Julius Carl "Jules" Leffland (September 9, 1854 – October 21, 1924) was a Danish-born architect known for his work in

Victoria, Texas Victoria is a small city in South Texas and county seat of Victoria County, Texas. The population was 65,534 as of the 2020 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 as of the 2000 censu ...

, and throughout South Texas. He was active in South Texas from approximately 1886 until the 1910s. Many of his works 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 ...

Biography

Leffland was born in Usserød,

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

in 1854 and studied architecture at the Institute of Technology in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

. His grandfather and father were architects in Denmark. He was married in 1879 to Emilie Sophie Struck, and they had eight children. After beginning his career as an architect in Denmark, Leffland emigrated to the United States in 1886. By the end of 1886, he had relocated to

. He became one of the most prolific and respected architects in Victoria. Leffland also designed numerous buildings in Cuero, Texas and was its "most active architect". As his reputation grew, Leffland received commissions throughout South Texas, including

Wharton Wharton may refer to: Academic institutions * Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania * Wharton County Junior College * Paul R. Wharton High School * Wharton Center for Performing Arts, at Michigan State University Places * Wharton, Ch ...

Beeville Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, United States, with a population of 12,863 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Bee County and home to the main campus of Coastal Bend College. The area around the city contains three prisons oper ...

, Kingsville, and

San Diego, Texas San Diego is a city in Duval and Jim Wells counties, Texas, United States. The population was 3,748 at the 2020 census and 4,488 at the 2010 census. It is located primarily in Duval County, of which it is the county seat. Geography San Diego ...

. According to one account, "Leffland was well-versed in a variety of stylistic expressions, although the Neoclassical Revival mode seems to be not only his most successful style but his personal favorite as well." By 1910, he had reportedly designed at least 80 structures, including churches, banks, city halls, hotels and residences across South Texas. Many of his works are listed on the U.S.

. Leffland died in October 1924 in

Victoria County, Texas Victoria County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 91,319. Its county seat is Victoria. Victoria County is included in the Victoria, TX Metropolitan Statistical Area. History * Paleo-I ...

. His son Kai Leffland also was an architect and carried on Leffland's practice after his death.

Retrospectives

In 1999, an exhibition at The Nave Museum in Victoria featuring Leffland's architectural drawings was opened under the title, "Architectural Drawings or Jules Carl Leffland." In 2005, the Matagorda County Museum opened an exhibit featuring "the life and legacy of building designer Jules Leffland."

Works

Leffland's works include: * Max Bettin House, 602 E. Santa Rosa,

, NRHP-listed * Theodore Buhler House, 202 West Stayton, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * Breeden-Runge Wholesale Grocery Company Building, 108 N. Frederick William,

Cuero, Texas Cuero ( ) is a city in and the county seat of DeWitt County, Texas, DeWitt County, Texas, United States. Its population was 8,128 at the 2020 census. History The city of Cuero had its start in the mid-19th century as a stopping point on the Chisho ...

, NRHP-listed *Burger-Robertson Block (1909-1919), 115-137 S. Fulton Street,

Wharton, Texas Wharton is a city in and the county seat of Wharton County, Texas, Wharton County, Texas, United States. This city is southwest of Houston. The population was 8,832 at the 2010 census and 8,627 at the 2020 census. Wharton is located on the Colora ...

. Three of its six commercial buildings were designed by Leffland. It is a contributing building in the NRHP-listed Wharton County Courthouse Historic Commercial District. (accessible by searching withi
National Archives Catalog
) * Burrough-Daniel House, 502 W. North, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed *

Dr. L.W. and Martha E.S. Chilton House The Dr. L.W. and Martha E.S. Chilton House at 242 N. Chilton St. in Goliad, Texas, United States, was built in 1902. It was a work of architect Jules Leffland and of building contractor Bailey Mills. It was listed on the National Register of Hi ...

, 242 N. Chilton St.,

Goliad, Texas Goliad ( ) is a city in Goliad County, Texas, United States. It is known for the 1836 Goliad massacre during the Texas Revolution. It had a population of 1,620 at the 2020 census. Founded on the San Antonio River, it is the county seat of Gol ...

, NRHP-listed * George H. Hauschild Building, 206 N. Liberty, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * J. T. Jecker House, 104 N. Liberty, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * Jules Leffland House, 302 E. Convent, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * Mrs. J. V. Murphy House, 204 E. Santa Rosa, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * Old Nazareth Academy (1904), 105 W. Church, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * Pickering House, 403 N. Glass, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed *

Presbyterian Iglesia Nicea The Presbyterian Iglesia Nicea is a Hispanic Presbyterian church at 401 S. DeLeon in Victoria, Texas. It was designed by architect Jules Leffland. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Land for the church was dona ...

, 401 S. DeLeon, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * Proctor House, 507 N. Glass, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed *

John B. Ragland Mercantile Company Building The John B. Ragland Mercantile Company Building, also known as Raglands, is a historic building at 201 E. Kleberg Ave. in Kingsville, Texas. It was designed by Jules Leffland and was built in 1909 to replace a small frame store built by John Ragl ...

, 201 E. Kleberg Ave.,

Kingsville, Texas Kingsville is a city in the southern region of the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Kleberg County. Located on the U.S. Route 77 corridor between Corpus Christi and Harlingen, Kingsville is the principal city of the Kingsville Micropo ...

, NRHP-listed * D. H. Regan House, 507 S. DeLeon, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * J. V. Vandenberge House, 301 N. Vine, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed *

Victoria Colored School Officially named F. W. Gross High School on January 2, 1936, the Victoria Colored School, in Victoria County, Texas, United States, was built in 1901 under authorization of the newly elected school board. The Victoria Independent School Distri ...

, 702 E. Convent, Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed * William Wheeler House, 303 N. William St., Victoria, Texas, NRHP-listed *Multiple works in

Cuero Commercial Historic District The Cuero Commercial Historic District in Cuero, Texas is a historic district (United States), historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It includes multiple works of architect Jules Leffland. The ...

, roughly bounded by Gonzales, Main, Terrell and Courthouse,

, NRHP-listed *One or more works in Terrell-Reuss Streets Historic District, 300 to 900 blocks of Terrell, 500 to 900 blocks of Indianola, and 200 blk. of W. Reuss to 400 blk. of E. Reuss, Cuero, Texas, NRHP-listed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leffland, Jules 1924 deaths 19th-century American architects Danish emigrants to the United States 1854 births Architects from Texas 20th-century American architects People from Victoria, Texas