Highrise Tower Posted March 16, 2023 Share Posted March 16, 2023 Can anyone tell me more about Alfred Charles Finn? I know I could simply Google, but HAIF has more first-hand knowledge than Google. Did he practice architecture solo or was their a firm behind him? Before he died, did he create a firm to carry-on his legacy? Was there any "competition" from fellow "Stararchitects" of the time? Looks like both Kenneth Franzheim and Wyatt Hedrick did major projects in the Houston area at the same time. The "Houston Big 3" I call them. Back in the day, I don't think global firms was a thing. You did not have Gensler, SOM, HOK, HKS, HDR, AECOM, KPF, Stantec, etc. Instead, you probably had drawings single handedly drawn by Arthur Gensler, Louis Skidmore, Gyo Obata, Eugene Kohn, I. M. Pei, etc. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
editor Posted March 30, 2023 Share Posted March 30, 2023 On 3/16/2023 at 3:36 PM, Highrise Tower said: Back in the day, I don't think global firms was a thing I think it depends on how you define "back in the day." Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright and Mies van der Rhoe didn't have a "firm" in the modern sense, but they had "studios" of eager apprentices and associates who performed much the same function. And those studios certainly operated on much the same global scale as many similarly-sized "global" companies of their era. I'm not sure when architecture went from studios to conglomerates. Maybe in the 80's? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Ive worked on a few of his buildings over the years. I pulled up one the drawings for one of his buildings on our server right now, and for what its worth It Says Alfred C Finn Architect and the address is 505 Goggan Houston, TX. That address and building I dont believe exist anymore. It was definitly a firm with numerous workers. I do not know if the firm was acquired in the 60's when he passed away. Here's a clip of one of the structural drawings. He subbed out structural in the 1920s, which wasnt as common at the time. Won't share the location of this building but of the few projects of his i've worked on-- the title block is consistent. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 (edited) Another building of his from 1928, looks like he worked with another firm(one that you mentioned). This sometimes occurs when you have a "design" architect who creats the rendering and then a project architect of record that does the detailing etc. No idea what the relationship was for this particular building... Edit: Just going off of OP's comment, did Finn single handedly draw these drawings? By the 1920s For sure not and probably had a team of project architects, drafters, etc working on design,etc. Edited April 6, 2023 by Purdueenginerd 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 Found one more. A little older. Says Alfred Finn Associates, architects and engineers. Looks like he had his in-house engineers on some projects... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted April 6, 2023 Author Share Posted April 6, 2023 1 hour ago, Purdueenginerd said: Ive worked on a few of his buildings over the years. I pulled up one the drawings for one of his buildings on our server right now, and for what its worth It Says Alfred C Finn Architect and the address is 505 Goggan Houston, TX. That address and building I dont believe exist anymore. It was definitly a firm with numerous workers. I do not know if the firm was acquired in the 60's when he passed away. Here's a clip of one of the structural drawings. He subbed out structural in the 1920s, which wasnt as common at the time. Won't share the location of this building but of the few projects of his i've worked on-- the title block is consistent. Thank you for the wonderful history and images!! The library I visit every day has a whole bunch of results for "Goggan Building". Looks like Alfred C. Finn Architect was located in Suite 505 (or 303?) September 1, 1921: Thos. Goggan & Bro. 706-708 Main Street Houston, Texas / Goggan Building. A year later their advertisement only specified 706 Main Street. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted April 6, 2023 Share Posted April 6, 2023 2 minutes ago, Highrise Tower said: Thank you for the wonderful history and images!! The library I visit every day has a whole bunch of results for "Goggan Building". Looks like Alfred C. Finn Architect was located in Suite 505 (or 303?) September 1, 1921: Thos. Goggan & Bro. 706-708 Main Street Houston, Texas / Goggan Building. A year later their advertisement only specified 706 Main Street. I did a quick google search: https://scholarship.rice.edu/handle/1911/36530 http://archives.library.rice.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/21959 Found this building called the "Electric Building" which was designed by none other than Alfred Finn at 505 Goggan. The second link states it was located at Block 81, one which today is bound by Rusk, Capitol, Travis and Main. I took a peak at the sanborn insurance map for houston from 1896, and there is no Goggan street in downtown... at least that I could see. I think youre right, Goggan Building was the name. The 1907 Sanborn map shows wood frame buildings located at 700 block of main. Again no Goggan street. That building must have not lasted very long <50 years... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 Was looking for some old drawings for work today and totally forgot that library has a bunch of Finn's drawings. https://digital.houstonlibrary.org/hhrcad Some of them have been digitized, but they have more at hte library downtown. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mollusk Posted April 7, 2023 Share Posted April 7, 2023 The Electric Building, perhaps aka the Goggan Building, is still there and now known as the Great Jones Building. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Jones_Building 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purdueenginerd Posted October 1, 2023 Share Posted October 1, 2023 Another Finn Title block for you, from a structural drawing--- far less pretty than the previous 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted October 2, 2023 Share Posted October 2, 2023 There was no Goggan Street. Finn's address in the 1923 City Directory is given as 505 Bankers Mortgage Building And the entry for the Goggan Building has "See Bankers Mortgage Building 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highrise Tower Posted October 2, 2023 Author Share Posted October 2, 2023 7 hours ago, Purdueenginerd said: Another Finn Title block for you, from a structural drawing--- far less pretty than the previous Gulf Building located at 712 Main Street? The only building by Jesse H. Jones with both Alfred C. Finn and Kenneth Franzheim? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EspersonBuildings Posted October 3, 2023 Share Posted October 3, 2023 (edited) I think it's already been determined (but please correct me if I'm wrong) that there was no Groggan Street but that this company was in Suite 505. I'm a little confused on the picture of The Electric Building. I don't think this is the same building in the 700 block of Main. The building being discussed (the offices of The Groggan Company) was originally built in 1908 for the Texas Company (later Texaco). In 1922 it expanded horizontally all the way to Capital Avenue (still standing today with Shake Shack on the ground floor) and became The Bankers Mortgage Building (in the 1970's Walter Pyes Dept Store was on the ground floor, where Shake Shack is now). This looks like The Houston Lighting and Power Building at Fannin and Walker (before it too was expanded). The photo I'm attaching is the original 1908 ten story building. The Gulf Building (now The Chase Bank Building) would later be to its immediate left and the 1922 horizontal expansion to the immediate right when it became The Bankers Mortgage Building. Edited October 3, 2023 by EspersonBuildings 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.