John Virginius Bennes (August 23, 1867 – November 29, 1943) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

architect who designed numerous buildings throughout the state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, particularly in

Baker City Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward Dickinson Baker, Edward D. Baker, the only United States Senate, U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The p ...

and

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. In Baker City he did an extensive redesign of the

Geiser Grand Hotel The Geiser Grand Hotel is a historic hotel in Baker City, Oregon, that opened in 1889. It received a restoration and reopened in 1993 after closing in 1968. Decorations include mahogany columns up to a high ceiling, Victorian-style chandeliers, an ...

, designed several homes, and a now-demolished Elks building. He moved to Portland in 1907 and continued practicing there until 1942. Bennes designed numerous projects in the Portland area, as well as in Corvallis,

Prineville Prineville is a city in and the seat of Crook County, Oregon, United States. It was named for the first merchant located in the present location, Barney Prine. The population was 9,253 at the 2010 census. History Prineville was founded in 187 ...

, and other areas of Oregon. He and his firms produced the designs for at least 20 buildings that are 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 ...

(NRHP). His work includes the design of more than 35 buildings on the

Oregon State University Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering co ...

campus in Corvallis, as well as plans for 12 other building additions and renovations. He also designed the administration building at

Eastern Oregon University Eastern Oregon University (EOU) (officially designated as Oregon’s Rural University) is a public university in La Grande, Oregon. It was formerly part of the Oregon University System, since dissolved. EOU was founded in 1929 as a teacher’ ...

. Bennes is also credited with design work on the Hollywood Theatre in Portland and the

Liberty Theatre The Liberty Theatre is a former Broadway theater at 234 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1904, the theater was designed by Herts & Tallant and built for Klaw and Erlanger, the partnership ...

in Astoria. He worked with Harry A. Herzog on some of the theaters, and Albert Mercier and

Lee Arden Thomas Lee Arden Thomas (1886–1953) was an architect in Bend and Portland, Oregon, United States. He graduated in 1907 from Oregon State University.George P. Edmonston JrUp Close and Personal: Campus TourOregon State University Alumni Association He ...

have also been credited as collaborators on some of them.

Early life

Bennes was born in

Peru, Illinois Peru is a city in LaSalle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 9,896 at the 2020 census, down from 10,295 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Ottawa, IL Micropolitan Statistical Area. Peru and its twin city, LaSalle, make up ...

on August 23, 1867, to

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immigrants Jan

Beneš Beneš (feminine Benešová) is a common Czech and Slovak surname. The surname was derived from the shortened Czech form of the given name Benedict (Latin name of meaning "blessed", see also the surname Benedict). In the old Czech orthography the ...

and Petronila Hlaváčková, raised in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. He was purportedly a cousin of Czechoslovakian President Edvard Beneš though their surname is extremely common. He studied at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

and spent a year abroad at the School of Fine Arts at

Prague University ) , image_name = Carolinum_Logo.svg , image_size = 200px , established = , type = Public, Ancient , budget = 8.9 billion CZK , rector = Milena Králíčková , faculty = 4,057 , administrative_staff = 4,026 , students = 51,438 , underg ...

, graduating with a degree in architecture in 1890. After graduating from college, Bennes relocated from Chicago to

Baker City, Oregon Baker City is a city in and the county seat of Baker County, Oregon, United States. It was named after Edward D. Baker, the only U.S. Senator ever killed in military combat. The population was 10,099 at the time of the 2020 census. History Pl ...

around 1900, where he invested in the region's gold mines. On July 1, 1900, he married Annice Smalley; born December 4, 1876).

Career

After relocating to Baker City, Bennes began his career in architecture, redesigning the

, as well as designing the Elks Building and several residences. He relocated to

in 1906 and partnered with architects Eric W. Hendricks and Willard F. Tobey.

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also joined the firm. Bennes was a member of the Oregon 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 ...

, serving as vice president 1920-21 and as the chapter president in 1922. Bennes practiced on his own from 1914 to 1926. Then he partnered with Harry A. Herzog until 1931 and the onset of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, when he returned to solo practice. His design for Eastern Oregon University's Inlow Hall was a

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...

-style building that serves as an administration building, housing the admissions, registrar's, financial aid, student affairs and president's offices. Bennes designed several Portland hotels, including the Broadway Hotel, the Hamilton Hotel, the Treves Hotel and the Cornelius Hotel. The Cornelius has been unoccupied since the 1980s, but has been the subject of various restoration plans, most recently in February 2015. Bennes was a contemporary 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 ...

and is said to have been "a product of the Chicago school of architecture."

Later life and death

Bennes relocated from Portland to

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, in 1943 after a bout of unnamed illness, where he died the same year.Oregon State University Historic District
section 8, page 22 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service Some of his plans and drawings are held in the Cachot Therkelsen Collection with the University of Oregon Libraries.

Projects

Former Cornelius Hotel in 2014 - Portland, Oregon

Hollywood Theatre, Portland, Oregon (2014) - 2

Inlow Hall (Union County, Oregon scenic images) (uniDB0432)

* John Virginius and Annice Bennes House (1911),

(NRHP) *

(1900 remodel),

(NRHP contributing to the Baker Historic District) * Gray's West & Co. Pioneer Chapel (1910), Baker City, (NRHP contributing to the Baker Historic District as the Charles A. Johns House) *

Hot Lake Hotel Hot Lake Hotel (also known as Hot Lake Resort) is a historic Colonial Revival hotel originally built in 1864 in Hot Lake, Union County, Oregon, United States. The hotel received its namesake from the thermal spring lakes on the property, and op ...

(1906), La Grande (NRHP) *

buildings (1907–1941), part of the Oregon State University Historic District, Corvallis (NRHP) **Agricultural Hall, now Strand Agricultural Hall (1909–1913) **Bexell Hall (1922) **

Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...

and Alpha Gamma sororities (1930 and 1928) (Bennes & Herzog) **Kidder Hall (1918) **McAlexander Fieldhouse (1911) **Weatherford Hall (1928) (Bennes & Herzog) **Women's Building (1926) * Poultry Building and Incubator House (1913 remodel and 1907 design), 800 SW Washington Ave, Corvallis (NRHP) * Saint Francis de Sales Cathedral ( 1905), Baker City, Oregon

Bennes, Hendricks & Tobey (1906-1909)

* Thomas M. Baldwin House (1907), 126 W 1st St,

(NRHP) * Cornelius Hotel (1908), 525 SW Park Ave, Portland (NRHP) * Dacres Hotel (1907 remodel), 4th and Main streets,

Walla Walla, Washington Walla Walla is a city in Walla Walla County, Washington, where it is the largest city and county seat. It had a population of 34,060 at the 2020 census, estimated to have decreased to 33,927 as of 2021. The population of the city and its two su ...

(NRHP) * L. B. Menefee House (1908), 1634 SW Myrtle St, Portland (NRHP) * First Presbyterian Church (1909), Corvallis

Bennes, Hendricks & Thompson (1909-1911)

* Page and Son Apartments (1909), 723–37 E Burnside, Portland (NRHP) * William Bittle Wells House (1910), 1515 SW Clifton St, Portland (NRHP)

Bennes and Hendricks (1911-1913)

* Broadway Hotel (1913), Portland (NRHP) * Hamilton Hotel (1913), Portland, cataloged by the

Historic American Buildings Survey Heritage Documentation Programs (HDP) is a division of the U.S. National Park Service (NPS) responsible for administering the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and Historic American Landscapes ...

, now demolished * Pacific Hardware & Steel Company Warehouse (1911), 2181 NW Nicolai St, Portland (NRHP) * Treves Hotel (Joyce Hotel) (1912), 1035-1039 SW Stark St, PortlandAlma Hotel
National Register of Historic Places registration form.

Independent (1914-1925)

* Astoria City Hall (1923), 1095 Duane St, Astoria, originally Astoria Savings Bank, which closed in 1929; the building became Astoria's City Hall in 1939 (NRHP contributing to the

Astoria Downtown Historic District Astoria is a placename, ultimately named for businessman John Jacob Astor (1763–1848), in the 1840s the wealthiest person in the United States and, as a hotel name, his great-grandson William Waldorf Astor (1848–1919). The name was first used ...

) * Coleman–Scott House (1916), 2110 NE 16th Ave, Portland (NRHP) * H. Liebes and Company Building (1917), 625 SW Broadway, Portland (NRHP) * Heppner Hotel (1919), 124 N Main St, Heppner (NRHP) * Howard Hall (1923),

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, part of the former

Oregon School for the Blind The Oregon School for the Blind (OSB), was a state-run public school in Salem, Oregon, United States, serving blind and vision impaired students of kindergarten through high school grades through residential, day school, and part-time enrollment p ...

, demolished in 2015 * A. H. Maegly House (1914), 226 SW Kingston St, Portland (NRHP) * Abraham Tichner House (1918), 114 SW Kingston Ave, Portland (NRHP)

Bennes & Herzog (1925-1931)

John Bexell House The John Bexell House, located in Corvallis, Oregon, is a house listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Architecturally, it is a single-story block with a very steep (16/12) gable roof. It was designed in 1926 by architects Benne ...

(1926), 3009 NW Van Buren Ave, Corvallis (NRHP) * Churchill Hall (1925),

Southern Oregon University Southern Oregon University (SOU) is a public university in Ashland, Oregon. It was founded in 1872 as the Ashland Academy, has been in its current location since 1926, and was known by nine other names before assuming its current name in 1997.Kre ...

, Ashland * Hollywood Theatre (1923), 4122 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland (NRHP) * Inlow Hall (1927), Eastern Oregon University, La Grande (NRHP) * Jeanne Manor Apartment Building (1931), 1431 SW Park Ave, Portland (NRHP) *

(1924), Astoria (NRHP)Astoria
* B'nai B'rith Summer Camp (1928), Grand Ronde * Parkway Manor (1931), 1609 SW Park Ave, Portland

Independent (1933-1943)

* Lieuallen Administration Building (1935),

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of E ...

Monmouth Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...

Notes and references

Notes

References

* * *

External links

*
John Bennes and OSU's Architectural Legacy, 1907-1941, OSU archives

Flickr OSU archive Bennes set

downtown Astoria, PortlandBridges {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennes, John Virginius Architects from Chicago Architects from Portland, Oregon American people of Czech descent 1867 births 1943 deaths Charles University alumni Oregon State University people People from Peru, Illinois University of Chicago alumni Chicago school architects