George Caleb Wright,

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected ed ...

, (April 25, 1889 – February 27, 1973) was an American architect from

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 ...

. He was a partner in the

Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...

, architectural firms of

Pierre & Wright Pierre and Wright was an architectural firm in Indianapolis, Indiana in the United States. It was established in 1925 by partners Edward D. Pierre, AIA (1890–1971) and George Caleb Wright, AIA, (1889–1973). It was one of the predecessor firms ...

Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager was an architectural firm active in mid-twentieth-century Indiana. The firm was organized in 1946 as a partnership between the surviving partners of three Indiana firms: Kurt Vonnegut Sr. (1884–1957) of Vonnegut, ...

(formed 1946),"Questionnaire for Architects' Roster and/or Register of Architects Qualified for Federal Public Works June 13, 1946. and Wright, Porteous & Lowe, and was later chief building inspector for the City of Indianapolis.

Early life and education

Wright was born April 25, 1889, in

Libertyville, Illinois Libertyville is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a northern suburb of Chicago. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2020 census population was 20,579. It is part of Libertyville Township, Lake ...

, where he attended his education until the high school level. He then attended the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

from 1908 to 1912, earning a degree in architecture and engineering.

Early career

He worked for the

International Harvester Company The International Harvester Company (often abbreviated by IHC, IH, or simply International ( colloq.)) was an American manufacturer of agricultural and construction equipment, automobiles, commercial trucks, lawn and garden products, household e ...

from 1912 to 1915, George C. Nimmons & Co. from 1915 to 1923, and Herbert Foltz from 1923 to 1925 until he formed Pierre & Wright. In addition, he was a construction supervisor during World War I for the army. He relocated to

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

from Chicago in 1923.

Pierre & Wright (1925–1944)

Pierre & Wright, formed 1925, was responsible for many landmarks in Indianapolis and greater Indiana, and a number have been 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 ...

. Th
Pierre & Wright Architectural Records Collection
is located at Ball State University Libraries' Drawings + Documents Archive, Muncie, Ind.

Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager

In 1946, Wright formed a new firm with Kurt Vonnegut, Sr., called Vonnegut & Wright. After Yeager joined the firm it became Vonnegut, Wright and Yeager, then Wright, Porteous & Lowe, and then Wright, Porteous & Lowe/Bonar.

Wright, Porteous & Lowe

Following Kurt Vonnegut Sr.'s death in 1957, he left Vonnegut, Wright & Yeager and was senior partner in the firm Wright, Porteous & Lowe. His son, William Caleb Wright, was also a partner in that firm. From 1963 to 1969, he was chief building inspector for the City of Indianapolis.

Professional organizations

He was a registered architect in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois and president of the Indiana Society of Architects and the Indiana Chapter of the AIA. In addition, he was a member of the board of the Indianapolis Construction League, Vice-Chairman of the Policy Committee, Indiana Construction Industry, member of the Mayor's Special Committee on Housing, etc.

Works by Pierre & Wright Architects

Indiana State Library and Historical Building The Indiana State Library and Historical Bureau is a public library building, located in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is the largest public library in the state of Indiana, housing over 60,000 manuscripts. Established in 1934, the library has gather ...

*Milo Stuart Memorial Building,

Arsenal Technical High School Arsenal Technical High School, commonly referred to as Tech or Arsenal Tech, is a public high school in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which is run by the Indianapolis Public Schools district. The school is located on a , multiple buildin ...

(Indianapolis, Indiana)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, George Caleb 1889 births Architects from Indianapolis People from Libertyville, Illinois Art Deco architects University of Illinois alumni Beaux Arts architects 1973 deaths