David Riebel (August 7, 1855 – July 29, 1935) was a German-American architect in

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, and t ...

. He was the head architect for the Columbus public school district from 1893 to 1922. In 1915, ''The Ohio Architect, Engineer and Builder'' considered his firm, David Riebel & Sons, to be the oldest and among the best architects in Columbus.

Early life and career

David Riebel was born on August 7, 1855 in

Blenheim, Ontario Blenheim ( 2021 population 4,487) is a community located in south-central Chatham-Kent, Ontario, Canada. History By 1783, there were French settlers in Detroit and Windsor. There were also settlers in the Niagara and Kingston region, bu ...

. He was married in Bosanquet Township on November 3, 1875. At the time, he was described as a carpenter. With his wife, Margaret Ann Clemens, by 1895 he had four children: Laura, Elroy, Frederick, and Mary Edna. Riebel began practicing architecture around 1878. His first major commissions were in

Forest, Ontario Forest is a community in Lambton Shores, Ontario, Canada, near Sarnia and Lake Huron in Lambton County. It has a population of 2,876 (2011 Census) and a land area of . Community Forest's high school, North Lambton Secondary School. This fac ...

: its town hall (built 1883-84, demolished in 1982) and the Second Empire-style mansion of Dr. James Hutton (built in 1887 and demolished in 1935). Riebel moved with his family to

in February 1888 to open up a new architectural office. He became the first head of the architectural department of the Columbus Board of Education (the lead architect for

Columbus City Schools Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city (portions of the city are served by suburban school districts). The district has 46,6 ...

in 1893. In that position, Riebel designed about 40 Columbus public school buildings between 1891 and 1921; the remaining buildings are some of Columbus's most notable landmarks. His two sons joined him in designing buildings in 1904, after thorough training, giving the firm the name "David Riebel & Sons". Riebel continued in the position until 1922. For a time, Riebel had his offices in the William J. Lhota Building, originally known as the New First National Bank Building. David Riebel died on July 29, 1935. He is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery.

Works

Former Starling Middle School in Franklinton-crop

Ohio-Columbus-Budd Dairy Food Hall-2021-04-06-012

Riebel was involved in the design of several Columbus buildings: * Beck Street School (1884) * Livingston Elementary School (1890) * Medary Avenue Elementary School (1892) * The Felton School (1893) * The Ohio Street School / Ohio Avenue Elementary School (1893) * Avondale Elementary School (1894) * The

Great Southern Hotel & Theatre The Great Southern Hotel & Theatre is an historic hotel and theater building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building currently operates as the Westin Great Southern Columbus and the Southern Theatre. It opened on September 21, 1896 and is the ol ...

(1894) * Southwood Elementary School (1894) * Hubbard Avenue School / Hubbard Mastery School (1894) * The

Schlee-Kemmler Building The Schlee-Kemmler Building is a historic building in Downtown Columbus, Ohio. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 and the Columbus Register of Historic Properties in 1983. It was also included in the South ...

(1895) * Chicago Avenue School (1897) * South High School / the Charles S. Barrett Building (1900) * Bellows Avenue Elementary School (1905)https://www.dot.state.oh.us/projects/7071/environmental/Documents/Appendix%20H/Cultural%20Resources/77369_Phase%20I%20HASR%2070-71_%20022006.pdf * West High School / Starling Middle School (1908) * Indianola Junior High School /

Graham Elementary and Middle School Graham Elementary and Middle School (formerly Graham Expeditionary Middle School and Graham Primary School) is a public K-8 charter school in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally the Indianola Junior High School, the first junior high school in the U ...

(1909) * The Reeb Avenue Center (1909) * Champion Elementary School (1909) * West Broad Street School / West Broad Elementary School (1910) * Heyl Elementary School (1910) * The Stoddart Block (1911) * Holy Family School (1913) * Crestview School / Indianola Informal K-8 School (1915) * Studer Avenue School / Roosevelt Junior High School (1916) * Budd Dairy Company (1917) *

The Seneca Hotel The Seneca, formerly known as The Seneca Hotel, is a 10-story apartment complex and former hotel in the Discovery District (Columbus, Ohio), Discovery District of downtown Columbus, Ohio. The brick building was designed by architects Frank Packard ...

(1917) Works in other areas included: * Town Hall (Forest, Ontario, 1883-4) * Dr. James Hutton mansion (Forest, Ontario, 1887) * St. Mary's School (Lancaster, Ohio, 1910) * First Church of Christ Scientist (Lancaster, Ohio, 1921)

References

External links

* {{portal bar, Architecture, Biography, Ohio, Schools Architects from Columbus, Ohio 1855 births 1935 deaths People from Lambton County Burials at Green Lawn Cemetery (Columbus, Ohio)

Early life and career

Works

See also

References

External links