Lorimer Rich (December 24, 1891 – June 2, 1978) was an American architect, born in

Camden, New York Camden is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 4,934 at the 2010 census. The town of Camden contains a village also called Camden. The town is in the northwestern part of Oneida County and is northwest of the Ci ...

. He is now best remembered for collaborating with sculptor

Thomas Hudson Jones Thomas Hudson Jones (July 24, 1892 – November 4, 1969) was a U.S. sculptor for the Army's Institute of Heraldry. Biography Jones was born in Buffalo, New York. His father was an engraver and encouraged him from childhood to be a sculptor. He a ...

on the winning entry in a nationwide competition to create a design for the

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier A Tomb of the Unknown Soldier or Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is a monument dedicated to the services of an unknown soldier and to the common memories of all soldiers killed in war. Such tombs can be found in many nations and are usually high-prof ...

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. Rich graduated from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1914. This was followed by further studies in Europe, a standard move for many young American architects of that era. Shortly thereafter he joined the US Army and served in World War I. Upon returning to the United States he worked for the prestigious architectural firm

McKim, Mead and White McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...

. In 1928 he established his own New York City firm. There he gained a reputation as a designer of post offices. Rich returned to Camden after retiring from practice and died there in 1978. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery with his wife Martha Ross Leigh (1894–1987) not far from the Tomb of the Unknown.

Commissions

* Second Corps Area Headquarters – Pershing Hall,

Fort Jay Fort Jay is a coastal bastion fort and the name of a former United States Army post on Governors Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, and was named for John Jay, a me ...

Governors Island Governors Island is a island in New York Harbor, within the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is located approximately south of Manhattan Island, and is separated from Brooklyn to the east by the Buttermilk Channel. The National Park ...

, New York, 1934. * Great Barrington Main Post Office,

Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...

, 1935 * Flatbush Sub-station of the

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Post Office, 1935 * Station "A", Brooklyn Post Office 1935 * Kensington Post Office, 1935 * Morris Heights Post Office,

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state, state of New York (state), New York. It is south of Westchester County, New York, Westchester County; north and east of the ...

Madison Square Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, fourth President of the United States. ...

Branch, Post Office 1937 * Forest Hills Post Office, 1937 * Johnstown Post Office –

Johnstown, Pennsylvania Johnstown is a city in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 18,411 as of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Located east of Pittsburgh, Johnstown is the principal city of the Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Metropol ...

, 1938 * Joe and Emily Lowe Gallery,

, 1952 * Archibold Gymnasium, additions to, Syracuse University, 1952 * Women's Building, Syracuse University, 1953 * Ernest I White Law College, Syracuse, university, 1954 * "and various dormitories" at Syracuse University Hardin, Evamaria, ''Syracuse Landmarks: An AIA Guide to downtown and Historic Neighborhoods'', Onondaga Historical Society Association, Syracuse University Press, 1993 pp. 228, 231, 232 * New York State Insurance Fund Building, 199 Church Street, New York City, 1955 * Rich Hall of the

State University of New York at Oswego State University of New York at Oswego (SUNY Oswego or Oswego State) is a public college in the City of Oswego and Town of Oswego, New York. It has two campuses: historic lakeside campus in Oswego and Metro Center in Syracuse, New York. SUN ...

named after Grace Ellingwood Rich, the sister of Lorimer Rich * Camden United Methodist Church, 132 Main Street, Camden New York 1969 * Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers of the American Revolution, 201 North James Street, Rome New York 1976

References

1891 births 1978 deaths 20th-century American architects Syracuse University alumni Burials at Arlington National Cemetery {{US-architect-stub