Dwight James Baum (June 24, 1886 – December 14, 1939) was an American architect most active in New York and in

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in Sarasota County on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is renowned for its cultural and environmental amenities, beaches, resorts, and the Sarasota School of Architecture. The city is located in the sou ...

. His work includes

Cà d'Zan Ca' d'Zan () is a Mediterranean revival mansion in Sarasota, Florida, adjacent to Sarasota Bay. Ca' d'Zan was built in the mid-1920s as the winter residence of the American circus mogul, entrepreneur, and art collector John Ringling and his wife ...

, the Sarasota Times Building (1925), Sarasota County Courthouse (1926), early residences in Temple Terrace, Florida, Sarasota County Courthouse (1927), Pinecroft, West Side YMCA on 63rd Street between Central Park and Columbus Avenue, Columbus Circle (Syracuse, NY) (1934) and Hendricks Memorial Chapel.

Biography

Baum was born in Newville, New York (near Utica) and moved to Syracuse as a young man, eventually graduating from Syracuse University in 1909 with an architecture degree. He worked for nationally known firms Boring and Tilton and

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...

before venturing out with his own residential design firm around 1912. A 1922 visit to Florida led to an important commission from John Nicholas Ringling, the 30-room mansion and estate that the Ringlings dubbed Cà d'Zan, which is now on the grounds of the

John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is the official state art museum of Florida, located in Sarasota, Florida. It was established in 1927 as the legacy of Mable Burton Ringling and John Ringling for the people of Florida. Florida State Univ ...

. During the 1920s Florida land boom, Baum designed a half-dozen significant civic buildings and several houses in Sarasota, and at least one residence in Tampa, all in the Mediterranean Revival Style. Cà d'Zan in 2007

In 1926 Baum designed forty two

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...

style houses of varying sizes in the City of Temple Terrace, Florida, this is thought to be the largest collection of his work in the Southeast. He also designed Sunset Hill for Mrs. Eugene D. Stocker at Warren, New York in 1923-1924. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2007. During the Depression, Baum became involved with historic preservation issues, becoming involved with

Good Housekeeping Magazine ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

as consulting architect, and as designer of their building exhibit at the

1933 Chicago World's Fair A Century of Progress International Exposition, also known as the Chicago World's Fair, was a world's fair held in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, from 1933 to 1934. The fair, registered under the Bureau International des Expositio ...

. His later work includes buildings at his alma mater, Syracuse University (notably the focal point of the campus plan, the Hendricks Chapel, designed with

John Russell Pope John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeff ...

), and the pedestal for V. Renzo Baldi's statue of Columbus in the city's Columbus Circle. Baum was distantly related to author and designer

L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...

Work

A number of his works are listed on the

. His work was also part of the architecture event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics. Baum's work includes the following: * Sarasota Times Building, 1925, NRHP-listed *

El Vernona Apartments-Broadway Apartments The El Vernona Apartments-Broadway Apartments (also known as the Belle Haven Apartments) is a historic site in Sarasota, Florida. It is located at 1133 Fourth Street. On March 22, 1984, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places ...

, 1926 * Early residences in Temple Terrace, Florida, circa 1926 *

, now the

, Sarasota, 1927 * Sarasota County Courthouse, 1927, NRHP-listed * Residence of Arch B. Johnston, son of Archibald Johnston (first mayor of consolidated city of Bethlehem), Bethlehem Township, Pennsylvania, 1927 * Memorial Hospital, Syracuse, with

, 1927 * Pinecroft, the Crosley Powel, Jr. Estate,

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...

, 1928–1937 * West Side YMCA, on 63rd Street between Central Park and Columbus Avenue, New York City, 1930 (Baum's only high-rise) * Columbus Circle (Syracuse, NY), 1934 * Hendricks Memorial Chapel, Syracuse University, with

, 1929–1930 * El Vernona Hotel-John Ringling Hotel, Sarasota, 1929 (razed) * United States Post Office, Flushing, New York, with William Knowles, 1934 (not chronological) *

Burns Realty Company-Karl Bickel House Burns may refer to: * Burn, an injury (plural) People: * Burns (surname), includes list of people and characters Business: * Burns London, a British guitar maker Places: ;In the United States * Burns, Colorado, unincorporated community in Eagle ...

, 101 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL, NRHP-listed *

, 1133 4th St. Sarasota, FL, NRHP-listed * El Vernona Hotel-John Ringling Hotel, 111 N. Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL, NRHP-listed * Dr. Walter Kennedy House, 1876 Oak St. Sarasota, FL, NRHP-listed * Pinecroft, 2336 Kipling Ave.

Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, NRHP-listed * Riverdale Presbyterian Church Complex, 4761-4765 Henry Hudson Parkway New York, NY, NRHP-listed *

George Schueler House The George Schueler House is a historic home in Sarasota, Florida. It is located at 76 South Washington Drive. On September 26, 1997, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places ( ...

, 76 S. Washington Dr. Sarasota, FL, NRHP-listed * Sunset Hill, 102 NY 167 Warren, NY, NRHP-listed * US Post Office-Flushing Main, 41-65 Main St. New York, NY, NRHP-listed * Sarasota County Courthouse, 1926

References

Bibliography

* Corbett, Harvey Wiley, et al. ''The Work of Dwight James Baum, Architect''. New York: 1927. * Morrison, William A, editor; Ron McCarty, intro.
The Work of Dwight James Baum.
' New York: Acanthus Press, 2008.

External links

– ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', June 16, 2002 {{DEFAULTSORT:Baum, Dwight James 1886 births 1939 deaths 20th-century American architects Syracuse University School of Architecture alumni Olympic competitors in art competitions