Anton Werner Lignell (November 7, 1867 – February 9, 1954) was a Swedish-speaking Finnish architect known for designing buildings in Butte, Montana; Duluth, Minnesota; and two courthouses in Minnesota. His style tended towards Beaux-Arts as well as

Tudor Revival Tudor Revival architecture (also known as mock Tudor in the UK) first manifested itself in domestic architecture in the United Kingdom in the latter half of the 19th century. Based on revival of aspects that were perceived as Tudor architecture ...

and

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

Biography

Lignell was born to skipper Pehr Anton Lignell and Ingeborg Ahlstedt in

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; fi, Maarianhamina ; la, Portus Mariae) is the capital city, capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finland, Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government of Åland, Government and Parliament of Åland, ...

Åland Åland ( fi, Ahvenanmaa: ; ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland since 1920 by a decision of the League of Nations. It is the smallest region of Finland by area and population, with a size of 1 ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

, in 1867. In his 20s, he emigrated to

Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the ...

. He was a member of White and Lignell (later German and Lignell) – with architect William Pole White in Butte – from 1897 to 1902. They designed St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church, the Hirbour Building (Anaconda Copper Mining Company Employees Club), McKinley School, Thornton Hotel, and other buildings. He also designed over 60 homes in the city. In 1902, he started his own practice, and the following year married Eva Sarah Strasburger (1871–1943). They moved to

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

, where he formed a partnership with Canadian architect

Frederick German Frederick George German (November 9, 1863 – October 13, 1937) was a Canadian-American architect who designed a number of notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota. Biography German was born in Bath, Ontario, on November 9, 1863, and attended ...

. Together the two would design a number of residences in Duluth's

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

mansion district as well as important buildings in the city, including the YMCA building, the YWCA building, the

Duluth Curling Club The Duluth Curling Club (DCC) is a curling club located in Duluth, Minnesota, United States. DCC is the curling club with the second largest membership in the United States. History The Duluth Curling Club was organized in 1891. The original bui ...

building, and Glen Avon Presbyterian Church. They were described by ''The Labor World'' newspaper in 1905 as having "designed and superintended the erection of several of the largest and most important buildings in this city and surrounding cities". Homes Lignell designed in Duluth include a large Flemish-style house at 202 North 24th Avenue East for Swedish immigrants Gust and Hanna Carlson and the

Craftsman-style American Craftsman is an American domestic architectural style, inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement, which included interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts, beginning in the last years of the 19th century. Its ...

William and Margrette Cole residence at 2204 East 1st Street. In 1906, Lignell and German were hired to draw the plans for the school, Villa Sancta Scholastica Academy, and the

motherhouse A motherhouse is the principal house or community for a religious institute. It would normally be where the residence and offices of the religious superior In a hierarchy or tree structure of any kind, a superior is an individual or position at ...

at the College of St. Scholastica. Mother Scholastica Kerst disapproved of the plans due to potential defects in the building's design, and the two architects were fired from the project in 1908; it was taken over by Franklin Ellerbe. Lignell partnered with Clyde Wetmore Kelly beginning in 1909, designing the Cook County Courthouse in

Grand Marais, Minnesota Grand Marais () is a city and the county seat of Cook County, Minnesota, United States, of which it is the only municipality. It is on Lake Superior's North Shore. Grand Marais had a population of 1,337 at the 2020 census. Before it was settled ...

. Together with Robert Loebeck, he designed the

Roseau County Courthouse The Roseau County Courthouse is a historic building located at 216 West Center Street in Roseau, Minnesota, United States; the seat of Roseau County. It was designed by architects Anton Werner Lignell and Robert Loebeck and constructed in 1913. ...

in Roseau, Minnesota, in 1913. Both courthouses are 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 v ...

. Architect Thomas J. Shefchik, designer of the Duluth City Hall, started his architectural career as a draftsman for Lignell and Kelly. Lignell worked as an architect until the late 1930s and later started the Duluth Steam Bath Company. He spent the last years of his life in

Oahu, Hawaii Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O’ ...

, where he died in 1954. At the time of his death, he had four surviving children: Mrs. Charles H. Davis, architect Jack Lignell, magazine artist Lois Lignell, and stenographer Bina Lignell.

Work

With Frederick German

* Clara M. Smith residence (1903) * A. C. Weiss residence (1904) * Glen Avon Presbyterian Church (1905) * Luther Mendenhall houses (1905) * Duluth Yacht Club, Oatka Beach Building (1906) * Marvin Memorial Building (c. 1906) * Freimuth Building (1907) * First Street Department Store (c. 1907) * Donald B. McDonald residence (1908) * Service Motor Company showroom, today Shel/Don (1908) * William and Margrette Cole residence (1908) * YMCA building (1908) * YWCA building (1909) * Duluth Marine Supply Building (1912) * West Duluth Independent Order of Odd Fellows Hall (1911)

With Clyde Wetmore Kelly

* Cook County Courthouse (1911)

With Robert Loebeck

* Roseau County Courthouse (1913)

References