David Riebel (August 7, 1855 – July 29, 1935) was a German-American architect in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. He was the head architect for the

Columbus public school district Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city (portions of the city are served by suburban school districts). The district has 46 ...

from 1893 to 1922. In 1915, ''The Ohio Architect, Engineer and Builder'' considered his firm, David Riebel & Sons, to be the oldest and among the best architects in Columbus.

Early life and career

David Riebel was born on August 7, 1855, in Blenheim,

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

. He was married in Bosanquet Township on November 3, 1875. At the time, he was described as a carpenter. With his wife, Margaret Ann Clemens, by 1895 he had four children: Laura, Elroy, Frederick, and Mary Edna. Riebel began practicing architecture around 1878. His first major commissions were in

Forest, Ontario Forest is a community in Lambton Shores, Ontario, Canada, near Sarnia and Lake Huron in Lambton County. It has a population of 2,876 (2011 Census) and a land area of . Community Forest's high school is North Lambton Secondary School. This ...

: its town hall (built 1883-84, demolished in 1982) and the Second Empire-style mansion of Dr. James Hutton (built in 1887 and demolished in 1935). Riebel moved with his family to

, in February 1888 to open up a new architectural office. He became the first head of the architectural department of the Columbus Board of Education (the lead architect for

Columbus City Schools Columbus City Schools, formerly known as Columbus Public Schools, is the official school district for the city of Columbus, Ohio, and serves most of the city (portions of the city are served by suburban school districts). The district has 46 ...

) in 1893. In that position, Riebel designed about 40 Columbus public school buildings between 1891 and 1921; the remaining buildings are some of Columbus's most notable landmarks. His two sons joined him in designing buildings in 1904, after thorough training, giving the firm the name "David Riebel & Sons". Riebel continued in the position until 1922. For a time, Riebel had his offices in the William J. Lhota Building, originally known as the New First National Bank Building. David Riebel died on July 29, 1935. He is buried at Green Lawn Cemetery.

Works

In Columbus

Riebel was involved in the design of numerous Columbus buildings:

Outside Columbus

Works in other areas included: * Public school (Worthington, Ohio, 1896) * Town Hall (Forest, Ontario, 1883-4) * Dr. James Hutton mansion (Forest, Ontario, 1887) * St. Mary's School (Lancaster, Ohio, 1910) * First Church of Christ Scientist (Lancaster, Ohio, 1921) * Public school (Crooksville, Ohio, 1923)

References

External links