Joseph Miller Huston (February 23, 1866 – 1940) was an
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 ...
notable for designing the third (and current)
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg which was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative ...
in
Harrisburg
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...
. Construction started in 1902 of his ''
Beaux-Arts'' design. He was one of five people convicted of
graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:
*Graft (politics), a form of political corruption
*Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp
Science and technology
*Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure
*Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...
in 1910 after a state investigation of cost overruns in association with construction and furnishing the capitol.
Early life and education
Joseph Miller Huston was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866. When he was seventeen, Joseph joined the firm of
Frank Furness and Sons, where he worked during his college years. He graduated from
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
in 1892, re-joining Furness' firm full-time.
Career
In 1895, Huston founded his own firm, and began designing buildings in Philadelphia, such as the
Witherspoon Building
Witherspoon Building is a historic office building located in the Market East neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by architect Joseph M. Huston (1866–1940) and built between 1895 and 1897. It was built for the Presbyteri ...
, (1895).
In 1898–99, Huston toured Europe and Asia, along with his older brother, Samuel, experiencing historic styles which greatly influenced his later designs.
Pennsylvania State Capitol . In 1901, at the age of 36, Joseph Huston won the design competition for the commission for the new
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania located in downtown Harrisburg which was designed by architect Joseph Miller Huston in 1902 and completed in 1906 in a Beaux-Arts style with decorative ...
over eight other competitors. His design was overwhelmingly heralded as a success. At its dedication on October 4, 1906,
President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
described the building as, " ''... the handsomest State Capitol I ever saw!''"
The total cost of the project was nearly triple what the legislature had appropriated, in part because of inflated costs for construction and furnishings due to the state's purchasing mechanism. Huston, and four other officials were convicted of
graft
Graft or grafting may refer to:
*Graft (politics), a form of political corruption
*Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp
Science and technology
*Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure
*Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...
in 1910 and sentenced to up to two years in prison for their parts in the overruns. Although he appealed, Huston lost his case and went to the
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located at 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of the city, and was operational from ...
in 1911.
Huston's home, known as
Oaks Cloister
Oaks Cloister, is the name of the former residence of architect, Joseph Miller Huston. Constructed in 1900, the mansion is located at 5829 Wissahickon Ave,, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19141, in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ...
(c.1904) is located in the
Germantown Germantown or German Town may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Germantown, Queensland, a locality in the Cassowary Coast Region
United States
* Germantown, California, the former name of Artois, a census-designated place in Glenn County
* Ger ...
section of Philadelphia and has been described as one of the finest residences in the city. The Huston family sold the property in 1955 and it fell into disrepair over time and ultimately was abandoned. This venerable landmark was saved from demolition in 2002 by Dr. Russell Harris and Mr. John Casavecchia, who spent the following decade restoring the mansion to its original glory.
In 1911, Huston designed the Searles Memorial Methodist Church, now located in the
Old Pottstown Historic District
Old Pottstown Historic District is a national historic district located in Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It encompasses 956 contributing buildings and 1 contributing site in the central business district and surrounding residential ...
.
[ ''Note:'' This includes ]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Huston, Joseph Miller
1866 births
1940 deaths
Architects from Philadelphia
Princeton University alumni
19th-century American architects
20th-century American architects