Theodore C. Link,

FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-memb ...

, (March 17, 1850 – November 12, 1923) was a German-born American architect and newspaper publisher. He designed buildings for the 1904 World's Fair,

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 n ...

, and the

Mississippi State Capitol The Mississippi State Capitol or the “New Capitol,” has been the seat of the state’s government since it succeeded the old statehouse in 1903. Located in Jackson, it was designated as a Mississippi Landmark in 1986, a National Historic La ...

Early life

Theodore Carl Link was born on March 17, 1850, near

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German: ') is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914, of which roughly a quarter consisted of students ...

, Germany. He was trained in engineering at the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

and the École Centrale Paris.

Career

Link emigrated to the United States, arriving in St. Louis in 1873 to work for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad company. He married Annie Fuller on September 22, 1875. That year, St. Louis Surveyor Julius Pitzman recommended him to the job of superintendent of public parks for St. Louis. In 1889, Link joined 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 s ...

and started his own private architectural practice. After a four-year interim as a German-language newspaper publisher in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Link returned to St. Louis just after the turn of the century as one of the architects for the 1904 World's Fair. In 1901 he won the competition to design the new

building in Jackson, which was completed two years later. He also "designed most of the buildings for LSU when the campus was relocated in the 1920s."

Death and legacy

Link died in Baton Rouge while working on the new

campus, and was interred at Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis. In 1995 was awarded a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame. His best known work is in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, specifically the St. Louis Union Station (1894), and the Second Presbyterian Church (1899). The Theodore Link Historic Buildings (c. 1911) in University City are three private residences on Delmar Boulevard that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Louis County, Missouri.

Work

Among the 100+ buildings he designed: * 1869 Monticello Seminary (now Lewis and Clark Community College),

Godfrey, Illinois Godfrey is a village in Madison County, Illinois, United States. The population was 17,982 at the 2010 census. Godfrey is located within the Riverbend portion of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Geography Godfrey is located at (38.94809 ...

* 1891 gates and several houses for two of St. Louis's private places, Westmoreland Place and Portland Place * 1894 St. Louis Union Station, modeled on the fortifications of

Carcassonne Carcassonne (, also , , ; ; la, Carcaso) is a French fortified city in the department of Aude, in the region of Occitanie. It is the prefecture of the department. Inhabited since the Neolithic, Carcassonne is located in the plain of the Aud ...

, with architect Edward Cameron * 1899 Second Presbyterian Church, 4501 Westminster Place, St. Louis * 1901 St. John's United Methodist Church, 5000 Washington Place * 1901 Wabash Railroad Station and Railway Express Agency, 780 East Cerro Gordo Street,

Decatur, Illinois Decatur ( ) is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois, with a population of 70,522 as of the 2020 Census. The city was founded in 1829 and is situated along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in C ...

* 1902 Wabash Railroad Station, Danville, Illinois * 1903 Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal, Liberty Avenue at Ferry Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * 1903

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

* 1904 Palace of Mines and Metallurgy at the 1904 World's Fair (razed) * 1904 Reid Hall and campus master plan for

Washington and Lee University , mottoeng = "Not Unmindful of the Future" , established = , type = Private liberal arts university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.092 billion (2021) , president = William C. Dudley , provost = Lena Hill , city = Lexington ...

* 1906 Barr Branch,

St. Louis Public Library The St. Louis Public Library is a municipal public library system in the city of St. Louis, Missouri. It operates sixteen locations, including the main Central Library location. History In 1865, Ira Divoll, the superintendent of the St. Louis P ...

* 1910 Roberts Shoe (International Shoe) Company Building, St. Louis, with ornament influenced by Louis Sullivan * 1911 Theodore Link Historic Buildings, 7100, 7104 and 7108 Delmar Blvd, University City, Missouri * 1919–1923, master plan and nine buildings for the

, including the Memorial Tower, with W. T. Trueblood

Images

File:Westmoreland Place.jpg, Westmoreland Place gates, St. Louis, Missouri File:Portland Place.jpg, Portland Place gates, St. Louis, Missouri Image:Decatur, IL train station.jpg, Wabash Station, Decatur, Illinois File:Annual report of the Railroad and Warehouse Commission of the State of Illinois (1902) (14572966008).jpg, Wabash Station, Decatur, Illinois Image:04PalaceMines.JPG, Palace of Mines and Metallurgy, 1904 World's Fair Image:Mississippi State Capitol building.jpg, Mississippi State Capitol Image:PostcardGrandHallOfUnionStationStLouis1909.jpg, Grand Hall, St. Louis Union Station File:ReidHall.jpg, Reid Hall, Washington and Lee University File:St. Louis - Roberts, Johnson & Rand Bldg.JPG, Roberts Shoe Company Building, St. Louis, Missouri Image:Memorial tower.jpg, Memorial Tower at LSU File:4a12732u.tif, Wabash Pittsburgh Terminal, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

References

External links

*
Online photo and biography

Theodore C. Link Zoological Gardens Sketchbook
i
Digital Collections
at the

Louisiana State University Architectural Drawings by Theodore Link
Louisiana Digital Library, Baton Rouge, La.
Theodore C. Link Collection
finding aid at th
St. Louis Public Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Link, Theodore Carl 1850 births 1923 deaths German emigrants to the United States Architects from St. Louis 19th-century American architects Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Heidelberg University alumni People from Baden-Württemberg Burials at Bellefontaine Cemetery American railway architects 20th-century American architects