Joseph Evans Sperry (1854–1930) 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 ...

, noted for designing buildings in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. He was born in Georgetown, South Carolina and later relocated to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, where he partnered with James Bosley Noel Wyatt to form the architectural firm Wyatt and Sperry. Their affiliation lasted from 1878 to 1887.AIA Baltimore A Chapter History from 1870-2005, Charles Belfoure, pg. 91 The two probably became acquainted while working in the office of Architect,

E. Francis Baldwin Ephraim Francis Baldwin (October 4, 1837 – January 20, 1916) was an American architect, best known for his work for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and for the Roman Catholic Church. Personal life Although born in Troy, New York, Baldwin live ...

, where he worked from 1872 until 1876. With Wyatt, he designed a number of buildings around Baltimore before breaking off on his own. Sperry became one of Baltimore's leading architects, designing many public buildings, including churches, hospitals, and banks. In 1914 he was named a

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...

. Sperry also designed several buildings at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hem ...

and one building at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...

. Sperry's most famous building is probably the Emerson "Bromo-Seltzer" Tower in Baltimore. Sperry's buildings were designed in a variety of styles, but overall were eclectic. Sperry practiced architecture independently from 1888 until he died in 1930.

Selected works

*1891: Equitable Building, Baltimore, Maryland *1892: The

Eutaw Place Temple Eutaw Place Temple is a large, eclectically-styled former synagogue on Eutaw Place in the Bolton Hill neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. The temple was constructed to serve the German Jewish immigrant community. Originally built as a synagogue ...

of congregation Oheb Shalom *1896:

Brewers Exchange Brewers Exchange, also known as Murdock Place, is a historic office building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a three-story Renaissance Revival style building designed by Joseph Evans Sperry (1854-1930) and built in 1896. The f ...

, Baltimore, Maryland *1897: St. Mark's Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Maryland *1911: Emerson "Bromo-Seltzer" Tower, Baltimore, Maryland *1914: Maryland Hall at

Whiting School of Engineering The G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering is the engineering college of the Johns Hopkins University, a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. History Engineering at Johns Hopkins was originally created in 1913 as an educational p ...

*1917:

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

Narragansett, Rhode Island Narragansett is a town in Washington County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 14,532 at the 2020 census. However, during the summer months the town's population more than doubles to near 34,000. The town of Narragansett occupies ...

*1930:

Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association Building Young Men's and Young Women's Hebrew Association Building, also known as the Jewish Community Center, is a historic building located in central Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a three-story, flat-roofed, rectangular-shaped Flemish bond br ...

, Baltimore, Maryland

References

*Withey, Henry F., A.I.A. and Elsie Raburn Withey, 1956. ''Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased)'', (New Age Publishing Company, Los Angeles), 565.

External links

Biography of Joseph Evans Sperry, Baltimore Architecture Foundation

Baltimore Dead Architects Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sperry, Joseph Evans 19th-century American architects Architects from Baltimore Fellows of the American Institute of Architects 1854 births 1930 deaths 20th-century American architects