The Beezer Brothers were American architects active from the late 19th-century to the

great depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. They were twins, who practiced together in western

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

before moving to

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

in 1907 to participate in the city's rapid growth brought on by the Klondike Gold Rush. They designed homes and municipal buildings, but are best known for the many Catholic churches they designed. Their work on the west coast, while concentrated in Seattle, can be found from

Los Angeles 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' ...

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, and inland to Montana. At least one church and two buildings are individually 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 ...

, and several other buildings are

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

to several different National Historic Districts.

Background

Louis Beezer and Michael J. Beezer were born July 6, 1869, in

Bellefonte, Pennsylvania Bellefonte is a borough in, and the county seat of, Centre County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is approximately twelve miles northeast of State College and is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The boro ...

, to Joseph and Catherine Beezer. Their father was a German immigrant. Louis worked in construction and had become a

foreman __NOTOC__ A foreman, forewoman or foreperson is a supervisor, often in a manual trade or industry. Foreman may specifically refer to: *Construction foreman, the worker or tradesman who is in charge of a construction crew * Jury foreman, a head j ...

in Altoona by age 21. He studied architecture for a few years in Pittsburgh before returning to Altoona where he and Michael started their partnership in 1892 and practiced there for seven years until moving to Pittsburgh in 1900. where they designed homes and churches for the next seven years. Between 1900 and 1906, they designed five brick commercial buildings in western Pennsylvania. Each included elaborate

terra-cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta i ...

ornamentation on the top story and cornice. The first floor of all but one was made entirely of limestone. These building included a fireproof flooring system that the Beezer's had patented. The system replaced steel, which twisted and collapsed in the extreme heat of a fire, with hollow clay tiles to support the floors. Although these building were similar, the Beezers were known to design each project uniquely. The pair frequently acted as

construction manager Construction management (CM) is a professional service that uses specialized, project management techniques and software to oversee the planning, design, construction and closeout of a project. The purpose of Construction management is to control ...

s in addition to architects on their projects where they oversaw daily, on-site, work activities, work that is usually performed by construction firms. They also designed homes and churches in Pittsburgh before closing the office and relocating to

, in 1907. The city was experiencing tremendous growth at the time. While Seattle was their base, projects were located from

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, to

. In 1923, Louis opened a branch office in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. The office closed six years later upon his death in 1929. Michael stayed in Seattle and ran that office until he retired in 1932, but did little noteworthy after Louis left. In addition to homes, commercial buildings, churches, a

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

terminal, they also designed at least six banks. Michael was reported to be honored at a 1912 opening of a bank he designed in

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

by being allowed to make the first deposit.

Personal life

Michael was married to Emman Renaut, with whom he had one child, Ross J. Beezer. Louse was married to Annie M. Beezer (née Cole). They had three children, Harold, Raymond, and Mary.

Pennsylvania projects

* Louis Beezer House (1895), Altoona (see HABS
Beezer, Louis, House (1895)
* Michael C. Beezer House (1895), Altoona * St. John Gualbert Cathedral 117 Clinton St,

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropol ...

(1895). A local landmark and significant early building in the brother's careers, the building used structural steel allowing for thinner walls of decorative

terra cotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terracotta ...

. The church is long and high with a corner tower. The tower is patterned after the tenth century Campanile of San Marco in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

, Italy, which collapsed in 1902, making this tower older than the more famous reconstruction in Italy. The interior of the church has fluted pilasters with Corinthian capitals, arched windows and a coved and coffered ceiling. * Llyswen Station 2185 Logan Blvd, Altoona (1895-1896), A station on the

Altoona and Logan Valley Electric Railway Altoona, a variant of "Altona", may refer to: Places * Altoona, Alabama * Altoona, Florida *Altoona, Iowa * Altoona, Kansas * Altoona, Ohio *Altoona, Pennsylvania *Altoona, Washington *Altoona, Wisconsin Altoona is a city in Eau Claire County, W ...

a six-mile line between Altoona and Hollidaysburg that was completed in 1892. The station is made with river rock and the upper story has a distinctive pyramidal tower. *

Pennsylvania National Bank Building The Pennsylvania National Bank Building is a historic building in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is located on a prominent site facing Doughboy Square, the acute intersection of Butler Street and Penn Avenue which ...

(c. 1900), 3480 Butler St, Pittsburgh ( Beaus-Arts) * Saint John the Baptist Church (now Church Brew Works), Pittsburgh * Clearfield County National Bank and Dimeling Hotel (1904) W. Market and N. 2nd sts. NW,

Clearfield, Pennsylvania Clearfield is a borough and the county seat of Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,962 people, making it the second most populous community in Clearfield County, behind DuBois. The borough ...

. The stone first floor with arched windows is followed by upper floors of red brick, with contrasting three-sided bay windows. This bank has a rare plaque denoting the firm. *First National Bank of Tyrone (demolished). *The home of

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

(six terms)

George Franklin Huff George Franklin Huff (July 16, 1842 – April 18, 1912) was a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania. Biography George F. Huff was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania. He attended the public schools in Middle ...

Greensburg, Pennsylvania Greensburg is a city in and the county seat of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, and a part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The city lies within the Laurel Highlands and the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau (ecoregion), W ...

*The home of Lloyd B. Huff, Greensburg *The home of William Augustus Huff, Greensburg *The summer mansion of William Thaw Jr., son of the railroad magnate William Thaw Sr., in

Loretto, Pennsylvania Loretto is a borough in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, Cambria County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States census, 2010 census it had a population of 1,302. Like the rest of Cambria County, it is part of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania Metropoli ...

(1897-1902) The 20-room

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 ...

house, "Elmhurst", on cost $150,000 *Several of their projects are

of the Llyswen Historic District and the

Broad Avenue Historic District Broad Avenue Historic District is a national Historic district (United States), historic district located at Altoona, Pennsylvania, Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania. The district includes 140 contributing buildings in a residential area of Al ...

on the

Seattle projects

Early Seattle projects included: *

Colman Dock Colman Dock, also called Pier 52, is the primary ferry terminal in Seattle, Washington, United States. The original pier is no longer in existence, but the terminal, now used by the Washington State Ferry system, is still called "Colman Dock". ...

(1908–1909), the new steamship terminal *The Oliver D. Fisher house (1908–1909) on southwest Capitol Hill *The Homer L. Hillman house (1908–1909) on southwest Capitol Hill *The Leary Building (later the Insurance Building, 1906–1910, destroyed) downtown Seattle *An apartment building for Mr. and Mrs. John B. Beltinck (1908–1909) located at 319 16th Avenue Many significant projects (churches, rectories, and schools) were for the Seattle Roman Catholic diocese, including: *The Immaculate Conception School (1909–1910) at 810 18th Avenue *The Blessed Sacrament Church (1909-1911, 1922–1925) at 5049 9th Avenue NE *The Immaculate Conception rectory (1910–1914) at 820 18th Avenue *The Cathedral School (1911–1912) at 803 Terry Avenue; Our Lady of Mount Virgin Church (1915) at 1531 Bradner Place S *The Society of Jesus rectory (1919–1921) at 730 18th Avenue E *Saint Joseph School (1922–1923) at 720 18th Avenue

Other projects (Seattle office)

* American Veterans Building-Hoquiam, 307 7th St

Hoquiam, Washington Hoquiam ( ) is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It borders the city of Aberdeen at Myrtle Street, with Hoquiam to the west. The two cities share a common economic history in lumbering and exporting, but Hoquiam has mainta ...

, listed on the NRHP * O'Kane Building, 115 NW Oregon Ave.

Bend, Oregon Bend is a city in and the county seat of Deschutes County, Oregon, United States. It is the principal city of the Bend Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bend is Central Oregon's largest city, with a population of 99,178 at the time of the 2020 U.S ...

, listed on the NRHP *

Baker Boyer Bank Baker Boyer National Bank is a Walla Walla, Washington based financial institution. It opened in 1869, making it the first bank in what would become the State of Washington. It was the first Walla Walla bank to open a branch office. Bank CEO Mar ...

, (c. 1910),

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

, considered the city's first

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...

*Saint Mary Hospital (1909–1916),

* Larabie Brothers Bank, (1912),

Deer Lodge, Montana Deer Lodge is a city in and the county seat of Powell County, Montana, Powell County, Montana, United States. The population was 2,938 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Description The city is perhaps best known as the home of t ...

(Michael J. Beezer) *First Presbyterian Church, Deer Lodge, Montana (apparently also known as

Mary Ann Larabee Memorial Presbyterian Church Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

). *St. Josephs Hospital, Deer Lodge, Montana *Bishop Edward J. O'Dea, High School. 802 Terry Lane, Seattle (1923–1924) (Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Seattle), a significant, extant example of the

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 ...

style in Seattle. * First National Bank of Walla Walla, considered their "bank masterpiece"

Other projects (San Francisco office)

*The Saint Dominic Catholic Church (1923–1929) * Church of the Blessed Sacrament (1926–1929) in Hollywood, California, together with architect Thomas Franklin Powers, which has also been known as "Church of the Stars". This

Italian Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

church, with a 223-foot

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

, has interior design based on those of the

Basilica di San Clemente The Basilica of Saint Clement ( it, Basilica di San Clemente al Laterano) is a Latin Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Pope Clement I located in Rome, Italy. Archaeologically speaking, the structure is a three-tiered complex of buildings: (1) ...

and the

Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls The Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls ( it, Basilica Papale di San Paolo fuori le Mura), commonly known as Saint Paul's Outside the Walls, is one of Rome's four major papal basilicas, along with the basilicas of Saint John in the ...

, both in Rome. "The church speaks of Hollywood's

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...

. The subsequent construction of additional Catholic churches in the area has provided some competition for the moniker “Church of the Stars.” It was claimed to be the second largest church on the West Coast when it opened.

Publications

*''Architecture, Practical and Theoretical'' (1894) *A collection of designs for "Residences, Business and Public Buildings" (1899)

References

{{reflist, refs= {{cite web , last1=MacIntosh , first1=Heather M. , title=Beezer Brothers Architecture , url=https://www.historylink.org/file/122 , website=historylink.org , access-date=December 6, 2022 , date=October 28, 1998 {{cite thesis , last1=Wilcox , first1=Ralph S. , title=Jeepers, creepers! how 'bout them Beezers? : the history of the Beezer Brothers architecture firm, 1892-1932 , publisher=Ball State University , date=1997 {{cite book , author = Beezer Brothers, date = 1894 , title = Architecture - Practical and Theoretical, Containing Designs for Residences, Business and Public Buildings, Together with Several Interesting and Instructive Articles Pertaining to Architecture and Building Materials , publisher = Beezer Bros. , pages = , oclc = , url = https://digitalarchives.powerlibrary.org/papd/islandora/object/papd%3Apalap-apt_181?overlay_query=RELS_EXT_isMemberOfCollection_uri_ms%3A%22info%3Afedora/papd%3Apalap-apt%22#page/2/mode/2up {{cite book , author = Beezer Brothes , date = 1899 , title = Catalog of Beezer Brothers, Architects, Altoona, Pennsylvania: Containing Designs for Residences, Business and Public Buildings , publisher = Beezer Bros. , pages = , oclc = 11272575 , url = https://books.google.com/books?id=0BbNHAAACAAJ {{cite web , title=Clearfield County National Bank and Dimeling Hotel , url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-CF2 , website=sah-archipedia.org , access-date=December 6, 2022 {{cite web , title=H. Dean Allison Insurance Agency (Llyswen Station) , url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-BL21, website=sah-archipedia.org , access-date=December 6, 2022 {{cite web , title=St. John Gualbert Cathedral , url=https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-01-CA18 , access-date=December 6, 2022 {{cite , title=City of Pittsburgh Historic Landmark Nomination, Former Pennsylvania National Bank Building , date=August 2019 , url=https://apps.pittsburghpa.gov/redtail/images/8188_PNB_full_nominaton.pdf , publisher = Preservation Pittsburg, access-date=December 6, 2022 {{cite web, url=https://dsc.duq.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1088&context=gf , title=Portraits of Catholics with Western Pennsylvania Connections: The Famous, the Forgotten, and the Unknown , author=John C. Bates, journal=Gathered Fragments , date=Fall 2018 , pages=69–83 , publisher=The Catholic Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Diocese of Pittsburgh {{cite web , title=Beezer Brothers, Architects (Partnership) , url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/firm/1641/ , website=Pacific Coast Architecture Database , access-date=December 6, 2022 {{cite web , title = Larabee, Mary Ann, Memorial Presbyterian Church, Deer Lodge, MT , url=https://pcad.lib.washington.edu/building/8772/ , website=Pacific Coast Architecture Database , access-date=December 6, 2022 {{cite web, url={{NRHP url, id=08000767, title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Deer Lodge Central Business Historic District / 24PW0843 - 24PW0897, District SITS# 24PW0898 , publisher=

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

, author=Dagny Krigbaum , date=November 2007 , access-date=December 7, 2022 With {{NRHP url, id=08000767, photos=y, title=accompanying 12 photos from 2007 {{cite web, url={{NRHP url, id=84003479, title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Priory, and School , publisher=

, author=Padraic Burke , author2=Mark L. Brack , date=June 1983 , access-date=December 7, 2022 With {{NRHP url, id=84003479, photos=y, title=accompanying eight photos from 1983 Michael J. Beezer, Washington, U.S., Select Death Index, 1907-1960 1900 US Census, Pennsylvania, Allegheny, Pittsburgh Ward 19, District 0222 Pennsylvania, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1845–1963

External links

A more complete list of Beezer brothers' projects appear in "Beezer Brothers, Architects (Partnership)"
at the

Pacific Coast Architecture Database The University of Washington (UW, simply Washington, or informally U-Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1861, Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast; it was established in Seattle a ...

(PCAD).
An overview of the Beezer brothers’ work on the West Coast
Heather M. MacIntosh, "Beezer Brothers Architecture Firm (1907-1923)" American architects Architects from Pennsylvania Architects from Washington (state) 1869 births 1929 deaths 1933 deaths People from Bellefonte, Pennsylvania