Lyman Farwell (December 19, 1864 – November 4, 1933) was an American architect and politician. As the co-founder of the architectural firm Dennis and Farwell, he designed many buildings in

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...

, including

The Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

. He also served in the

California State Assembly The California State Assembly is the lower house of the California State Legislature, the upper house being the California State Senate. The Assembly convenes, along with the State Senate, at the California State Capitol in Sacramento. The A ...

Early life

Farwell was born on December 19, 1864 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He graduated from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1887, and he studied at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Paris in 1890-1891.

Career

Farwell began his career by working for

McKim, Mead & 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 New York City in 1892-1894. From 1895 to 1913, he was a partner in Dennis and Farwell, an architectural firm he co-founded with

Oliver Perry Dennis Oliver may refer to: Arts, entertainment and literature Books * ''Oliver the Western Engine'', volume 24 in ''The Railway Series'' by Rev. W. Awdry * ''Oliver Twist'', a novel by Charles Dickens Fictional characters * Ariadne Oliver, ...

. They designed several houses in Los Angeles, including Rollin B. Lane's house in Hollywood in 1909, later known as the

Magic Castle The Magic Castle is a clubhouse for magicians and magic enthusiasts, as well as the clubhouse for the Academy of Magical Arts. It is in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California and it bills itself as "the most unusual private club in t ...

. In 1911-1912, they designed the police station in

Boyle Heights Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

. Outside Los Angeles, they designed a house on Balboa Island in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island, Newport ...

, a hotel in

Long Beach Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

, and a bank building in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

. Farwell also designed the San Bernardino County Hospital. Farwell served as a member of the

twice from 1911 to 1915. He also served on the Planning Commission for the City of Los Angeles. He was a director of the

Better America Federation The Better America Federation was a pro-business, anti-communist political surveillance organization based in California, U.S. in the 1920s. History The organization was founded on May 7, 1920, in Los Angeles, California by Harry Marston Haldeman ( ...

Personal life and death

With his wife, nee Flora A. Howes, Farwell had three sons. They resided at 444 South Lorraine Boulevard in Los Angeles. Farwell died of a heart attack on November 4, 1933 in Los Angeles, at age 69. His funeral was held at St James' Episcopal Church, and he was buried in the Rosedale Cemetery.

References

External links

Join California Lyman Farwell
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farwell, Lyman 1864 births 1933 deaths People from Saint Paul, Minnesota Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts Architects from Los Angeles 20th-century American architects Republican Party members of the California State Assembly 20th-century American politicians