cervin retired from practice in April 1949.^[2]

In January 1918 Cervin formed the partnership of Cervin & Horn with Benjamin A. Horn, a graduate of the University of Illinois who had been employed in the office of Chicago architect N. Max Dunning.^[5]

The new partnership's first major work was a United States Housing Corporation (USHC) housing development (1919) for Rock Island Arsenal workers. Construction was begun only two months before the armistice; it was one of very few incomplete USHC projects allowed to continue after that point.^[6]

In December 1925 the firm was renamed Cervin, Horn & Stuhr to reflect the admission of William Stuhr to the partnership. Stuhr had been an employee of Cervin from 1912 to 1915 and from 1921.^[7] In March 1928 Horn withdrew to form the firm of Horn & Sandberg and his former partners continued as Cervin & Stuhr.^[8]

Cervin was chairman of the Rock Island city planning commission from 1920 to 1923 and of the zoning commission from 1925 to 1929.^[2]

Cervin joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1919. He was

Cervin was married twice. He was first married in 1909 to Ruth Engberg of Chicago. They had three children, two sons and one daughter. Ruth died in 1929, and Cervin married second in 1931 to Dora Carlson. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the chamber of commerce and local fraternal organizations. He was a congregant of St. John's Lutheran Church, the building of which he designed. In November 1949 Cervin and his wife were seriously injured in a car accident. She recovered, but he developed pneumonia and died December 2, 1949 at the age of 81.^[2]

After Cervin's retirement and death, Stuhr continued the firm as a sole principal. In 1963 it was renamed Stuhr, Parkhurst & Appier. In 1966 Stuhr retired, and the the firm was renamed Parkhurst, Appier, Marolf & Mogler under the leadership of Howard M. Parkhurst.^[9] In 1970 it was renamed Parkhurst, Appier, Marolf Associates and in 1980, with Parkhurst's retirement, it became Appier & Marolf & Associates.^[10] In 1993 the firm merged with Scholtz-Gowey & Associates of Davenport, Iowa, to become Scholtz-Gowey-Marolf Architects, with offices in both cities.^[11] In 1998 they merged with John Gere Associates of Bettendorf, Iowa, successors to the practice of Frederick G. Clausen, to form Scholtz-Gowey-Gere-Marolf Architects.^[12] In 2015 the firm was involved in its most recent merger with Gere-Dismer Architects of Rock Island to form Studio 483 Architects.^[13]

At least three buildings designed by Cervin and his partners have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.