June 25, 1924, Volume 5, Number 9 - Additional

This is a milestone issue of The Archi. Very few issues were able to welcome two new chapters to APX. Fewer still feature a new Master Architect and push the chapter installation news to the bottom of page two. That might not have been the case if The Archi didn't still depend on subscriptions for its survival.

Besides Bro. Gilbert, this issue welcomes three notable new brothers.

Raymond Everett was an instructor in Architecture and freehand drawing at Texas. Although previous issues indicated that he was a member of Iktinos, it turned out that he was actually a faculty member of Sigma Upsilon and that an initiation in Alpha Rho Chi was in order. His bookplate, above, is an example of his skill. He was also known for landscape paintings and murals. Everett stayed with Texas until his death in 1948. A couple biographies are available on UT's servers. The best of these memorials features quotations from several leading individuals familiar to Archi Names readers.

Donald B. Parkinson, with his father John, was a leading architect of Los Angeles. Union Station (above) was one of his final works. He lent his hand on many of the city's Art Deco landmarks including: LA City Hall, Santa Monica City Hall, and the Guarantee Trust Building. Bro. Parkinson's association with Andronicus may be related to his work on many core buildings at USC and - more significantly for Trojan football fans - Memorial Coliseum.

Julien E. Garnsey,* was a notable muralist. When he was initiated by Andronicus, he may have already started working decoration for the Los Angeles Central Library. He was responsible for the mosaics in the library's rotunda (above) and a lifesize freize depicting scenes from "Ivanhoe." A photo of Bro. Garnsey at work is below.

*The middle initial "A" in the chapter report was a typo.

Master Architect, Cass Gilbert, a letter to the fraternity: June 25, 1924, Volume 5, Number 9, Part 2

A little over a week ago at the 63rd National Convention of Alpha Rho Chi, we inaugurated our newest Master Architect, Robert Ivy, FAIA.

This issue of The Archi, our 2nd Master Architect, Cass Gilbert wrote a letter to our membership upon his elevation to the same position. This is what he said:

June 10, 1924
Dear Brother Tousley:

Your letter of June 3rd reached me on the 6th instant, but I have been under such pressure since then that I have been unable to answer it.

I have been intending to write to you in response to the verbal request which you made after the initiation banquet and also to write a special letter of appreciation of the honor which Alpha Rho Chi has conferred upon me.

I must ask you to accept a very brief expression of the cordial feeling which I have in my heart, for the simple reason that the day has worn along so far that it would be impossible for me to get a letter of any length into the mail tonight, and I note from your letter that if the letter is mailed tonight it will reach you in time for the press of the June issue. I must therefore, as I have said, limit this letter to a very few lines.

I cannot undertake to re-state what I said at the banquet, the talk there was very intimate and from the heart. I recall laying down a few general propositions that we should always keep in mind that our first duty was loyalty to our country; we should take part in its real interests and in its up-building, and that we should so conduct ourselves in our professional lives that we should deserve the support and recognition of the public and be entitled to the confidence of our clients. I recall emphasizing the great importance of the Alpha Rho Chi as a Fraternity which upholds the highest ideals of personal life, of purity of thought and of high-minded professional endeavor. I also recall appealing to those present to maintain standards of purity in design as well as purity of thought.

I most cordially welcome the fellowship into which i have been admitted.

I regard it as one of the greatest honors that has come to me, for the confidence expressed in me by the young men who form Alpha Rho Chi means more to me than I can tell you.

Please give my most cordial greetings to the Fraternity, and believe me

Very sincerely yours,

CASS GILBERT

June 25, 1924, Volume 5, Number 9, Part 1

Two More Brothers Meet their Master

If you were wondering why it has taken me so long to blog about the next issue, i admit that it has to do with the headline above, which could be found on page 3 of this issue. What I did not expect as a result of this project was that I have been finding myself getting somewhat acquainted with these brothers. At this stage in the game, it's pretty guaranteed that everyone i've come across has probably already met their master. But in the end, it doesn't matter what year it happens, it is always jarringly tragic when you hear of such young people dying, as in the case of these two brothers, B. G. Webb and Gervase "Jack" Wenzell.

Brother Webb hailed from Anthemios, and graduated in 1920. Only last year, in 1923, he married a young lady named Josephine Webb (see the issue 2/1/1923, Volume 4, Number 4, Page 2). Tragically, both brother Webb and Mrs. Webb, along with his parents, Mr & Mrs. Alves Webb were all killed when their automobile was wrecked by a B & O Train near the city of Holton, Indiana. In a moment, a family was just wiped out. It's truly truly sad, even 76 years later.

Brother Wenzell initiated as a brother of the Andronicus Chapter in 1922, though he was not a charter member. He left school at the end of last year (1923) because of health issues, described as "trouble with his eyes." He went to live with his brother in San Diego who was a doctor, and it seems he then contracted pneumonia, and died a long time later. It can be assured that it was a long illness, and though there aren't specific details, I wonder that if in this day and age if Brother Wenzell might have been spared. After all, penicillin has not yet been discovered.

According to the Archi account, Brother Wenzell was the son of a famous artist and illustrator named A. B. Wenzell. It wasn't very difficult to find artwork by Mr. Wenzell on the internet. The example below is an illustration from The House of Mirth, written by Edith Wharton.

Following the wikipedia information, it turns out that Brother Wenzell was also preceeded in death by another brother, Arthur, who was killed in a car accident in 1915.

What Else Happened??
I can't leave you with just a dirge.. here are some other interesting things that came about in this issue:

Harry J. Korlsund, MNES '20 admits that he's been too busy to establish a chapter at Boston Tech. Though he has met with some of the fellows there, he doesn't think the time is right just yet.

The Kallikrates Chapter has rented a brick cottage on Carr's Hill for their home next year. The word used to describe the place is "Salubrious" and that's a fantastic word that we need to use more often in 2010.

Mnesicles Brother Leon Makielski's little brother S. J. is initiated at Kallikrates. Not only that, Brother S. J. married Miss Alice Lee Patton on May 19th.

A Brief Diversion - Early Metagenes Letters

With the 41st anniversary of Metagenes this week, I'll take a break from the 1920s and direct you to a collection of correspondence from the earliest days of my chapter. In addition to telling part of the local history, these letters feature three future members of the Grand Council and provide a snapshot of various chapter letterheads in 1969.

There are several other historical exhibits on metagenes.org – including pledge book covers from 1969-2009, posters from the 1990s, and some seriously imaginative yearbook composites. Look on the site under "History."

May 15, 1924, Volume 5, Number 8 - Additional

For Memorial Day, The Archi published the names of all deceased members of Alpha Rho Chi. With only 13 names, it is also a reminder of how young the fraternity was at this time.

Prof. Louis Holmes Boynton of Iktinos was the most recent entry on this list. His obituary appears on page 6. Initiated in 1914, it's apparent he didn't consider his membership as merely "honorary."

Since no photo of Boynton appears in The Archi, here's one taken from the Michiganensian yearbook of 1916 (click to enlarge). The caption attests to his connection with students across the department.

May 15, 1924, Volume 5, Number 8

Housing Boom

The Paeonios Chapter finally established a chapter house, located at 1020 Houston St. Manhattan Kansas. The purchased house was no small hovel. It had been the previous residence of the President of the University, W. M. Jardine. It had been designed by the university architectural department, and had been recently remodeled. It sounds like a lovely place.

Is it still there? You bet it is! It doesn't look like it changed a lick.



On Page 6, we begin to see the first discussions of a real estate development being managed by the Mnesicles alumni. The alumni purchased 5 lots across from the Minnesota Stadium that was under construction at this time. The development is being called "Fraternity Court" and 2 of those lots were reported sold to the Sigma Phil Epsilon fraternity.



That must have been quite a party!



The Andronicus Chapter held it's spring formal at one of Los Angeles's lost landmarks - the Garden of Allah. It was located on the corner of Sunset and Crescent Heights Boulevards, on what would now be noted as the eastern end of the Sunset Strip. Initially, the property began as a mansion, built by actress Alla Nazimova, and was notorious for wild parties. The property did not develop into a hotel until 1927, so the chapter may have had shared close quarters with the famous actress, who lived openly as a lesbian.



In the 1930's the Garden of Allah was a regular stomping ground for hollwood types looking for a good time, the most notable of which was F. Scott Fitzgerald. Unfortunately, it was torn down in 1959.



E-Bay alert!

At the above-mentioned party, the female attendees were given silver bracelets mounted with the fraternity crests. If you find one online, you know what to do...



This is not always easy...

On Page 5, the final paragraph of the Mnesicles update, shows evidence of the kind of confusion this project encounters from time to time.

"Milton John Anderson, '20, who was still single at the lsat report is employed by German & Jensen, Architects and engineers
of Duluth. Milton L. Anderson, '21 often his partner in
crime, is also single but is located in Los Angeles with an architectural
office."

After being brothers for three years, you'd think this crazy coincidence would have come up by now. Instead, i had to backtrack and separate the entries for the 2 men on their middle initials.. Initials, i might add, that are NOT terribly far away from in the alphabet OR the keyboard. Shame on me for making the assumption that the editors had made some typos. Goodness knows that they haven't always been perfect....

The AIA Launches Online Historical Directory of American Architects

I just received notification about this project this morning. However, I imagine it will become a great resource as we move forward with this project.

Here is snapshot of what they have to say:

The AIA Historical Directory contains over 57,000 names of U.S. architects and firms—all AIA members from 1857-1978, plus some non-member architects and almost 6,000 historic firms. Under each name, you’ll see:
• what type of information is in the AIA Archives, along with links to files that have already been digitized
• citations and links to entries in a number of published or online reference works (the three volumes of American Architects Directory, published by R.R. Bowker for the American Institute of Architect in 1956, 1962, and 1970 are available in full on the site)
• whether the architect’s drawings and papers are known to be in another archive

To Read More: http://www.aia.org/about/history/aiab082045
Link to the archivehttp://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/Find%20Names.aspx

Just to test it out:
Anthemios Brother, E. V. Gauger: http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1015499.aspx
Mnesicles Brother, Florian Kleinschmidt: http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1024232.aspx

this is going to be AWESOME!!

March 15, 1924, Volume 5, Number 6 - Additional

Here's a postscript on the March 15 issue. Iktinos starts its report on page 3 with the following.

Friday night, Feb. 29, Iktinos held the annual spring initiation, at which time six new men were taken into membership. They are Brothers Russell Radford, Edward Hull, Roy Fleming, Walter Thompson, Theodore Wright and C. Taylor Miller.

I found them in costume on Flickr with a few friends!

Titled "APX Pledges 1923-24," three brothers were tagged for identification. Edward Hull is on the lower left. Roy Fleming is 3rd in the back row wearing stripes; 6th from left is Russ Radford.

Photo source:

flickr.com/photos/31303631@N00/ CC BY-NC 2.0

April 15, 1924, Volume 5, Number 7 - additional

Laura invited me to be a contributor to this blog, and I'm happy to join the party. (And not just mutter comments to a fern in the corner.) Since this is my second time through, I'll follow our hostess' lead as we waltz through history and let her set the pace. SPOILERS: coat of arms changed, second war in Europe, APX brother dives under North Pole, man walks on moon, chapters at 30+ schools.

In the chapter reports, Iktinos reports:

Our annual Greenwich Village Party was held on March 21-22, as planned. It was the best ever. The decorations were more informal than usual and the spirit of the evening reflected this informality.

This above party photo from Ann Arbor was taken in 1923 or 1924, so it may depict this very party. I'm not sure of the origins of the "Greenwich Village" name, but other issues mention the bohemian bent and artistic character of this tradition. The outrageous makeup on the participants is only rivaled by the extensive decorations that span the entire main floor of the house. Click on the picture for a larger view and marvel at the murals and other decorations.

(File the mural on the left under "(in)sensitive topics." Party over.)

Photo source:

flickr.com/photos/31303631@N00/ CC BY-NC 2.0

Database Project - Into the Looking glass

Greetings!! and We've Been Published!!

Welcome to all the brothers who were notified about this project through the Winter 2009-2010 issue of The Archi! I admit, I wrote the press release myself, but still.. you can see it on page 29.

If you have a google account, please sign up to follow me! I currently have 5 followers, and I'd like my breadth and influence to span further... so to speak.

Where We Stand Today:

The Archi Staff of the 1920's were quite meticulous in their reporting. I am confident when I say that I have an entry for every brother to have initiated into this fraternity for the first 10 years. I also have non-brothers who are employers, wives, parents, buddies, visiting lecturers, and even four-legged house mascots accounted for in our database.

We are now 15 issues in.
The database now holds 869 unique names.

The chapter breakdown is as follows:
Anthemios - 155
Iktinos - 163
Mnesicles - 132
Demetrios - 138
Andronicus - 41
Kallikrates - 20
Paeonios - 37
Dinocrates - 12
Polyklitos - 15

Non-Brothers-156
Dog-1 (Spike - anthemios's dog)

April 15, 1924, Volume 5, Number 7

Smith Memorial Hall

So Long Brother Ricker
The bulk of this issue focuses on the passing of Brother and Master Architect Dr. Nathan Clifford Ricker. Great detail is given to his personal biography, as well as professional biography. To be honest, I have read a lot about the man over the years, but I would venture to say that this may be the most heavily detailed account of his life that I have ever read.
Brother Ricker died at age 81, after being stricken by a "sudden attack of apoplexy," which is an old timey broad term that generally means that someone went unconsious and died shortly soonafter. Later, on page 5, it is noted that he, more specifically, suffered a stroke.
There is an account of his memorial serivce, which was held at the Smith Memorial Hall on the University of Illinois Campus. The service was lead by the local Masonic Lodge. In addition, an honor guard from the Knight Templars was also present for the festivities. In tribute to his service to the University of Illinois, Dean K. C. Babcock had many kind words about Brother Ricker's professional life.
Letters of condolence were sent to the Archi by founding brother Leo M. Bauer, and former Grand Council Member Arthur E. Benson.

Welcome Polyklitos!
The final column of page 8 heralds the arrival of another new chapter. The ninth new chapter, to be named Polyklitus is forming at the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. We have Iktinos Brother Alfred E. Naser to thank for assisting in forming this chapter.

Prohibition

I can't believe it took this long for it to occur to me that the past few issues of the Archi have been during the Prohibition era of our country! Prohibition took place from 1920-1933 in the United States. It makes sense that the fraternity would make no mention of alcohol, one way or the other, in its national publication. However, on page 2, Mnesicles brother George Dahl writes from London to say:

My best wishes to all our brothers of our dear old fraternity and may they all
prosper. I drink to their health (remember i am not in dry territory.)

Well, Brother Dahl, from this end of time and space, I drink a toast to you as well.

March 15, 1924, Volume 5, Part 6

The following commentary was provided by Brother Rick Jenkins, Metagenes Alumnus and WGS Emeritus. It was too good not to post on its own merit.

A early mention of women in the profession is on Page 4 (Delegates Remember). Marion Petri and Gladys Bruillard found an interiors studio in Minneapolis. Marion and Gladys are members of the Beta Chapter of Alpha Alpha Gamma national architectural sorority. So is Teresa Snure, who is engaged to Bro. Frank R. Root of Mnesicles (page 11).

IIRC, these are the first mentions of Alpha Alpha Gamma in the Archi. Founded in 1922 Alpha Alpha Gamma was a professional sorority with 10 student chapters prior to WWII. Several were at schools with APX chapters. (Look for mention of expansion to Illinois in October 1924). The Archi will occasionally note joint events between chapters or engagements until the 1930s. In 1934 the alumnae of the sorority formed the Association of Women in Architecture (AWA), and in 1948 AAG reorganized as its undergraduate branch. The national organization disbanded in 1964. (See http://www.awa-la.org/history.php for more info.)

Alpha Rho Chi was not the only national architecture fraternity of this era. Scarab was also a member of Professional Interfraternity Conference for architecture. Triangle Fraternity would soon start recruiting architects to join their engineers. Besides the nationals, there were countless local architecture fraternities. (Some became APX chapters; this issue tells of plans to convert the local Delta Club to Dinocrates Chapter.) Alpha Alpha Gamma adds another, distaff element to this mix.

However from today's vantage point, AAG seems the strangest of the mix. It was not a competitor to APX, yet so many of their sisters could have been made our good brothers just a half-century later.