John Francis Rague (1799–1877; pronounced ''ra-gu'') was a mid-19th century architect who designed and built numerous public buildings including the 1837 Old Capitol of Illinois and the 1840 Territorial Capitol of Iowa. He was born on March 24, 1799, in

Scotch Plains, New Jersey Scotch Plains is a township in Union County, New Jersey, United States. The township is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 201 ...

. He studied under

Minard Lafever Minard Lafever (1798–1854) was an American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century. Life and career Lafever began life as a carpenter around 1820. At this period in the United States there were no ...

in New York, and moved to

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...

, in 1831. While there, he designed both the Illinois and Iowa capitol buildings, the Tinsley Dry Goods Building and many Greek Revival homes. In Springfield, Rague was a friend of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

, and suggested Lincoln wear white gloves to dinner parties. Lincoln followed this recommendation. Rague moved to

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, where he is known for designing the Phoenix Building in Milwaukee, as well as the initial plan for the

Bascom Hill Bascom Hill is the iconic main quadrangle that forms the historic core of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. It is located on the opposite end of State Street from the Wisconsin State Capitol, and is named after John Bascom, former pr ...

mall, North Hall, and South Hall at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. In 1854, Rague moved to

Dubuque, Iowa Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Il ...

. While there, he designed a number of buildings, including the

city hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...

, Central Market House, the

jail A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...

and many homes such as the Mathias Ham and the Langworthy Octagon House.The Wisconsin Magazine of History Vol. 10, No. 2, Dec., 1926. Rague's style varied widely over his career from Neoclassical to

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters called themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of de ...

Late Victorian Victorian architecture is a series of architectural revival styles in the mid-to-late 19th century. ''Victorian'' refers to the reign of Queen Victoria (1837–1901), called the Victorian era, during which period the styles known as Victorian we ...

and even to

Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...

Gallery of Rague-designed buildings

Illinoisoldcapitol.jpg, 1839 Old Capitol of Illinois Dubuque City Hall 2016.jpg, 1857 Dubuque City Hall Dbq jail.jpg, 1858

Dubuque County Jail The Dubuque County Jail is a historic building at 36 East 8th Street in Dubuque, Iowa, United States. Completed in 1858, the jail is an example of the uncommon Egyptian Revival style. It is architecturally a highly original work of John F. Rague, ...

Mathias_Ham_House_01.jpg, 1856

Mathias Ham House The Mathias Ham House is a 19th-century house in Dubuque, Iowa that is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located at the intersection of Shiras and Lincoln Avenues, near the entrances to Eagle Point Park and Riverview Park. D ...

North Hall, UW Madison.jpg, 1851 North Hall, University of Wisconsin Langworthy House.jpg, 1856 Langworthy House, Dubuque

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rague, John F. 1799 births 1877 deaths Architects from Iowa Architects from Illinois People from Dubuque, Iowa Architects from Milwaukee People from Scotch Plains, New Jersey 19th-century American architects