Martin Roche (1853–1927) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 ...

Life

In partnership with

William Holabird William Holabird (September 11, 1854 in Amenia, New York – July 19, 1923 in Evanston, Illinois) was an American architect. Holabird was the son of General Samuel B. Holabird and Mary Theodosia Grant. He studied at the United States Mili ...

, Martin Roche designed buildings following the Chicago School and that were landmarks in the development of early sky scrapers. He worked for

William Le Baron Jenney William Le Baron Jenney (September 25, 1832 – June 14, 1907) was an American architect and engineer who is known for building the first skyscraper in 1884. In 1998, Jenney was ranked number 89 in the book ''1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ran ...

until 1881 when he joined

at Holabird & Simonds. One of their first commissions was

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...

. Ossian Simonds left the practice in 1883 to concentrate on landscape design, and the firm was renamed

Holabird & Roche The architectural firm now known as Holabird & Root was founded in Chicago in 1880. Over the years, the firm has changed its name several times and adapted to the architectural style then current — from Chicago School to Art Deco to Modern ...

. Together they contributed many innovations to the Chicago School including the Chicago School windows, which allowed more sunlight into office buildings. They designed buildings including the Marquette Building, the Cable Building (1899) and the

Gage Building The Gage Group Buildings consist of three buildings located at 18, 24 and 30 S. Michigan Avenue, between Madison Street and Monroe Street, in Chicago, Illinois. They were built from 1890–1899, designed by Holabird & Roche for the three milline ...

(1899). Roche was a fine designer with an eye for

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

. He designed the world's first Gothic-style skyscraper for the University Club of Chicago, which opened in 1908. Later, the firm designed the neoclassical

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since 1 ...

(1924). William Holabird died in 1923 and Martin Roche followed four years later. Holabird's son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

took over the firm with John Root, Jr., and it was renamed Holabird & Root.

External links

Holabird & Root's current website
American architects Art Deco architects 1853 births 1927 deaths Holabird & Root Chicago school architects {{Chicago-stub