George Rodney Willis (August 11, 1879 – January 22, 1960), was an American architect associated with the

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped ...

and the

Oak Park, Illinois Oak Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, adjacent to Chicago. It is the 29th-most populous municipality in Illinois with a population of 54,583 as of the 2020 U.S. Census estimate. Oak Park was first settled in 1835 and later incorporated ...

studio of

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

who thereafter had a successful career in California and in Texas.

Early life

George Willis was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

, on August 11, 1879, to Byron and Mary (Rodney) Willis. George was the third of four children. His mother was a descendant of

Caesar Rodney Caesar Rodney (October 7, 1728 – June 26, 1784) was an American Founding Father, lawyer, and politician from St. Jones Neck in Dover Hundred, Kent County, Delaware. He was an officer of the Delaware militia during the French and Indian War ...

, who cast

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent ...

's vote for the

Declaration of Independence A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of th ...

.George Rodney Willis, The Handbook of Texas on Line, by Stephanie Hetos Cocke

Education and Architectural Practice in Chicago

Willis attended Chicago public schools and enrolled in the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

in 1899, affiliated with the Armour Institute (now

Illinois Institute of Technology Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...

). In his last year of school Willis began working in the Oak Park, Illinois, studio of architect

, for whom he served as draftsman for four years, rising to the position of head draftsman. During his years with Wright, he worked with draughtsmen and architects who were important practitioners of

architecture, including

Barry Byrne Francis Barry Byrne (December 19, 1883 – December 18, 1967) was a member of the group of architects known as the Prairie School. After the demise of the Prairie School, about 1914 to 1916, Byrne continued as a successful architect by dev ...

William Eugene Drummond William Eugene Drummond (March 28, 1876 – September 13, 1948) was a Chicago Prairie School architect. Early years and education He was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of carpenter and cabinet maker Eugene Drummond and his wife Ida Marietta ...

, Marion Mahony,

Isabel Roberts Isabel Roberts (March 1871 – December 27, 1955) was a Prairie School figure, member of the architectural design team in the Oak Park Studio of Frank Lloyd Wright and partner with Ida Annah Ryan in the Orlando, Florida architecture firm, "R ...

and

Walter Burley Griffin Walter Burley Griffin (November 24, 1876February 11, 1937) was an American architect and landscape architect. He is known for designing Canberra, Australia's capital city and the New South Wales towns of Griffith and Leeton. He has been cr ...

. As Wright's son John Lloyd Wright recorded:

William Drummond, Francis Barry Byrne, Walter Burley Griffin, Albert McArthur, Marion Mahony, Isabel Roberts and George Willis were the draftsmen. Five men, two women. They wore flowing ties, and smocks suitable to the realm. The men wore their hair like Papa, all except Albert, he didn't have enough hair ... I know that each one of them was then making valuable contributions to the pioneering of the modern American architecture for which my father gets the full glory, headaches and recognition today!

Architecture Practice in Texas

Willis moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1904 and worked for

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

. Projects on the boards during the time that Willis worked with Hunt and his partner

Elmer Grey Elmer Grey, FAIA (April 29, 1872 – November 14, 1963) was an American architect and artist based in Pasadena, California. Grey designed many noted landmarks in Southern California, including the Beverly Hills Hotel, the Huntington Art Gall ...

include:the Edith Daniels House, in Aradia, CA (1904), the Livingston Jenks House, San Rafael, CA (1904), the Astronomer's House (aka The Monastery) and other buildings, at the

Mount Wilson Observatory The Mount Wilson Observatory (MWO) is an astronomical observatory in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The MWO is located on Mount Wilson, a peak in the San Gabriel Mountains near Pasadena, northeast of Los Angeles. The observat ...

, Mount Wilson, CA (1904), the Thomas H. Foote House, East Colorado Street, Pasadena, CA (1905), and the J.W. Gillespie House, in Montecito, CA. Then, Willis moved to

Dallas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

, and formed a partnership with Stewart Moore in 1906. From 1907 to 1909 he worked with J. Edward Overbeck in a practice known as Overbeck and Willis. They collaborated on the expansive J. T. Trezevant House along Turtle Creek of 1907, providing Dallas with one of the two most imposing Prairie houses in Texas. In 1910 Willis was practicing alone in Dallas.

Work in San Antonio

In 1911, he moved to

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

and was employed by Atlee B. Ayres until 1916, where he produced

Prairie Style Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped ...

homes for Frank Winerich (1913) and Lonnie Wright (1914-1917). Thereafter he formed his own architectural practice. Among Willis' San Antonio works are the Lawrence T. Wright house (1914-1917), houses in Alamo Heights and Monte Vista, and a grouping of four small apartments at the corner of Bandera Road and E. Skyview, providing fine Texas example of

architecture. In 1928 he designed the Milam Building. It was the first office building in the United States with built in air conditioning when constructed and the tallest

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

and

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete (RC), also called reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and ferroconcrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low ultimate tensile strength, tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion ...

structure in the United States when it opened. It was also the first high-rise air-conditioned

office building An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific ...

in the United States The air-conditioning design team was led by Willis H. Carrier, founder of the Carrier Engineering Corporation. Architect Willis also designed or had input in a series of San Antonio landmarks: Builders' Exchange Building;

Bexar County Courthouse The Bexar County Courthouse is a historic building in downtown San Antonio, Texas, USA. The building was designed by architect J. Riely Gordon, and borders Main Plaza, along with such other architectural landmarks as the Cathedral of San Ferna ...

;

San Antonio Municipal Auditorium The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was a building located at 100 Auditorium Circle, San Antonio, Texas. It was built as a memorial to American soldiers killed in World War I. The San Antonio Municipal Auditorium was also used as a concert venu ...

(1926); San Antonio Country Club (ca 1920) original building (with Atlee B. Ayres);

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia * Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, M ...

(1923); Standard Sanitary Manufacturing Warehouse and Office Building (1923); and

El Conquistador Tourist Hotel EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American po ...

(1927); and Brackenridge Park Amphitheater.

Personal life

Willis met his future wife, Louise Scott, about 1918 in San Antonio. They had no children. Willis was a member of the West Texas chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He maintained his office in the Smith-Young Tower until his death on January 22, 1960.

Architectural Work - Partial Listing

* J. T. Trezevant House, 2925 Cedar Springs Road (along Turtle Creek), Dallas, TX - 1907 (with J. Edward Overbeck) *

Jim Wells County Jim Wells County is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 38,891. The county was founded in 1911 and is named for James B. Wells, Jr. (1850-1923), for three decades a judge and Democratic Party poli ...

Courthouse, Alice TX – 1912 (with Atlee Ayres) * Cameron County Courthouse, Brownsville, TX – 1912 (with Atlee Ayres) * Lawrence T. Wright Residence, 342 Wilkins Avenue,

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, TX - 1912-1917 (with Atlee Ayres) * Williams-Tarbutton Residence, 626 Lindsey Street, San Marcos, TX – 1912-1914 * Frank Winerich House (later, John J. Kuntz House I), 118 Kings Highway, Monte Vista, San Antonio, TX, 1913 * Robert N. Martindale House, 108 West Kings Highway, San Antonio, TX, 1914 (with Atlee Ayres) * Marshall Terrell House, 213 west agarita, San Antonio, TX, 1914 (with Atlee Ayres) * L. E. Cartwright House, Uvalde, TX, 1914 (with Atlee Ayres) * Graham Hamilton House, 980 Terrell Street, Cuero, TX, 1915 (with Atlee Ayres) * Alexander Hamilton House, 906 North Esplanade, Cuero, TX, 1915 (with Atlee Ayres) * Charles M. Cain House, 320 Brahan Blvd., Westfort, San Antonio, TX, 1915 (with Atlee Ayres) * J. A. Browne House, Brownsville, TX, 1916 (with Atlee Ayres) * Refugio County Courthouse, 808 Commerce Street, Refugio, TX – 1917 (with Atlee Ayres) * Dr. Lenma Young Residence, 828 Cambridge Oval, Alamo Heights, San Antonio, TX – c. 1918 * R. B. Cherry House, 218 Huisache Avenue, San Antonio, TX, 1918 * John T. Simmons House, 311 Breeden Street, San Antonio, TX, 1919 * John J. Kuntz House II, 602 Garraty Road, Terrell Hills, San Antonio, TX, 1920 * T. and Maria Apostolon, 900 W. Woodlawn Ave., San Antonio, TX, 1920 * Melrose W. Holmgreen House 306 Terrell Road, San Antonio, TX, 1920 * San Antonio Country Club, 4100 N New Braunfels Avenue, San Antonio, TX, 1920 (demolished) * Builders Exchange Building, 152 Pecan Street, San Antonio, TX, 1925 (with Emmett T. Jackson) * Bexar County Courthouse, between W. Nueva St. and Main Plaza, Dwyer and S. Main Aves., San Antonio, TX, (second unit, with E. T. Jackson) * San Antonio Municipal Auditorium, 200 East Market Street, San Antonio, TX, 1926 (with Atlee Ayres, Robert M. Ayers and Emmett T. Jackson) * Milam Building, 115 East Travis Street, San Antonio, TX - 1928 * The Sunken Garden Theater, 3875 N. St. Mary's St., San Antonio, TX, 1937 (with Harvey P. Smith and Charles T. Boelhauwe) * Mac's Flowers Building, 2806 North Saint Marys Street, San Antonio, TX * Four Small Apartments, Bandera Road and E. Skyview, San Antonio, TX

References

External links

George Rodney Willis at the Handbook of Texas Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, George Rodney 1879 births 1960 deaths Illinois Institute of Technology alumni Architects from Chicago Architects from Texas Architects from San Antonio 20th-century American architects