Albert Randolph Ross (October 26, 1868 – October 27, 1948) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. Born in

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...

, he was a son of architect John W. Ross.

Biography

Albert Ross attended

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

in Westfield and later in

Davenport, Iowa Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. Located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, it is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population of 384,324 and ...

, where he went to

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

, graduating in 1884. After working as a draughtsman in his father's architecture office in Davenport from 1884 to 1887, he spent a year working for an architect in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

, before joining the

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

firm of

McKim, Mead and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), ...

in 1891. In 1898, he formed the firm of Ackerman & Ross with William S. Ackerman, a partnership which dissolved in 1901. In 1927, when he was awarded a $10,000 prize in a competition to design a new courthouse for Milwaukee out of 33 who submitted proposals, he told the ''Milwaukee Journal'' why he settled on a traditional design: In 1901, Ross married Susan Husted, from

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Allston, Fenway–Kenmore, Mission Hill, Jamaica Plain, and ...

. From 1901 until 1948 his main residence was on Negro Island, near

Boothbay Harbor, Maine Boothbay Harbor is a town in Lincoln County, Maine, United States. The population was 2,027 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Bayville, Sprucewold, and West Boothbay Harbor. During summer months, the entire Boothbay Harbor regio ...

. He died October 27, 1948.

Principal architectural works

Among the buildings that Ross designed were 12 libraries. Some of his notable design projects included: * Carnegie Library of Washington D.C.,

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morg ...

, an NRHP-listed work of Ackerman & Ross (1902). * Carnegie Library,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

, by Ackerman & Ross (1902). * Carnegie Laboratory of Engineering,

Stevens Institute Stevens Institute of Technology is a private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely dedicated to mechanical ...

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 ...

, by Ackerman & Ross (1902). * Carnegie Library,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...

, by Ackerman & Ross (1903; demolished 1952). * Port Jervis Free Library,

Port Jervis, New York Port Jervis is a city located at the confluence of the Neversink and Delaware rivers in western Orange County, New York, United States, north of the Delaware Water Gap. Its population was 8,775 at the 2020 census. The communities of Deerpark, ...

, by Ackerman & Ross (1903). * Carnegie Library,

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

(1903). * Taunton Public Library,

Taunton, Massachusetts Taunton is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the seat of Bristol County. Taunton is situated on the Taunton River which winds its way through the city on its way to Mount Hope Bay, to the south. At the 2020 cen ...

(1903). *

East Orange Public Library The East Orange Public Library is the free public library of East Orange, Essex County, New Jersey Locations and circulation As of 2011, the library had a collection of 343,918 volumes, served a population of approximately 73,000 and circulated 3 ...

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...

, now the East Orange Municipal Court Building (1903). * Nashville Main Library,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

(1904). * Needham Public Library,

Needham, Massachusetts Needham ( ) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 at the 2020 U.S. Census. It is home of Olin College. History Early settlement Needham was first settled in 1680 with the purchase of a ...

(built 1904; demolished) * Needham Free Public Library, Needham, Massachusetts (1904). * Old Town Public Library, Old Town, Maine (1904). * Gloversville Free Library,

Gloversville, New York Gloversville is a city in the Mohawk Valley region of Upstate New York, and the most populous city in Fulton County. Gloversville was once the hub of the United States' glovemaking industry, with over two hundred manufacturers in Gloversville ...

, Beaux Arts building listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

(1904). * Pittsfield Public Library,

Pittsfield, Maine Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival. History ...

; NRHP-listed for its architecture (1904). * Union County Courthouse,

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

as Ackerman & Ross (1905)." * Public Library, Penn Yan, New York, (dedicated June 22, 1905). * Cragin Memorial Library,

Colchester, Connecticut Colchester is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,555 at the 2020 census. In 2010 Colchester became the first town in Connecticut, and the 36th in the country, to be certified with the National Wild ...

(dedicated July 5, 1905). * Uinta County Library,

Evanston, Wyoming Evanston is a city in and the county seat of Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2010 census. It is located near the border with Utah. History Evanston was named after James A. Evans, a civil engineer for t ...

, now the Uinta County Museum (completed 1906). * Pennsylvania Memorial, Vicksburg National Military Park, with Charles Albert Lopez, sculptor (dedicated March 24, 1906). * Original portion of the Main Library of the

Columbus Metropolitan Library The Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML) is a public library system in Franklin County, Ohio, in the Columbus metropolitan area. The library serves an area of 872,000 residents, has a collection of 1,483,433 volumes, and circulates 17,262,267 it ...

system,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

(dedicated April 4, 1907). * Carnegie Library, Good Will Home Association, Hinckley, Maine (dedicated May 29, 1907). * McKinley Memorial,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, with Charles Albert Lopez and

Isidore Konti Isidore Konti (July 9, 1862 – January 11, 1938) was a Vienna-born (of Hungarian parents) sculptor. He began formal art studies at the age of 16 when he entered the Imperial Academy in Vienna, where he studied under Edmund von Hellmer.''Collec ...

, sculptors (dedicated June 6, 1908). * Exterior design for Draper Hall, State University at Albany,

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...

(1909). * Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument,

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

, designed by Ross with sculpture by

Adolph Alexander Weinman Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor. Early life and education Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Ge ...

(1909). * Carnegie Library,

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

; now the McNichols Civic Center Building (1910).Former Carnegie Library, Denver
/ref> *

Montclair Art Museum The Montclair Art Museum (MAM) is located in Montclair, New Jersey, United States, a few miles west of New York City. Since it opened in 1914 as the first museum in New Jersey that granted access to the public and the first dedicated solely to a ...

, Montclair, New Jersey (1914). *

Milwaukee County Courthouse The Milwaukee County Courthouse is a high-rise municipal building located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Completed in 1931, it is the third county courthouse built in the city and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The two ...

, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1931).

Gallery

File:2008-0601-DC-CityMuseumCarnegieLibrary.jpg, The Central Public Library (now the

Historical Society of Washington, D.C. The Historical Society of Washington, D.C., also called the DC History Center, is an educational foundation dedicated to preserving and displaying the history of Washington, D.C. The society provides lectures, exhibits, classes, and community ev ...

), completed 1902 by Ackerman & Ross. File:Taunton Public Library front view 2015.jpg, Taunton Public Library,

, completed 1903. File:Carnegie Library Center.jpg, Carnegie Library,

, completed in 1903. File:Carnegie Library, Old Town, ME.jpg, Carnegie Library,

Old Town, Maine Old Town is a city in Penobscot County, Maine, United States. The population was 7,431 at the 2020 census. The city's developed area is chiefly located on the relatively large Marsh Island, though its boundaries extend beyond that. The island i ...

, completed 1904. File:Gloversville Free Library Aug 10.jpg, Gloversville Free Library,

, completed in 1904. File:2013-08-24 - Cragin Memorial Library - Colchester Ct.JPG, Cragin Memorial Library,

, dedicated July 5, 1905. File:Public Library, Pittsfield, ME.jpg, Public Library,

, completed in 1906. File:Evanston Wyoming Carnegie Library.jpeg, Uinta County Library,

, completed in 1906. File:Carnegie Library, Columbus, Ohio (Postcard).jpg, Carnegie Library,

, completed in 1907. File:Carnegie Library Good Will-Hinckley Maine.jpg, Good Will-Hinckley Library,

Hinckley, Maine Fairfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 6,484 at the 2020 census. The town includes Fairfield Center, Fairfield village and Hinckley, and borders the city of Waterville to the south. It is home to the ...

, dedicated in 1907. File:UnionSoldiersSailors.jpg, Union Soldiers and Sailors Monument in

, designed by Ross with sculpture by

, dedicated in 1909. File:Americana 1920 Libraries - Denver Public Library.jpg,

Denver Public Library The Denver Public Library is the public library system of the City and County of Denver, Colorado. The system includes the Denver Central Library, located in the Golden Triangle district of Downtown Denver, as well as 25 branch locations and t ...

, completed in 1910. File:Montclair Art Museum (Montclair, New Jersey).jpg,

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. As ...

, completed in 1914. File:Milwaukee County Courthouse.jpg,

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

, completed in 1931.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ross, Albert Randolph 19th-century American architects 1868 births 1948 deaths Architects from New York City Architects from Maine People from Lincoln County, Maine 20th-century American architects People from Westfield, Massachusetts