William LaBarthe Steele (May 2, 1875 – March 4, 1949) was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois. He is considered a principal member of the

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th- and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped ...

Architectural Movement during the early 20th century.

Career

After graduating from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Uni ...

, Steele worked under renowned architect

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

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

from 1897 to 1900. He later moved to

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 ...

where he worked at several firms. In 1904, he settled in

Sioux City Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County ...

Iowa Iowa () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wiscon ...

, where he stayed for 25 years until moving to

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

in 1929. Around this time, he and Thomas Rogers Kimball founded an architectural firm that eventually became Steele, Sandham, and Steele. He designed over 250 commercial buildings, churches, synagogues, homes, schools, and government buildings in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Minnesota. The

Woodbury County Courthouse The Woodbury County Courthouse is located at 620 Douglas Street in Sioux City, the county seat of Woodbury County, Iowa, United States. It is regarded as "one of the finest Prairie School buildings in the United States" and has been declared a Nati ...

is considered to be a premier example of

aesthetics, which he developed along with Minneapolis-based architects

George Grant Elmslie George Grant Elmslie (February 20, 1869 – April 23, 1952) was a Scottish-born American Prairie School architect whose work is mostly found in the Midwestern United States. He worked with Louis Sullivan and later with William Gray Purcell as a ...

and

William Gray Purcell William Gray Purcell (July 2, 1880April 11, 1965) was a Prairie School architect in the Midwestern United States. He partnered with George Grant Elmslie, and briefly with George Feick. The firm of Purcell & Elmslie produced designs for building ...

. All three men had previously worked for Sullivan in various roles. The Courthouse, along with Walthill Hospital in Nebraska (1912), are both designated

National Historic Landmarks A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

. Over 20 of his surviving works are 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 ...

(NrHP). Steele was one of the founding members of ''The Nebraska State Board of Examiners for Professional Engineers and Architects'' (now known as the Nebraska Board of Engineers and Architects). He served on the Board from 1937 to 1942.

Selected works

* Sioux County Courthouse (Orange City, Iowa) (1902–04), designed by architect Wilfred W. Beach; Steele worked as a draftsman on the project before it ended, and later partnered briefly with Beach. NRHP-listed. * Florence Crittenton Home (1906), 1105-1111 28th St.,

Sioux City, IA Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury and Plymouth counties in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest city in Iowa. The bulk of the city is in Woodbury County, ...

Beach & Steele, formerly NRHP-listed *

Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte Memorial Hospital, also known as Walthill Hospital or Dr. Susan Picotte Memorial Hospital, is a former hospital building at 505 Matthewson Street in Walthill, Nebraska, on the Omaha Indian Reservation. The hospital was ...

(1912), 505 Matthewson St., Walthill, NE Steele, William, NRHP-listed * Davidson Building (1913), 505 6th St.,

Steele, William LaBarthe, NRHP-listed * St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Cedar (1915), 4 mi. W of Churdan on E 19, .5 mi. N on gravel rd., Churdan, IA Steele, William LeBarthe, NRHP-listed * St. Casimir Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church (1915), Sioux City, IA, since demolished. * H.H. Everist House (1916–17), 37 McDonald Dr.,

Steele, William LaBarthe, NRHP-listed *

(1916–18) designed by

in collaboration with the Sioux City architect William L. Steele and Elmslie's partner,

, a National Historic Landmark * First Congregational Church, Former (Sioux City, Iowa) (1916–18), aka Sioux City Baptist Church, 1301 Nebraska Ave.,

Steele, William, NRHP-listed * Hawarden City Hall, Fire Station and Auditorium (1918), 715 Central Ave., Hawarden, IA Steele, William La Barthe, NRHP-listed * Charles Mix County Courthouse (1918), Main St. between Fourth and Fifth Sts., Lake Andes, SD Steele, William L., NRHP-listed * Sacred Heart Hospital (1921), 110 6th Ave. NE, Le Mars, IA Steele, William LaBarthe, NRHP-listed * Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1921) 211 S. 13th St., Fort Dodge, IA, NRHP-listed *

Hartington City Hall and Auditorium The Hartington City Hall and Auditorium, also known as the Hartington Municipal Building, is a city-owned, brick-clad, 2-story center in Hartington, Nebraska. It was designed between 1921 and 1923 in the Prairie School style by architect Willia ...

(1921–23), 101 N. Broadway, Hartington, NE Steele, William L., NRHP-listed * Mount Sinai Temple (1922 addition), 1320 Nebraska St.,

Steele, William L, NRHP-listed * Harold A. (H.A.) Doyle House (1924), 712 W. Third St., Yankton, SD Steele, William L., NRHP-listed * Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church (1925), 900 6th St.,

Steele, William L., NRHP-listed * Sioux City Fire Station Number 3 (1929), NRHP-listed. Local lore suggests Steele was the architect. * Williges Building (1930), 613-615 Pierce St.,

Steele & Hilgers, NRHP-listed. Steele's last work in Sioux City *

Ben and Harriet Schulein House The Ben and Harriet Schulein House is a historic building located in Sioux City, Iowa, United States. Built in 1913 for a locally prominent Jewish businessman and his wife, the two-story frame structure was designed by local architect William L. ...

, 2604 Jackson St.,

Steele, William LaBarthe, NRHP-listed * Sioux City Public Library (Smith Villa Branch), 1509 George Ave.,

Steele, William, NRHP-listed * Sts. Peter & Paul School, Jct. of 2nd and Broadway Sts., SE corner, Butte, NE Steele, William L., NRHP-listed * St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church and School Complex, 1302-1316 S 5th St, Crofton, NE Steele, William L., NRHP-listed *One or more buildings in the W.L. and Winnie (Woodfield) Belfrage Farmstead Historic District, NRHP-listed *One or more works in Foster Park Historic District, 500-900 blks. Central Ave. S. & blocks around Foster Park, Le Mars, IA Steele, William La Barthe, NRHP-listed *One or more works in Le Mars Downtown Commercial Historic District, Bounded by 2nd St., N, 2nd Ave., W., 1st St., S., & 1st Ave., E., Le Mars, IA Steele & Hilgers; Beuttler, William, NRHP-listed * St. Boniface Catholic Church (Sioux City, Iowa), which is a major part of the St. Boniface Historic District, 703 W. 5th St., 515 Cook St., 700 W. 6th St.,

Steele, William LaBarthe, NRHP-listed * James P. Newton House and Maid Cottage, 2312 Nebraska St.,

Steele, William I., NRHP-listed (and this is an inbound link, and L. vs. I. fix noted at wp:NRIS info issues IA) * Sioux City Public Library-North Side Branch, 810 29th St.,

Steele, William I., NRHP-listed (and this has inbound link, and L. vs. I. fix noted at wp:NRIS info issues IA)

Other

Architect Knute E. Westerlind, a protégé of Steele's, designed the

PWA Moderne The Art Deco style, which originated in France just before World War I, had an important impact on architecture and design in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s. The most famous examples are the skyscrapers of New York City including the Em ...

Sioux City Municipal Auditorium The Sioux City Municipal Auditorium, known as the Long Lines Family Recreation Center for sponsorship reasons, is a multi-purpose facility in Sioux City, Iowa. The fifth in a line of major indoor venues built in Sioux City, it was designed by Kn ...

in 1938.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steele, William L. Architects from Iowa 1875 births 1949 deaths People from Sioux City, Iowa University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign alumni 20th-century American architects Architects from Nebraska People from Omaha, Nebraska

Career

Selected works

Other

See also

References