Leroy Buffington
Leroy Sunderland Buffington (1847–1931) was an architect from Minnesota who specialized in designing hotels, public and commercial buildings, churches, and residences. He was born September 22, 1847, in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied architecture and engineering at the University of Cincinnati and graduated in 1869. He moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, becoming a partner of Abraham Radcliffe, and worked on the remodeling of the Minnesota State Capitol. After the first Minnesota State Capitol burned down, Buffington designed a replacement (demolished 1938) which served as the State House until 1904. In 1881, he claimed to have thought up the idea of building skyscrapers by using load-bearing iron frames. He applied for a patent in November 1887 and received it in May 1888. However, he was mostly unsuccessful in collecting royalties from his patent, even though many subsequent builders used his method. He remained in private practice in Minneapolis, Minnesota until his death on February 15, 1931.[1]
Some of his works include:
- Pillsbury A Mill (1881), Main Street and 3rd Avenue Southeast, Minneapolis (National Historic Landmark)
- Hotel Lafayette (1882, burned 1897), Minnetonka Beach, Minnesota
- Second State Capitol Building (1882, demolished 1938), Wabasha Street, Saint Paul
- Boston Block (1884, demolished 1942), Minneapolis
- Shipman-Greve House, 445 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul
- Minneapolis Tribune Building (1884, demolished 1889), Minneapolis
- West Hotel (1884, demolished 1940), Minneapolis
- Eddy Hall (1886), Pillsbury Hall (1889), Nicholson Hall (1890) and Burton Hall (1894), University of Minnesota (National Register of Historic Places)
- National Hotel (1893, demolished 1936), Yellowstone National Park (Renamed Mammoth Hotel in 1904)
References
- ↑ Lathrop, Alan K. (2010). Minnesota Architects: A Biographical Dictionary. University of Minnesota Press.
External links
- Leroy Buffington profile
- Leroy Buffington at MNopedia
- Boston Block tribute by James Lileks
- Leroy Buffington at the Minnesota Inventors Hall of Fame
- Photos
- Leroy Buffington at the Minnesota Historical Society
- Leroy Buffington at the Hennepin County Library
- The Art Institute of Chicago
- September 1942 issue of Minnesota History
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