Albert Weiblen (1857–1957) was a German-born

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

and

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

. His company, the Albert Weiblen Marble & Granite Company, was based in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

and specialized in monuments and burial structures.

Life and career

Weiblen was born in

Metzingen Metzingen () is a Swabian city with about 22,000 inhabitants, in Reutlingen county, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, south of Stuttgart. Geography The following towns and municipalities are on the borders of Metzingen, they are named starting in ...

Württemberg Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart. Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...

in 1857. He immigrated to the United States in 1883, arrived in New Orleans two years later and worked as a

for Kursheedt and Bienvenu. By 1888, he established his own marble yard and showroom, eventually incorporating his operations as the Albert Weiblen Marble & Granite Company. The Weiblen company operated a large quarry in Stone Mountain, Georgia. Day-to-day work at the quarry was initially overseen by Weiblen himself, though he later hired Italian sculptor Theodore Bottinelli. The firm served New Orleans patrons primarily, as well as many other parts of the South. Weiblen operated a showroom in New Orleans at 116 City Park Avenue. Most of Weiblen's monuments were of

Amphiprostyle In classical architecture, amphiprostyle (from the Greek (''amphi''), on both sides, and (''prostylos''), a portico) denotes an ancient temple with a portico both at the front and the rear, where the columns on the narrow sides are not between a ...

design. McDowell, Peggy and Meyer, Richard E.;Revival Styles in American Memorial Art, The; University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, p. 27 After Weiblen's death at the age of 99, his daughter in law Norma Merritt Weiblen took up company operations. In 1969, Weiblen Marble & Granite was sold to

Stewart Enterprises Stewart Enterprises, Inc. was the second largest provider of funeral and cemetery services in the United States. The company is headquartered in Jefferson, Louisiana and employs nearly 5,400 people in 218 funeral homes and 140 cemeteries in 24 st ...

. The Weiblen company papers are now divided across the Southeastern Architectural Archive at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

and th
Earl K. Long Library
at the

University of New Orleans The University of New Orleans (UNO) is a public research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is a member of the University of Louisiana System and the Urban 13 association. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High rese ...

Famous works

*Tomb of Lodge No.30 of the

Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks (BPOE; also often known as the Elks Lodge or simply The Elks) is an American fraternal order founded in 1868, originally as a social club in New York City. History The Elks began in 1868 as a soci ...

, Greenwood Cemetery, New Orleans, 1912 * William G. Helis, Sr. mausoleum,

Metairie Cemetery Metairie Cemetery is a cemetery in southeastern Louisiana. The name has caused some people to mistakenly presume that the cemetery is located in Metairie, Louisiana, but it is located within the New Orleans city limits, on Metairie Road (and f ...

, New Orleans, nd * P.G.T. Beauregard Monument, New Orleans, 1913 (removed early morning hours of 17 May 2017) *Tomb of

Josie Arlington Josie Arlington (1864 – February 14, 1914) was a brothel madam in the Storyville district of New Orleans, Louisiana. Early life Arlington was born Mary Deubler in New Orleans to German parents.

, New Orleans, 1914 *Thomas Egleston Monument, Atlanta, 1918 *Tombs of Joseph and Lucca Vaccaro, Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, 1920's *Downman Tomb, Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, 1920

References

Sources

Albert Weiblen biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weiblen, Albert American architects 1857 births 1957 deaths German emigrants to the United States Architects from New Orleans 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists 19th-century American sculptors American male sculptors 19th-century American male artists