User:JPRiley/Cromwell
American architectural firm
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edwin B. Cromwell (November 13, 1909 – September 22, 2001) was an American architect in practice in Little Rock, Arkansas.
| Cromwell Architects Engineers | |
|---|---|
| Practice information | |
| Founders | Benjamin J. Bartlett |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Location | Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Website | |
| cromwell | |
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Cromwell Architects Engineers is an American architectural firm. It was founded in 1885 in Little Rock, Arkansas by architect Benjamin J. Bartlett. In 1890 his partner, Charles L. Thompson, assumed control of the firm, and led it until his retirement in 1938. It was continued by his partners until the 1960s, when his son-in-law, Edwin B. Cromwell, assumed control.
Life and career
Edwin Boykin "Ed" Cromwell FAIA (November 13, 1909 – September 22, 2001) was born in Manila to Ellis Cromwell, collector of internal revenue for the Philippines. He was raised in West Point, Mississippi, his mother's hometown, after his father's death. He was educated in the West Point public schools and Mercersburg Academy in Pennsylvania before going on to Princeton University. He graduated in 1931 with an AB, followed by a year of graduate study. Having left school during the Great Depression, Cromwell took on a variety of work, both architectural and non architectural. In 1935 he joined the Resettlement Administration and was sent to work in Little Rock. He left government service in 1936 to join the architectural firm of Wittenberg & Delony. While employed by Wittenberg & Delony he married the daughter of Little Rock architect Charles L. Thompson and in 1941 became a partner in the firm Thompson had led from 1890 until his retirement in 1937.
In 1937 Cromwell was married to Henrietta Thompson, daughter of Little Rock architect Charles L. Thompson. They had three children, all daughters. Their eldest daughter, Gertrude, was married to Eugene P. Levy, a partner in the Cromwell firm from 1974 until 2018.[1]
Early history
The Cromwell firm was established as the sole proprietorship of Benjamin J. Bartlett, an architect who had moved to Little Rock from Des Moines, Iowa to supervise the construction of the Arkansas School for the Blind (1886). In 1886 he hired Charles L. Thompson as a drafter, and with him formed the partnership of Bartlett & Thompson in 1888. Bartlett moved on to Mississippi in 1890, and Thompson became sole proprietor of the firm.[2] Thompson worked independently and as a member of the partnerships of Rickon & Thompson (1891–1897), Thompson & Harding (1916–1925) and Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio (1927–1938) until his retirement in 1938. His last partners, Theodore M. Sanders and Frank J. Ginocchio Jr., worked in partnership under the name Sanders & Ginocchio until Sanders withdrew in 1941.[3]
Later history
To continue the firm, Ginocchio formed the new partnership of Ginocchio & Cromwell with Edwin B. Cromwell, Thompson's son-in-law. As originally constituted, Cromwell was in charge of "inside work," chiefly design and drafting, while Ginocchio was in charge of "outside work," construction supervision and client services. Their early works include one of their best known projects, the Arkansas Governor's Mansion (1950). In 1950 the partnership was reorganized as Ginocchio, Cromwell & Associates, reflecting the addition of four associates, including Charles B. Carter and Dietrich Neyland.[4] Neyland, who had previously been employed by Richard Neutra, had been sought out specifically by Cromwell to introduce the principles of modern architecture to the firm's work.
In 1980 two subsidiaries were former: The Cromwell Firm, operating as a second office of the firm in Memphis, Tennessee, and Cromwell Interior Design, an interior design firm. Cromwell Interior Design was later folded back into the main firm and The Cromwell Firm was sold to its principals in 1992.[5]
In 1988 the firm changed its name to Cromwell, Truemper, Levy, Thompson & Woodsmall, but began to use the name Cromwell Architects Engineers at this time.
Present day
As of 2024, the firm is led by CEO Greg Cockman AIA, president Dan Fowler AIA and executive vice presidents Todd Kuhn PE and Rob Seay PE. Among the other principals is Ed Levy, grandson of Ed Cromwell.
Cromwell is the oldest architectural firm in Arkansas, and the second oldest in the South after Luckett & Farley. As of 2008, it was the largest in the state, and had completed projects in 37 states and 11 foreign countries.[6]
Biographies of notable partners
Edwin B. Cromwell
Frank J. Ginocchio Jr.
Frank Joseph Ginocchio Jr. AIA (February 15, 1886 – March 24, 1969) was educated at the University of Illinois, graduating in 1910. He worked for Charles L. Thompson until the outbreak of World War I. He enlisted in 1917 and was assigned to design and supervise construction of Camp Pike, now the Robinson Maneuver Training Center. He was commissioned a captain in May, 1918 and was discharged in April, 1919.[7][8]
Ginocchio was married in 1924 to Bess Rogoski. They had two children, both daughters. He died in Little Rock at the age of 83.[7][8]
Eugene P. Levy
Eugene Pfeifer "Gene" Levy FAIA (December 14, 1936 – February 14, 2019) was born in Little Rock. He was educated in the Little Rock public schools and at the University of Virginia, graduating with a BArch in 1959. He worked for Erhart, Eichenbaum, Rauch & Blass for a year, followed by two years as an architect for the army signal corps. He joined the firm in 1962.[9][10][11]
Levy was married twice, first to Gertrude Watkins Cromwell, daughter of Ed Cromwell, in 1959, and second to Candy Sue Hood in 2004. He had three children with his first wife. He died in Little Rock at the age of 82.[9][10][11]
President sometime between 1984/85 and 1988/89
Dietrich Neyland
Dietrich Allen Neyland AIA (November 26, 1914 – November 23, 2009) was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He was a grandson of Diedrich A. W. Rulfs, a noted architect from Nacogdoches, Texas. He was educated at Tulane University, where he played on the basketball team and graduated in 1938 with a BArch. He worked for Richard Neutra in Los Angeles until World War II, during which he served in the navy. In 1946 he joined Van Os & Flaxman, Shreveport architects, with whom he remained until joining Ginocchio, Cromwell & Associates in 1950.[12][13]
Neyland was married to Linda Halbert in 1968. He died in Little Rock at the age of 94.[12][13]
John J. Truemper Jr.
John James Truemper Jr. FAIA (June 12, 1924 – December 18, 2016) was born in Helena, Arkansas. He was educated at the University of Arkansas and the University of Illinois, graduating from the latter in 1950 with a BS in architecture. He spent his entire career with the Cromwell firm and was the author of A Century of Service, 1885–1985, at the Firm of Cromwell Truemper Levy Parker & Woodsmall, a history of the firm.[14][15]
In 1994 Truemper was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Lyon College, in recognition of his many contributions to the campus.[15]
Truemper was married to Julia Clare Wood in 1956. They had three children. He died in Little Rock at the age of 92.[14][15]
Architectural works
Ginocchio & Cromwell, 1941–1950
- 1947 – Prospect Terrace Apartments,[a] 3603 Kavanaugh Blvd, Little Rock, Arkansas[16]
- 1949 – McAlester Building,[b] 124 S Jackson St, Magnolia, Arkansas[17]
- 1949 – Royal Theatre,[c] 111 S Market St, Benton, Arkansas[18]
- 1949 – University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus buildings, Little Rock, Arkansas[19]
- 1950 – Arkansas Governor's Mansion,[d] 1800 Center St, Little Rock, Arkansas[20]
Ginocchio, Cromwell & Associates, 1950–1961
- 1952 – Arkansas Game and Fish Commission office building,[e] 1 Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Arkansas[21]
- 1959 – Student Union, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas[19]
- 1962 – Federal Building,[f] 700 W Capitol Ave, Little Rock, Arkansas[22]
- 1962 – Pine Knoll, the Graham R. Hall house,[g] 2203 Pine Valley Rd, Little Rock, Arkansas[23]
Ginocchio, Cromwell, Carter, Dees & Neyland, 1961–1962
Ginocchio, Cromwell, Carter & Neyland, 1962–1969
- 1963 – Grant County Courthouse, 103 W Center St, Sheridan, Arkansas[24]
- 1964 – Block Realty Building, 723 W Markham St, Little Rock, Arkansas
- 1966 – Stabler Hall, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas[19]
Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Millett & Gatchell, 1969–1974
- 1972 – St. Francis County Courthouse, 313 S Izard St, Forrest City, Arkansas[25]
- 1974 – Dewey Short Visitors Center (former), Table Rock Lake, Table Rock, Missouri[26]
Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Levy & Gatchell, 1974–1981
- 1977 – One Mississippi Plaza, 201 Spring St S, Tupelo, Mississippi[27]
- 1978 – Metro Center Mall,[h] Main St, Little Rock, Arkansas[28]
- 1978 – Multi-Agency Complex,[i] 1 Capitol Mall, Little Rock, Arkansas[21]
- 1984 – John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans Hospital,[j] 4300 W 7th St, Little Rock, Arkansas[29]
Cromwell, Truemper, Levy, Parker & Woodsmall, 1981–1988
- 1983 – Capital Hotel restoration, 111 W Markham St, Little Rock, Arkansas[30]
- 1985 – Alphin Humanities Building, Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas[15]
- 1985 – William Carl Garner Visitor Center, Greers Ferry Lake, Heber Springs, Arkansas[9]
Cromwell, Truemper, Levy, Thompson & Woodsmall, 1988–2000
- 1993 – Hoke-McCain Hall, Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas[15]
- 1991 – Holloway Theatre, Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas[15]
- 1994 – Bradley Manor, Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas[15]
- 2001 – Justice Building annex, 625 Marshall St, Little Rock, Arkansas[31]
Cromwell Architects Engineers, from 2000
- 2010 – George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology , University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas[19]
- 1965 Center for Performing Arts, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas (21)
- 1967 Cooper Fountain, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas (22)
- 1984 Engineering Technology and Applied Sciences Building, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas (23)
- 1947 Magnolia Inn, 132 S Jackson St, Magnolia, Arkansas (24)
- 1955 KTHV studio building, 720 S Izard St, Little Rock, Arkansas (27)
- 1959 First National Bank of Eastern Arkansas building, 101 N Washington St, Forrest City, Arkansas (28)
- 1955 Brough Commons, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas (30)
- 1955 Fulbright Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas (31)
- Junior college, Little Rock[32]
- House, Little Rock[33]
- Box factory, Little Rock[34]
- Radio-TV station, Little Rock[35]
- Childrens' mental school, Conway[36]
- High school, El Dorado[37]
- High school, El Dorado[38]
- Mississippi County community college, Blytheville[39]
- Hotel, Little Rock[40]
- Mississippi County community college, Blytheville[41]
an American architect in practice in Little Rock, Arkansas from 1936 until his retirement in 1984. In 1941 he became junior partner in the firm of Ginocchio & Cromwell, which had been originally established in 1890 by his father-in-law, Charles L. Thompson. From 1969 until his retirement Cromwell was senior partner of the firm, now (2024) known as Cromwell Architects Engineers.
Edwin Boykin Cromwell was born November 13, 1909 in Manila to Ellis Cromwell, collector of internal revenue for the Philippines, and Ada Cromwell, nee Henley. After the death of Ellis Cromwell in 1912, the family moved to West Point, Mississippi, the hometown of Ada Cromwell. Cromwell w
Though Cromwell was well regarded for his personal design skills, he believed that architecture was an inherently collaborative activity and strived to develop a,. Seeing the change in the architectural landscape, in 1950 Cromwell hired Dietrich Neyland, a young architect who had been trained in the office of Richard Neutra.
Though primarily a regional firm, the firm also completed projects further afield, including buildings for the former Mackinac College in Michigan and the residence of the United States Consul General in Chennai.
Notes
- A contributing resource to the Magnolia Commercial Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2008.
- NRHP-listed. Also a contributing resource to the Benton Commercial Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2008.
- A contributing resource to the Governor's Mansion Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1978 and expanded in 1988, 2002 and 2018.
- Later incorporated into the Multi-Agency Complex, completed in 1978.
- Designed by E. Fay Jones, architect, with Ginocchio, Cromwell & Associates, associate architects.
- Designed by Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Levy & Gatchell and Blass, Riddick, Chilcote, associated architects. A pedestrian mall along Main Street from 3rd to 8th, later removed.
- Incorporating the former Arkansas Game and Fish Commission office building, completed in 1952.
- Designed by a joint venture led by Gyo Obata of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum and including Cromwell, Neyland, Truemper, Levy & Gatchell and Wellborn Hardwick Henderson of Little Rock, Mott, Mobley, Richter, McGowan & Griffin of Fort Smith and Stuck Frier Lane Scott Beisner of Jonesboro.