David Adler | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1882-01-03)January 3, 1882 |
| Died | September 27, 1949(1949-09-27) (aged 67) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Practice | Adler & Dangler, Adler & Work |
| Buildings | Castle Hill |
David AdlerFAIA (January 3, 1882 – September 27, 1949) was an Americanarchitect who mostly practiced aroundChicago,Illinois. He was prolific throughout his career, designing over 200 buildings in over thirty-five years. He was also a long-time board member of theArt Institute of Chicago.
Adler was born on January 3, 1882 inMilwaukee, Wisconsin to aGerman Jewish family,[1] the son of Isaac David Adler, a prosperous wholesale manufacturer of men's clothing, and Therese Hyman Adler. One of David Adler's sisters,Frances, became a prominent interior designer.[2] (He also had an older brother, Murray, who died in 1883 ofdiphtheria.[3]) Adler attended Milwaukee public schools until age 16, when he left Wisconsin to enroll in theLawrenceville School inNew Jersey. Adler enrolled atPrinceton University in 1900, studying art, architectural history and Greek. At Princeton, Adler designed a remodel for the Charter Club, an upperclassmen's eating club.[2]
The source of Adler's interest in architecture is uncertain. Adler began illustrating at Lawrenceville, drawing for school publications. He struggled at Princeton, but showed aptitude in his architecture class.[4] After graduating in 1904, he traveled extensively, mostly to study the architecture of Europe.[5][6] He studied for three semesters atTechnische Universität München in Germany. From 1906 to 1911, Adler studied at theÉcole des Beaux-Arts. An avid cyclist, Adler would travel to the countryside of France, Italy, and England to visit country houses and collect picture postcards.[2]
After returning to the United States in 1911, he began working as an architect forHoward Van Doren Shaw in Chicago, Illinois. Shaw was considered the foremost architect of country houses in the Chicago area. After six months of study, he opened a new office with a friend from Paris,Henry Dangler, inOrchestra Hall. Together, the pair secured commissions for country estates for William E. Clow, Jr., Ralph Poole, Benjamin Nields, Morris E. Berney, David B. Jones, and Charles B. Pike.[5] However, Adler had never received an architectural license, failing the exam in 1917. Because of this, Dangler had to sign off on Adler's drawings because they legally had to be signed by a registered architect.[2]
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After Dangler died in 1917, Adler needed to partner with another architect with a structural background who could sign off on his projects. He began working with Robert Work. In 1918, Adler purchased an 1864 farmhouse inLibertyville, Illinois forhis estate, and extensively remodeled it. Aspiring architectPaul Schweikher, who would go on to have a significant residential practice of his own, studied under Adler for a year starting in 1923. In 1928, with thirty commissions to his name and support from fellow architects, the state examining board presented Adler with an honorary license.[2]
From this point forward, Adler operated his practice alone. TheRoaring Twenties was Adler's most prosperous time, but he struggled during the subsequentGreat Depression. An injury in 1935 during a fox hunt further slowed Adler.[2] Also that year, Adler met withJerrod Loebl andJohn A. Holabird, who were commissioned by theArmour Institute of Technology to find a new head of architecture for the school. Adler recommendedLudwig Mies van der Rohe, who was eventually selected for the job.[7] Over his career, Adler designed 45 country houses, 27 in theChicago area.[8]
A number of Adler's works are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:[9]
_and_David_Adler_(1882%25E2%2580%25931949)_at_Graceland_Cemetery%2c_Chicago_1.jpg)
Adler married Katherine Keith, an Illinois socialite and writer, in 1916. In 1925, he was named a trustee of theArt Institute of Chicago, a position that he held for the rest of his life. He became a widower in 1930 after his wife was killed in a car accident in Europe. Adler was named aFellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1941 and a member of theNational Institute of Arts and Letters in 1945. Adler died of a heart attack in his sleep, aged 67, in Libertyville. He is buried inGraceland Cemetery in Chicago.[2][5]
Adler's religious beliefs are uncertain, although he certainly attempted to appear Protestant. His parents were German Jews. However, at Technische Universität München, Adler identified his beliefs asEpiscopalian; this may have been due to the discrimination facing Jews at the time. Adler married Katherine Keith in aUniversalist church. Adler's father was cremated—a funeral rite that was not sanctioned by the Jewish religion—and interred at a non-denominational cemetery owned by the Episcopal Church. His mother was also buried in a non-denominational cemetery, indicating that his parents may have similarly downplayed their Jewish faith or converted entirely. Adler's clientele were mostlyPresbyterian and probably would have not knowingly commissioned a non-WASP to design their houses.[10]
Adler's works include:
