Floyd Orson Wolfenbarger (1904–1979), was an American architect in Kansas. He founded the architectural firm F. O. Wolfenbarger and Associates in 1935, and was part of the architectural firm partnership, Wolfenbarger and McCulley. Wolfenbarger designed several

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

buildings in Manhattan, Kansas.

Biography

Floyd Orson Wolfenbarger was born on November 29, 1904, in

Winkler Winkler may refer to: * Winkler (surname), people with the surname ''Winkler'' or ''Winckler'' * Winkler scale, also known as the heat summation scale for classifying climates * Winkler (crater), a crater on the Moon * 6473 Winkler, an asteroid * ...

, an unincorporated community in Riley County, Kansas. He graduated from

Manhattan High School Manhattan High School is a public high school in Manhattan, Kansas, United States, serving students in grades 9-12. It is part of the Manhattan–Ogden USD 383. For the 2013–2014 school year, Manhattan High had an enrollment of 1,920 students. ...

. He graduated from

Kansas State Agricultural College Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

(now Kansas State University) in Manhattan, Kansas in 1927. With He received a Bemis Foundation grant for work at

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 ...

(MIT), to develop modular units as building materials. He lived in Boston, Massachusetts for 8 years, working at the architecture firm Bigelow, Wadsworth, Hubbard and Smith. In 1934 or 1935, he returned to Manhattan, Kansas to open his own architectural firm F. O. Wolfenbarger and Associates, where he designed hospitals, jails, recreational facilities, businesses and homes. He also worked for the Riley County Better Housing Committee. In 1956, he served on the design team for the

Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is the Presidential library system, presidential library and museum of Dwight D. Eisenhower, Dwight David Eisenhower, the List of presidents of the United States, 34th presi ...

in Abilene, Kansas. Wolfenbarger served as president of the Kansas chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

(AIA) in 1949. He established an architectural firm Wolfenbarger and McCulley in the city of Manhattan, Kansas, a partnership with architect Robert Maxwell McCulley, who continued the firm until 1985, after Wolfenbarger's death. He died on July 18, 1979, in Topeka, Kansas, after a stay in a hospital. The

Kansas Historical Society The Kansas Historical Society is the official state historical society of Kansas. Headquartered in Topeka, it operates as "the trustee of the state" for the purpose of maintaining the state's history and operates the Kansas Museum of History, Kan ...

has a collection of the firm's records.

Work

* Mattie M. Elliot House (, or 1928), at 600 Houston Street, Manhattan,

Riley County, Kansas Riley County (standard abbreviation: RL) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population was 71,959. The largest city and county seat is Manhattan. Riley County is home to two of Kansas's largest employer ...

;

NRHP 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 ...

-listed * Nelson Antrim Crawford House (1938), at 2202 SW Seventeenth Street, Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas;

-listed *Riley County Jail (1940), at Colorado and 6th Streets, Manhattan, Kansas *Riley County Memorial Hospital (1954), at Manhattan, Kansas *

Eisenhower Presidential Library The Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home is the presidential library and museum of Dwight David Eisenhower, the 34th president of the United States (1953–1961), located in his hometown of Abilene, Kansas. The m ...

(1956) in Abilene, Kansas; one of the project architects *

, several buildings including McCain Auditorium (1969), King Hall (1966), Caldwell Hall (1963), and Justin Hall (1960) *Manhattan Country Club, at Manhattan, Kansas *AT&T building at 1640 Fairchild Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas *Arthur-Green office building at 801 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas * Riley County Historical Museum at 2309 Claflin Road, Manhattan, Kansas *Lee Elementary at 701 Lee Street, Manhattan, Kansas

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfenbarger, Floyd Orson 1904 births 1979 deaths 20th-century American architects Architects from Kansas Kansas State University alumni People from Riley County, Kansas

Biography

Work

See also

References