Francis Costigan (March 4, 1810 – April 18, 1865) was an

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

architect known primarily for his work in

Madison, Indiana Madison is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Indiana, United States, along the Ohio River. As of the 2010 United States Census its population was 11,967. Over 55,000 people live within of downtown Madison. Madison is the larges ...

and Indianapolis. He worked primarily in the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...

style.

Life and work

Born in 1810 in Washington, D.C., Costigan worked as a carpenter in Baltimore, before settling in Madison, Indiana in 1837. Two of his important Madison commissions are the Lanier Mansion and the Charles Shrewsbury House, both

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

s. His own home in Madison is 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 ...

. He left Madison for Indianapolis in 1851 where he designed residences and public buildings. Notable works included the Institute for the Education of the Blind, the Bates House (1852-3), the Odd Fellows Building (1853), the Gatling Gun Club, the Wallace Residence and the Groves Residence. In 1858, he designed, built and then operated a hotel called the Oriental on the site of what is now the Le Méridien Indianapolis Hotel in downtown Indianapolis. According to historian Wilbur Peat, Costigan was Indiana's "outstanding architect" in the state's formative years. He died in Indianapolis in 1865 and is buried in

Crown Hill Cemetery Crown Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery located at 700 West 38th Street in Indianapolis, Marion County, Indiana. The privately owned cemetery was established in 1863 at Strawberry Hill, whose summit was renamed "The Crown", a high point ...

Notable works

Lanier Mansion.jpg, Lanier Mansion Charles L. Shrewsbury House from southeast.jpg, Charles Shrewsbury House

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Costigan, Francis 1810 births 1865 deaths Architects from Indiana Architects from Indianapolis People from Madison, Indiana Burials at Crown Hill Cemetery 19th-century American architects