Federal Reserve Salt Lake City Branch 19 Aug 2018

Raymond J. Ashton (1887–1973) was an American

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 ...

in practice in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

from 1919 until 1970. From 1943 to 1945 he was president of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

Life and career

Raymond Joy Ashton was born January 23, 1887, in

. He was educated in the public schools and at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

engineering school, from which he graduated in 1909. A

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

, after his graduation he left for Europe as a missionary of the church serving primarily in Belgium. He returned to the United States in 1912 and worked for his family's building firm in Salt Lake City. In 1916, he moved to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

where he worked as a draftsman for several firms as well as attending night school at Atelier Puckey (a member of the

Society of Beaux-Arts Architects A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societi ...

) and the

Chicago Academy of Fine Arts The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum and ...

. When

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

halted nonessential building projects, Raymond joined the architectural department of

Armour & Company Armour & Company was an American company and was one of the five leading firms in the meat packing industry. It was founded in Chicago, in 1867, by the Armour brothers led by Philip Danforth Armour. By 1880, the company had become Chicago's most ...

, designing branch houses throughout the world, and residential work for the Armour family. In 1919 he returned to Salt Lake City, where he formed a partnership with architect Francis D. Rutherford. In 1920 Rutherford left for

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, and Ashton continued the practice on his own. In 1923 he formed a new partnership with Raymond Evans, known as Ashton & Evans."Ashton, Raymond Joy" in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 22.R. Randall Vosbeck, ''A Legacy of Leadership: The Presidents of the American Institute of Architects, 1857–2007'' (Washington: American Institute of Architects, 2008) With the addition of Bernis Eugene Brazier in 1946 the firm became Ashton, Evans & Brazier. The firm became Ashton, Evans, Brazier & Associates in 1962 with the appointment of Frederick Montmorency as partner and Ashton, Brazier, Montmorency & Associates in 1963 after Raymond Evans' death. After Ashton's retirement in 1970 the firm became Brazier, Montmorency, Hayes & Talbot, with Brazier at the head of the firm. Brazier died shortly afterward, after which Montmorency assumed control. The firm is still in business today (2022) as MHTN Architects. Ashton joined the

in 1927 as a member of the Utah chapter. Over the next several years he served as chapter secretary, treasurer and president. In 1932 he was elected to the national board of directors, and served three years. In 1940 he was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

, the organization's highest membership in honor, and was elected treasurer in 1942. In 1943 he was elected to a single one-year term as president, succeeding Richmond Harold Shreve. His term was extended to two years due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Personal life and death

Ashton was married in 1913 to Winnie Richards of Salt Lake City. They had three children. In 1970 the Ashtons retired to

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. The city is the county seat of Yavapai County. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona T ...

, where Ashton died April 7, 1973.

Legacy

At least eleven of Ashton's works have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic District, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

* Booth-Parsons house, 1884 S 900 E,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

(1912, NRHP 2012) * George Albert Smith house, 1302 E Yale Ave,

(1913, NRHP 1993) * Millard County Courthouse, 50 S Main St,

Fillmore, Utah Fillmore is a city and the county seat of Millard County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,435 at the 2010 United States Census. It is named for the thirteenth President of the United States, US President Millard Fillmore, who was in of ...

(1920–21) * Irving Junior High School additions, 1179 E 2100 S,

(1926 and 1930, NRHP 1978) * Sprague Branch of the Salt Lake City Public Library, 2131 S. Highland Dr.,

(1928, NRHP 2003) * Springville High School Mechanical Arts Building, 443 S 200 E,

Springville, Utah Springville is a city in Utah County, Utah, Utah County, Utah that is part of the Provo–Orem metropolitan area. The population was 35,268 in 2020, according to the United States Census. Springville is a bedroom community for commuters who work ...

(1929, NRHP 1993) *

Crescent Elementary School Crescent Elementary School is a public school located in the Crescent neighborhood of Sandy, Utah. It is included on the National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal gover ...

, 11100 S 230 E,

Sandy, Utah Sandy is a city in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, located in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. The population of Sandy was 87,461 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth-largest city in Utah. The population is currently estimated ...

(1930, NRHP 2000) * Gardner Hall,

(1930–31)University of Utah Circle NRHP Registration Form
(1978) *

Riverton Elementary School The Riverton Elementary School, at 12830 S. Redwood Rd. in Riverton, Utah, was built during 1925-30 and is the oldest public school building surviving in Riverton. According to its NRHP nomination in 1996, it is significant historically as repres ...

gymnasium, 12830 S Redwood Rd,

Riverton, Utah Riverton is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 45,285 as of the 2020 census. Riverton is located in the rapidly growing southwestern corner of ...

(1930, NRHP 1996) * George Thomas Building,

(1934–35) * Carlson Hall,

(1937–38, NRHP 1996, demolished 2012) *

Nielsen Fieldhouse The Einar Nielsen Fieldhouse was a multi-purpose arena in the western United States, located in Salt Lake City, Utah. Opened in 1939 on the University of Utah campus, it was the home venue of Utes basketball for thirty years, and was formally d ...

(1939–40) * Salt Lake County Library, 665 W Center St,

Midvale, Utah Midvale is a city in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City metropolitan area, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Midvale's population was 34,124 accor ...

(1940–41, NRHP 1996) * Kaysville City Hall, 44 N Main St,

Kaysville, Utah Kaysville is a city in Davis County, Utah. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield metropolitan area. The population was 27,300 at the time of the 2010 census, with an estimated population of 32,390 in 2019. History Shortly after Latter Day Saint ...

(1941–43, NRHP 2019) * Rich County Courthouse, 20 S Main St,

Randolph, Utah Randolph is a town in Rich County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 464. It is the county seat of Rich County. Randolph had the highest percentage of people of any city in the country vote for George W. Bush in ...

(1941–42) *

Utah State Prison Utah State Prison (USP) was one of two prisons managed by the Utah Department of Corrections' Division of Institutional Operations. It was located in Draper, Utah, United States, about southwest of Salt Lake City.Utah Department of Correct ...

(former), 14425 Bitterbrush Ln S,

Draper, Utah Draper is a city in Salt Lake and Utah counties in the U.S. state of Utah, about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. As of the 2020 census, the population is 51,017, up from 7,143 in 1990. Draper is part of two metropolitan areas; ...

(1950) *

Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Salt Lake City Branch The Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Salt Lake City Branch is one of four branches of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The branch is located at 120 South State Street in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. The branch currently occupies a ...

, 120 S State St,

(1957–59)"Evans, Raymond L." in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 200. * Terminal,

Salt Lake City International Airport Salt Lake City International Airport is a civil-military airport located about west of Downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. The airport is the closest commercial airport for more than 2.5 million people and is within a 30-minu ...

(1961, demolished) * Wayne County High School, 55 N Center St,

Bicknell, Utah Bicknell is a town along State Route 24 in Wayne County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 327. History Bicknell was originally called Thurber, or Thurber Town, for A.K. Thurber, who in 1879 built the first ...

(no date, NRHP 1985, demolished)Wayne County High School NRHP Registration Form (1985)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashton, Raymond J. Architects from Salt Lake City Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Presidents of the American Institute of Architects 20th-century American architects 1887 births 1973 deaths