Albert Jordan
Albert Jordan, or Albert H. Jordan (c. 1821[1] – 1872), was an American architect known primarily for his work in Detroit, Michigan.

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Jordan was born in England around 1821. In 1852 he followed his brother, Octavius Jordan, also an architect, to the United States. Joining his brother in Hartford, he became a partner in his firm, O. & A. Jordan. That same year he traveled to Detroit to open a western office, with Octavius remaining in Hartford. The brothers' partnership was dissolved in 1854, with Albert Jordan remaining in Detroit.[2]
Jordan remained in independent practice until 1856. That year he made James Anderson, one of his draftsmen, a partner. The firm of Jordan & Anderson lasted until 1861, when Jordan departed for San Francisco.[3] He was pushed there under the economic pressure of the Civil War, which limited architectural opportunities in Detroit. Jordan remained in San Francisco for a decade, when he left again, this time for Portland. He continued to practice architecture, and died in that city in 1872.[4]
The firm of Jordan & Anderson was selected in 1861 as the architects of the new Detroit City Hall. Plans were drawn, but construction did not move ahead. When this now-demolished building went forward in 1867, James Anderson was the sole architect.[5]
Architectural Works
O. & A. Jordan, 1852-1854:
- 1853 - Fort Street Presbyterian Church, 631 W Fort St, Detroit, Michigan[6]
- 1854 - Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church, 1301 E Jefferson Ave, Detroit, Michigan[7]
- Demolished
Albert Jordan, 1854-1856:
- 1854 - First Congregational Church, Fort & Wayne Sts, Detroit, Michigan[8]
- Demolished
- 1855 - All Saints' Anglican Church, 330 City Hall Sq. W., Windsor, Ontario[9]
- 1855 - Essex County Courthouse (Mackenzie Hall), 3277 Sandwich St W, Windsor, Ontario[9]
- 1855 - First Presbyterian Church, Farmer & State Sts, Detroit, Michigan[8]
- Demolished
- 1856 - Central Public School, 350 City Hall Sq W, Windsor, Ontario[9]
- Later City Hall, demolished
- 1856 - Chapel, Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan[10]
Jordan & Anderson, 1856-1861:
- 1856 - Chemical Laboratory, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan[11]
- Demolished
- 1856 - St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 120 N Huron St, Ypsilanti, Michigan[12]
- 1857 - Russell House, 660 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan[3]
- Once Detroit's most expensive hotel. Demolished.
- 1857 - Union School, 210 W Cross St, Ypsilanti, Michigan[12]
- Demolished
- 1858 - Henry P. Baldwin House, 341 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan[13]
- Demolished
- 1858 - Zachariah Chandler House, W Fort & 2nd Sts, Detroit, Michigan[14]
- Demolished
- 1860 - St. John's Episcopal Church, 2326 Woodward Ave, Detroit, Michigan[15]
- 1860 - St. Patrick's R. C. Church, 124 Adelaide St, Detroit, Michigan[16]
- Burned in 1993
- 1861 - Law Building (Haven Hall), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan[11]
- Demolished
Albert H. Jordan, 1861-1872:
- 1863 - Second M. E. Church, 657 Howard St, San Francisco, California[17]
- Also known as the Howard Street Church, demolished
- 1865 - St. Matthew's Episcopal Church, 1 S El Camino Real, San Mateo, California[18]
- Destroyed in 1906
- 1866 - Trinity Episcopal Church, 384 Post St, San Francisco, California[19]
- Demolished
- 1871 - Trinity Episcopal Church, SW 6th & Oak Sts, Portland, Oregon[20]
- Burned in 1902
References
- "United States Census, 1860". FamilySearch. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- Connecticut Historical Society Bulletin. 1991.
- Ferry, W. Hawkins. The Buildings of Detroit: A History. 1980.
- Morning Oregonian 30 April 1872: 1.
- Austin, Dan. "Old City Hall. http://www.historicdetroit.org/. n.d. Web.
- Transactions of the State Agricultural Society: With Reports of County Agricultural Societies, for 1853. 1854.
- Golden Jubilee Volume of the Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church, of Detroit, Michigan. 1904.
- Ferry, W. Hawkins. "The Gothic and Tuscan Revivals in Detroit, 1828-1875". Art Quarterly Summer 1946.
- "Jordan, Albert". http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/. n.d. Web.
- Hill, Eric J. AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. 2003.
- Truettner, Julia M. Aspirations for Excellence: Alexander Jackson Davis and the First Campus Plan for the University of Michigan, 1838. 2003.
- Foster, G. L. The Past of Ypsilanti: A Discourse Delivered on Leaving the Old Presbyterian Church Edifice. 1857.
- Cigliano, Jan. The Grand American Avenue, 1850-1920. 1994.
- Gay, Cheri Y. Detroit Then and Now. 2001.
- Andrews, Wayne. Architecture in Michigan. 1967.
- Austin, Dan. "St. Patrick Catholic Church". http://www.historicdetroit.org/. n.d. Web.
- Daily Alta California 1 March 1863: 2.
- "History". http://episcopalstmatthew.org/. n.d. Web.
- Stained Glass: A Journal Devoted to the Craft of Painted and Stained Glass 1996: 194.
- Pharisee among Philistines: the Diary of Judge Matthew P. Deady, 1871-1892. Vol. 1. 1975.