Alfred Faist Rosenheim, F.A.I.A. (June 10, 1859 – September 9, 1943) was an architect born in St. Louis, Missouri and a
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...
. He was one of the leading architects in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in the early part of the 20th century. His major works include the
Hellman Building
The Hellman Building is a historic building in Downtown Los Angeles.
Location
The Hellman Building is located on the corner of Fourth and Spring streets, in the Old Bank District.Sam WattersHellman buildings were inspired by national spirit ''The ...
, the Hamburger Department Store,
Second Church of Christ Scientist and the Eugene W. Britt House.
Education and early career
Rosenheim was born to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
, the son of immigrants from Germany. After attending public schools in St. Louis, he studied in
Frankfurt am Main
Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
from 1872 to 1875. When he returned from Germany, Rosenheim was a student at
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...
from 1876 to 1879. He next attended the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
, from 1879 to 1881.
Rosenheim began his career as a draftsman working for Charles K. Ramsay of Boston from 1881 to 1883. In early 1884, he joined the practice of Major Francis D. Lee, then the leading architect in St. Louis. When Major Lee died in 1885, Rosenheim took over the practice. In 1894, he formed a partnership with T.C. Link and
William B. Ittner that lasted until 1897. From 1897 to 1899, he worked in a partnership with his younger brother, Samuel F. Rosenheim, with Alfred working in Boston and Samuel in St. Louis. During this time, the Rosenheim firm designed Farragut Chambers, a ten-story apartment house in
Washington, D.C.
)
, 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 Morgan, ...
, and various structures in Boston and
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
. In 1899, Rosenheim returned to St. Louis, where he remained until 1903.
[
]
Works
Hellman Building
In 1902, Rosenheim received a commission from Herman W. Hellman to design the Hellman Building
The Hellman Building is a historic building in Downtown Los Angeles.
Location
The Hellman Building is located on the corner of Fourth and Spring streets, in the Old Bank District.Sam WattersHellman buildings were inspired by national spirit ''The ...
, which was to be the largest steel-frame building in Los Angeles. He moved to Los Angeles in February 1903 to personally oversee its construction, which continued until November 1904.[ The impressive eight-story structure located in the heart of the city's new financial district established Rosenheim's reputation in the young city. ''The Architect and Engineer of California'' wrote that the building "universally is considered the finest architectural monument in Los Angeles," built at an unprecedented cost of $1 million.][ The structure was built with a full steel skeleton frame, concrete floors and metal partitions.
]
Hamburger’s
Following his work on the Hellman Building, Rosenheim was hired by A. Hamburger & Sons Co., to design and oversee the construction of their gigantic Hamburger Department Store, a five-story building at the corner of Broadway and Eighth Street. Hamburger’s later became the downtown May Co. Building, [ the largest department store in the ]Western United States
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...
when it opened. Additional commissions followed in Los Angeles, where Rosenheim built his practice and remained for the rest of his life.
Second Church of Christ, Scientist
Another landmark Los Angeles building designed by Rosenheim is the Second Church of Christ, Scientist, a large domed church built in 1907 in the West Adams district.
Other works
He also designed Clune's Broadway Theater, the Majestic Theater (on the east side of Broadway between Sixth and Seventh Streets), the Chapman block (at the southeast corner of Fifth and Los Angeles streets), and the buildings occupied by the Farmers & Merchants Bank and the Security-First National Trust and Savings Bank.[
Rosenheim also designed many palatial homes for the city's wealthy, including a home for ]Edward L. Doheny
Edward Laurence Doheny (; August 10, 1856 – September 8, 1935) was an American oil tycoon who, in 1892, drilled the first successful oil well in the Los Angeles City Oil Field. His success set off a petroleum boom in Southern California, a ...
in Beverly Hills, the Reeves residence in West Adams, the Eugene W. Britt House in West Adams, and the Judson C. Rives mansion in Westchester Place. The brick mansion he designed as his own residence in 1910, located at 1120 Westchester Place, was considered "one of the finest homes in Los Angeles."
Rosenheim's last major commission was the Hollenbeck Junior High School in 1937. The Hollenbeck school was a departure for Rosenheim, considered "modern" by many at the time. Rosenheim was reluctant to acknowledge the school as modern and wrote the following in the April 1939 issue of ''The Architect and Engineer'':"I do not consider the buildings particularly 'modern' although the administration and assembly hall units may possess something akin to the so-called 'contemporary' style. Personally, I do not hesitate to express the fervent hope that 'modernistic' architecture is not a permanent trend. I have a strong feeling that the bulk of modern work we see the country over has very little claim to architectural beauty. In fact I am inclined to doubt whether it can strictly be regarded as architecture. ... But whatever one chooses to call the style of my Hollenbeck School, it seemed to appeal to the Board of Education and its architect."
Arts Commission scandal and later life
Rosenheim became a Fellow of the A.I.A. in 1889 and served as the President of its Southern California chapter. After several years serving as the Secretary of the Los Angeles Municipal Arts Commission, Rosenheim was removed following a widely publicized scandal in 1921. After the commission rejected a proposal by a jeweler to erect an ornamental clock on the sidewalk, Rosenheim offered, for a fee of $250, to prepare drawings that he could "safely guarantee" would be approved by the commission. The Rosenheim-drafted plans were then approved at a special meeting of the commission held in Rosenheim's office on a Saturday morning. Rosenheim insisted he had done nothing improper, but the City Council unanimously voted to remove him, and the local branch of the American Institute of Architects recommended a term of suspension from its ranks.
Rosenheim died of heart disease at California Hospital in 1943 at age 84.[ He was survived by his wife, Ruth.]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosenheim, Alfred
1859 births
1943 deaths
Architects from St. Louis
Architects from Los Angeles
American Jews
American people of German-Jewish descent
Jewish architects