William J. Brinkmann (12 August 1871 – 24 February 1911, Chicago), sometimes spelled Brinkman, was an
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 ...
known for his work designing
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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area churches.
A son of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
immigrants, he was born and raised in Chicago and received his architectural training at the firm of
Burnham and Root
Burnham and Root was one of Chicago's most famous architectural companies of the nineteenth century. It was established by Daniel Hudson Burnham and John Wellborn Root.
During their eighteen years of partnership, Burnham and Root designed and ...
,
["Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago by McNamara, Denis, (2005 Liturgy Training Publications) p.24] where he eventually supervised the construction of
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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's
Masonic Temple
A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting.
Development and history
In ...
, a
skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
that was the world's tallest building at the time of its completion in 1892. After a tour of
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
to further his architectural knowledge, Brinkmann settled in
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 ...
where for a few years he designed homes for political and industrial notables such as
Ulysses S. Grant Jr.
Ulysses S. "Buck" Grant Jr. (July 22, 1852 – September 25, 1929) was an American attorney and entrepreneur. He was the second son of President Ulysses S. Grant.
Early life and education
Grant was born in Bethel, Ohio, on July 22, 1852. He gra ...
["Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago by McNamara, Denis, (2005 Liturgy Training Publications) p.70]
His contemporaries described him as a "staunch Catholic."
After returning to Chicago, Brinkmann made a name for himself designing churches, including
St. Josaphat's,
St. Michael's in the
South Chicago
South Chicago, formerly known as Ainsworth, is one of the 77 community areas of Chicago, Illinois.
This chevron-shaped community is one of Chicago's 16 lakefront neighborhoods near the southern rim of Lake Michigan 10 miles south of downtown. ...
neighborhood of Chicago near the Indiana border, St. Mary's in
Buffalo Grove
Buffalo Grove, officially the Village of Buffalo Grove, is a village in Lake and Cook County, Illinois. A suburb of Chicago, it lies about northwest of Downtown Chicago. As of the 2020 Census, Buffalo Grove has a population of 43,212. It tota ...
, and, most notably, the
mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...
and
chapel
A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...
for the Archbishops of Chicago in
Mount Carmel Cemetery. He was one of the three architects involved in the design of
Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica
Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica is a Catholic basilica on the West Side of Chicago, Illinois, which also houses the National Shrine of Saint Peregrine. Located at 3121 West Jackson Boulevard, within the Archdiocese of Chicago, it is, along with St ...
. He also designed exhibits for his former employer,
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...
, for the
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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in 1893, as well as some of the earliest large
steel frame
Steel frame is a building technique with a "skeleton frame" of vertical steel columns and horizontal I-beams, constructed in a rectangular grid to support the floors, roof and walls of a building which are all attached to the frame. The developm ...
buildings in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
and Chicago.
Brinkmann's death was unexpected, gruesome and mysterious: his mangled, decapitated body was found on train tracks near 73rd street in February 1911. The intrigue surrounding his death fed front-page newspaper accounts for several days, positing theories that Brinkmann had perhaps committed suicide after several years of illness, yet contradictory evidence prevented an inquest form finding a clear reason for his death or a finding of murder. His funeral was held at St. Leo's Church on 78th Street, a church he had himself designed in 1905. His death remains unsolved to this day.
References
Encyclopedia Chicago entry
1874 births
1911 deaths
Architects from Chicago
Architects of Roman Catholic churches
Defunct architecture firms based in Chicago
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