Purcell & Elmslie

Purcell & Elmslie

Company type	Architectural firm
Industry	Architecture
Founded	1907
Defunct	1921
Headquarters	Minneapolis , United States
Area served	United States, Australia, China
Key people	William Gray Purcell, George Grant Elmslie, George Feick Jr.

Purcell & Elmslie (P&E) stood as a prominent and innovative American architectural firm, ranking as the second most frequently commissioned Prairie School practice after Frank Lloyd Wright. The firm was active from 1907 until 1921, with its most distinguished projects completed during the period from 1913 to 1921.

History

The firm’s development occurred through three distinct partnerships: initially Purcell and Feick (1907–10); followed by Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie (1910–12); and finally Purcell and Elmslie (1913–21). George Grant Elmslie became part of the Minneapolis-based firm in 1907 after being invited by Purcell. Their commissions extended across twenty-two states, included competing for the National Parliament Buildings in Canberra, Australia, and involved designing a major institutional church or Y.M.C.A. facility in Hunan, China.

The principals William Gray Purcell (1880–1965) and George Grant Elmslie (1869–1952) were both honored as Fellows of the College of the American Institute of Architects. George Feick Jr., son of the Ohio builder George Feick, was Purcell’s initial partner. Having attended Cornell University together, Purcell and Feick traveled through Europe in 1906–07 before forming their Minneapolis partnership. Offices were maintained in Chicago, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis. Numerous projects undertaken by these partnerships are recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable commissions

• Steven House (1909), Eau Claire, Wisconsin
• Dr. Ward Beebe House (1912), Saint Paul, Minnesota
• Josephine Crane Bradley summer home (Bradley Bungalow) (1912), Woods Hole, Massachusetts
• Edison Shop (1912), Chicago, Illinois
• Merchants National Bank (1912), Winona, Minnesota
• Edna S. Purcell House (1913), Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Woodbury County Courthouse (1918), Sioux City, Iowa – architects associated with Purcell & Elmslie

Works by Purcell & Feick

• Feick Building (1909), Sandusky, Ohio – listed on NRHP
• Steven House (1909), Eau Claire, Wisconsin – listed on NRHP
• Stewart Memorial Presbyterian Church (1910), Minneapolis, Minnesota – listed on NRHP

Works by Purcell, Feick & Elmslie

• A. B. C. Dodd House, constructed 1910, 310 3rd Ave., Charles City, IA (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Several residences within the NRHP-listed Bismarck Cathedral Area Historic District, approximately bounded by Hannifan and N 1st Sts., Aves. C and A West, Bismarck, ND (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), including Prairie School homes at 120 Avenue A West (Patrick E. Byrne House, 1912), 610 Raymond Street, and 402 Avenue B West (Timothy R. Atkinson House, circa 1910)
• Merchants National Bank, erected 1912, 102 E. 3rd St., Winona, MN (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Dr. Oscar Owre House, built 1912, 2625 Newton Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Merton S. Goodnow House, completed 1913, 446 S. Main St., Hutchinson, MN (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Charles and Grace Parker House, built 1913, 4829 Colfax Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Dr. John H. Adair House, constructed 1913, 322 E. Vine St., Owatonna, MN (Purcell, Feick & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Madison State Bank in Madison, Minnesota; built in 1913 and demolished in 1968

Projects by Purcell & Elmslie

• Several structures within the College Hills Historic District, approximately enclosed by Colombia Rd., Amherst Dr., Bowdoin Rd., Corporate Limit, University Bay, and Harvard Dr., Shorewood Hills, WI (Purcell and Elmslie), listed on the NRHP
• Community House, First Congregational Church, located at 310 Broadway, Eau Claire, WI (Purcell & Elmslie), recognized by the NRHP
• Exchange State Bank, situated at the northwest corner of Main and 1st Streets, Grand Meadow, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• First National Bank (Rhinelander, Wisconsin), 8 W. Davenport St., Rhinelander, WI (Purcell & Elmslie), included in the NRHP
• First National Bank of Adams, 322 Main St., Adams, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), listed on the NRHP
• First State Bank of LeRoy, positioned at Main St. and Broadway, LeRoy, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), NRHP-recognized
• Dr. J. W. S. Gallagher House, 451 W. Broadway St., Winona, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), registered on the NRHP
• Jump River Town Hall, located south of WI 73, Jump River, WI (Purcell & Elmslie), included in the NRHP
• Kasson Municipal Building, 12 W. Main, Kasson, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), listed on the NRHP
• Mrs. Richard Polson House, north of Spooner, Spooner, WI (Purcell & Elmslie), recognized by the NRHP
• William Gray Purcell House, 2328 Lake Pl., Minneapolis, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), registered on the NRHP
• Windego Park Auditorium/Open Air Theater, positioned between S. Ferry St. and Rum River, Anoka, MN (Purcell & Elmslie), NRHP-listed
• Woodbury County Courthouse, at 7th and Douglas Streets, Sioux City, IA (Purcell & Elmslie), included in the NRHP

Further reading

• Brooks, H. Allen, The Prairie School, W.W. Norton, New York 2006;
• Brooks, H. Allen (editor), Prairie School Architecture: Studies from "The Western Architect", University of Toronto Press, Toronto and Buffalo 1975;
• Brooks, H. Allen, The Prairie School: Frank Lloyd Wright and his Midwest Contemporaries, University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1972;
• Gebhard, David (edited by Patricia Gebhard), Purcell & Elmslie: Prairie Progressive Architects, Gibbs Smith, Salt Lake City 2006;
• Hammons, Mark, "Purcell and Elmslie, Architects," featured in Art and Life on the Upper Mississippi: Minnesota 1900, University of Delaware Press, 1994.

External links

• Purcell and Elmslie at Organica