Frederic Joseph DeLongchamps (June 2, 1882 – February 11, 1969) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

. He was one of

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

's most prolific architects, yet is notable for entering the architectural profession with no extensive formal training. He has also been known as Frederick J. DeLongchamps, and was described by the latter name in an extensive review of the historic importance of his works which led to many of them being listed on the U.S.

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 ...

in the 1980s.

Life

Early life and education

Born Frederic Joseph DeLonchamps in

Reno, Nevada Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

on January 2, 1882, he was raised in Washoe County, graduating from

Reno High School Reno High School (RHS) is a public secondary school in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is a part of the Washoe County School District. The school's teams are known as the Reno Huskies, and the school colors are red and blue. History Reno High wa ...

in 1900, then the

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant ...

in 1904 with a degree in

mining engineering Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

Career

DeLongchamps was employed as a

mining engineer Mining in the engineering discipline is the extraction of minerals from underneath, open pit, above or on the ground. Mining engineering is associated with many other disciplines, such as mineral processing, exploration, excavation, geology, and ...

and

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman or drafting technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawings or plans for m ...

Inyo County, California Inyo County () is a county in the eastern central part of the U.S. state of California, located between the Sierra Nevada and the state of Nevada. In the 2020 census, the population was 19,016. The county seat is Independence. Inyo County is ...

before he embarked on a career in

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing building ...

. He spent a short time in

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 ...

where he may have apprenticed, but he returned to Nevada in 1907 and formed a partnership with Ira W. Tesch. From 1909 to 1938, DeLongchamps maintained his own firm and became one of Nevada's most prolific architects. He designed both private and public buildings including nine county

courthouse A courthouse or court house is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English-spe ...

s in Nevada and California. He was awarded the contract to design the Nevada Buildings for the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915), winning a silver medal for his work. DeLongchamps was appointed Nevada State Architect in 1919 and was the only person to hold the position, which was abolished in 1926. During this time, he designed many state buildings. In 1939, George L. F. O'Brien joined DeLongchamps in partnership in Reno, and Hewitt Wells added his name to the association in 1962. The architectural firm of DeLongchamps, O'Brien and Wells continued to design buildings, mainly in the Reno area, into the 1960s.

Legacy

DeLongchamps died in Reno, Nevada on February 11, 1969. He was survived by his son, Galen (08 Aug 1916-22 Jul 2001). He was the father-in-law of the noted poet and artist Joanne de Longchamps (that is how she spelled the name), who married DeLongchamps's adopted son Galen. Russell Mills is one who worked as a draftsman for DeLongchamps and went on to have a career as an independent architect.

Works

Many of DeLongchamps' works have been listed on the National Register. His works include: *

Alpine County Courthouse Alpine County Courthouse is a building built in 1928 in Markleeville, California. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. The courthouse was constructed of a light cream colored massive rhyolite tuff which was quarrie ...

, 14777 CA 89, Markleeville, CA, NRHP-listed * Carson City Public Buildings, Carson St.,

Carson City, NV Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...

, NRHP-listed * Douglas County Courthouse, 1616 Eighth St.,

Minden, NV Minden is a census-designated place (CDP) in Douglas County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,001 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Douglas County and is adjacent to the town of Gardnerville. The Douglas campus of the Wes ...

, NRHP-listed * Douglas County High School, 1477 US 395, Gardnerville, NV, NRHP-listed * Douglass-Frey Ranch NRHP 15000796, Churchill County, Nevada * Fallon City Hall, 55 E. Williams Ave., Fallon, NV, NRHP-listed * Farmers Bank of Carson Valley, 1597 Esmeralda Ave.,

, NRHP-listed * Joseph Giraud House, 442 Flint St.,

Reno, NV Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

, NRHP-listed * Humboldt County Courthouse (Nevada), NRHP-listed * I.O.O.F. Building, Mason Valley, 1 S. Main St.,

Yerington, NV Yerington is a city in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 3,048 at the 2010 census. It is the current county seat of Lyon County, with the first county seat having been established at Dayton on November 29, 1861. It is nam ...

, NRHP-listed * Immaculate Conception Church, 590 Pyramid Way, Sparks, NV, NRHP-listed * Lyon County Courthouse, 31 S. Main St.,

, NRHP-listed * MacKay School of Mines Building, University of Nevada, Reno campus,

, NRHP-listed *

Manzanita Hall The Harker School is a private, non-profit school located in San Jose, California. Founded in 1893 as Manzanita Hall, Harker now has three campuses: Bucknall, Union, and Saratoga, named after the streets on which they lie. About The Bucknall ca ...

, University of Nevada, Reno campus,

.University of Nevada, Reno. Facilities Services. Campus Architectural Drawings Collection; AC 0645. University Archives, University Libraries; University of Nevada, Reno. * McCarthy-Platt House, 1000 Plumas St.,

, NRHP-listed * Minden Butter Manufacturing Company, 1617 Water St.,

, NRHP-listed * Minden Inn, 1594 Esmeralda Ave.,

, NRHP-listed * Minden Wool Warehouse, 1615 Railroad Ave.,

, NRHP-listed * Nevada-California-Oregon Railway Passenger Station, 1400 Center St.

Lakeview, OR Lakeview is a town in Lake County, Oregon, United States. The population was 2,418 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Lake County. The city bills itself as the "Tallest Town in Oregon" because of its elevation, above sea level. Lak ...

, NRHP-listed *

Nevada State Capitol The Nevada State Capitol is the capitol building of the U.S. state of Nevada located in the state capital of Carson City at 101 North Carson Street. The building was constructed in the Neoclassical Italianate style between 1869 and 1871. It is li ...

(legislative wings only) *

Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad Depot The Nevada-California-Oregon Railroad Depot was built by the Nevada-California-Oregon Railway (NCO) in 1910 in Reno, Nevada. It is Nevada Historical Marker number 210. It is also listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building to ...

* Mary Lee Nichols School, 400-406 Pyramid Way, Sparks, NV, NRHP-listed * Oats Park Grammar School, 167 E. Park St., Fallon, NV, NRHP-listed * Pershing County Courthouse, 400 Main St., Lovelock, NV, NRHP-listed * Reno National Bank-First Interstate Bank, 204 N. Virginia St.

, NRHP-listed * Riverside Hotel, 17 S. Virginia St.,

, NRHP-listed * US Post Office-Reno Main, 50 S. Virginia St.,

, NRHP-listed * Vachina Apartments-California Apartments, 45 California Ave.,

, NRHP-listed *

Washoe County Courthouse The Washoe County Courthouse, at 117 S. Virginia St. in Reno, Nevada, was built in 1910. It is significant for playing a role in the divorce industry in Nevada during the first half of the 20th century, when divorce was legal in Nevada and liberal ...

, 117 S. Virginia St.

, NRHP-listed * Washoe County Library-Sparks Branch, 814 Victorian St. Sparks, NV, NRHP-listed * Webster School * Whittell Estate, 5000 NV 28

Incline Village, NV Incline Village is a census-designated place (CDP) on the north shore of Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 8,777 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Reno− Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. Until the 2 ...

, NRHP-listed

Awards

*Silver medal,

Panama Pacific International Exposition Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cost ...

, 1915, Nevada Buildings *Distinguished Service Award, University of Nevada, Reno, 1966

References

A Guide to the Frederic J. Delongchamps Architectural Drawings And Papers Collection
, University of Nevada, Reno ;Notes

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delongchamps, Frederic Joseph 1882 births 1969 deaths People from Reno, Nevada Architects from Nevada Reno High School alumni 20th-century American architects