Purcell & Elmslie (P&E) was the most widely know iteration of a progressive American architectural practice. P&E was the second most commissioned firm of the Prairie School, after Frank Lloyd Wright. [1] The firm in all iterations was active from 1907 to 1921, with their most famous work being done between 1913 and 1921. [1]
The firms consisted of three partnerships: Purcell and Feick (1907–10); Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie (1910–12), and Purcell and Elmslie (1913–21). Elmslie had joined the Minneapolis-based firm in 1907, at the request of Purcell. [2] The architects were commissioned for work in twenty-two states, participated in the competition for the National Parliament Buildings in Canberra, Australia, and prepared plans for a large institutional church, or Y.M.C.A., in Hunan, China.
The two principals of the firm, William Gray Purcell (1880–1965) and George Grant Elmslie (1869–1952) both eventually received Fellowships in the College of the American Institute of Architects. [1] George Feick Jr. who was son of George Feick, an Ohio contractor, was the original partner with Purcell. Purcell and Feick had been students together at Cornell University. They rejoined to tour in Europe together during 1906-1907 and then came to Minneapolis to open their partnership. The firm had offices in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. [1] A number of works by each of the partnerships are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. [3]
Works include (with attribution): [3]
East Isles is a neighborhood within the larger Calhoun-Isles community in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It lies between Hennepin Avenue to the east, Lake of the Isles to the west, West Lake Street to the south, and West 22nd Street to the north. Together with parts of Lowry Hill East and other nearby neighborhoods, East Isles is part of the larger, but unofficial, Uptown neighborhood.
Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped in horizontal bands, integration with the landscape, solid construction, craftsmanship, and discipline in the use of ornament. Horizontal lines were thought to evoke and relate to the wide, flat, treeless expanses of America's native prairie landscape.
William Gray Purcell was a Prairie School architect in the Midwestern United States. He partnered with George Grant Elmslie, and briefly with George Feick. The firm of Purcell & Elmslie produced designs for buildings in twenty-two states, Australia, and China. The firm had offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and Portland, Oregon.
George Grant Elmslie was a Scottish-born American Prairie School architect whose work is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a partner in the firm Purcell & Elmslie.
William LaBarthe Steele was an important architect of the Prairie School during the early twentieth century. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Steele worked in the office of renowned architect Louis Sullivan in Chicago, Illinois 1897–1900. He relocated to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to gain additional experience with three other architectural firms.
The Edna S. Purcell house was designed by the firm of Purcell, Feick and Elmslie for architect William Purcell and his family in 1913. It is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The Peoples Savings Bank in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, was designed by Louis Sullivan. It was the second of a number of small "jewel box" banks in midwest towns designed by Sullivan during 1907 to 1919. It was built in 1911, and it was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. In 2014 it was included as a contributing property in the West Side Third Avenue SW Commercial Historic District.
The Woodbury County Courthouse is located at 620 Douglas Street in Sioux City, the county seat of Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is regarded as "one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States" and has been declared a National Historic Landmark for its architecture. It is used for legal proceedings in the county.
The First National Bank of Mankato, also known as the Old First National Bank of Mankato and located at 229 South Front Street in Mankato, Minnesota, United States, is a fine example of Prairie School architecture in a commercial building, relating rural life to the development of downtown Mankato as a regional center of commerce and finance. The recently restored exterior is now part of the Mankato Civic Center, the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
The Dr. Ward Beebe House, also known as the John Leuthold Residence, is a three-story stucco prairie house built by Dr. Ward and Bess Beebe and designed by Purcell and Elmslie in 1912. Purcell and Elmslie were prolific designers of prairie style homes. It is located in the West Summit Avenue Historic District, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States.
Merchants National Bank is a bank building in Winona, Minnesota, United States, designed in the Prairie School architectural style. It was built in 1912 and features elaborate terracotta and stained-glass ornamentation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 for having state-level significance in the themes of architecture and commerce. It was nominated for being the "largest and probably best example" of the 18 Midwestern banks designed by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie, a significant influence on early-20th-century American architecture. It is also a contributing property to the Winona Commercial Historic District.
The Dr. Oscar Owre House is a historic house located at 2625 Newton Venue South just north of Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was designed by notable local architects Purcell, Feick & Elmslie in the Prairie School style.
The Charles and Grace Parker House is a house in the Lynnhurst neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota southeast of Lake Harriet. It was designed by notable local architects Purcell, Feick & Elmslie in the Prairie School style. Architecture critic Larry Millett calls it one of Purcell and Elmslie's greatest houses, citing the broad gabled roof, the groupings of windows, the side porch, and the detail surrounding the entry. The entrance includes a fretsawn arch and a frieze above the door, with beams and a pair of pendants on either side. George Grant Elmslie designed the leaded glass windows. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.
Stewart Memorial Presbyterian Church, now Redeemer Missionary Baptist Church, is a Prairie School church in the Lyndale neighborhood of Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. Prairie School architecture was uncommon for use in churches. This church, which has a flat roof and broad eaves but lacks a bell tower and other traditional church features, was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Unity Temple in Oak Park, Illinois. It was designed by the firm of Purcell & Feick before George Grant Elmslie became a partner of the firm. The congregation was an offshoot of First Presbyterian Church and was named after the Reverend David Stewart.
Omeyer & Thori was an architectural partnership of Diedrik A. Omeyer (1850-1907) and Martin P. Thori (1864-1905). The two were immigrants from Norway.
Long, Lamoreaux & Long was an architectural partnership in Minneapolis, Minnesota, of Franklin B. Long (1842–1912), Lowell A. Lamoreaux, and Franklin's son Louis L. Long (c.1870-1925).
The Ezra Abbott House is a historic house in Owatonna, Minnesota, United States. Built in 1913, it was designed by architects Purcell, Feick & Elmslie in Prairie School style patterned onto American Foursquare massing. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 for having local significance in the theme of architecture. It was nominated for being a leading example of Purcell, Feick & Elmslie's residential commissions in Southeast Minnesota, and for being Steele County's most outstanding Prairie School building.
The Merton S. Goodnow House at 446 S. Main St. in Hutchinson, Minnesota was built in 1913. It was designed by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.
The First State Bank of Le Roy at Main St. and Broadway in Le Roy, Minnesota, United States, is a small bank that was built in 1914. It was designed by architects Purcell & Elmslie in Prairie School architecture style. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1986.
The Dr. J. W. S. Gallagher House is a 1913 Prairie School house in Winona, Minnesota, United States, designed by the architectural firm of Purcell & Elmslie. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 for having local significance in the theme of architecture.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Purcell & Elmslie . |
