Wallace LeRoy Dow | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 21, 1844 |
| Died | June 6, 1911 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
Wallace L. Dow (1844-1911), often known as W. L. Dow, was an architect of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He has been referred to as the "Builder on the Prairie" and was "considered the premier architect of South Dakota in the late 19th century." [1]
Wallace LeRoy Dow was born in Croydon, New Hampshire, on September 21, 1844, the son of Hial Dow and Lura Powers Dow. Dow was educated in local schools and at the Powers Institute in Bernardston, Massachusetts. He learned the carpentry trade from his father, and worked in the plumbing and heating trades in the early 1860s in Massachusetts. In 1866 he returned to New Hampshire, settling in the town of Newport, immediately south of his birthplace. There, he formed the firm of W. L. Dow & Company, contractors, in association with his father and brother. As a contractor he built several buildings designed by his uncle, the architect Edward Dow, including the Newport Town Hall of 1872. [2] [3] In 1877 he joined his uncle's firm, Dow & Wheeler, to work as a superintendent and to study architecture. During this time he supervised construction of the New Hampshire State Prison for Men in Concord, which would prove to be useful experience. [4]
In 1880 Dow and his brother, Wilbur A. Dow, left New Hampshire and went west, initially settling in Pierre, Dakota Territory. Construction in Pierre was minimal, but in February, 1881, Governor Nehemiah G. Ordway, a former New Hampshire state senator, appointed Dow architect of the new prison to be built at Sioux Falls. [3] The brothers then relocated to Yankton, then the capital of the territory. Dow's prison at Sioux Falls was followed by a northern prison at Bismarck and other territorial commissions. In 1884 he relocated to Sioux Falls, the largest city in the territory. He designed many public buildings, and played an important role in development of the construction stone industry in the state. In 1899 he was joined in partnership by his eldest son, Edwin W. Dow, forming the firm of W. L. Dow & Son, which continued to be highly active until their retirement from architecture in 1905. [4]
Dow was an early proponent of concrete construction. When he was commissioned to design the South Dakota building for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, he designed a wood framed building clad entirely in precast concrete panels. In 1904 he patented a device for the manufacture of concrete block, and spent his later years operating and promoting the Perfection Block Machine Company. [4]
In 1865 Dow was married to Lois M. Whipple of Croydon. They had three children who lived to adulthood, including two sons and one daughter. Their eldest child, Edwin W. Dow, was born in 1869 and would be associated with his father's business. [2] [3] Wallace L. Dow died July 6, 1911, in Sioux Falls. [5]
The buildings that Dow designed were chiefly in the popular Revival styles of the day, including the Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque and Colonial Revival styles. Many of these buildings utilize the distinctive Sioux Quartzite, noted for its pink and red color. [4]
At least fourteen buildings designed by Dow have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, though one has been demolished. Many others contribute to listed historic districts. [6]
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