Owen Southwell

Owen James Trainor Southwell (1892–1961) was an American architect who practiced in the early 1900s in Atlanta, Georgia; Beaumont, Texas; and New Iberia, Louisiana. His architecture style was a mixture of Southern greek revival, other revival styles, and antebellum.

Owen Southwell
Born
Owen James Trainor Southwell

(1892-09-20)September 20, 1892
New Iberia, Louisiana, U.S.
DiedApril 7, 1961(1961-04-07) (aged 68)
NationalityAmerican
Other namesOwen J. T. Southwell
Alma materCarnegie Mellon University
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsSt. Peter's Church

Biography

Southwell was born September 20, 1892 in New Iberia, Louisiana, to parents Catherine Trainor and William D. Southwell.[1][2] Southwell's father lived in New York between 1885-1888 while studying architecture, returning to New Iberia to open an architecture practice in 1888.[3] Southwell attended high school in Beaumont, Texas.[2] Southwell attended Tulane University for two years before transferring to Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University), where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in Architecture in 1915.[1][3] At Carnegie Tech he studied with architect Henry Hornbostel.[3] Between 1914–1916, Southwell was hired as an instructor of architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.[4][5]

During World War I, Southwell served in the Naval Reserve.[1][3] He was married to Yvonne Arnandez (1895–1993).[6]

He lived in Atlanta from 1919-1931, moving there to manage Henry Hornbostel’s local architecture office.[3] During the early years in Atlanta, Southwell worked on designing early buildings for Emory University.[3] By 1923, Southwell opened his own private architecture practice in Atlanta.[3] In 1931, Southwell moved back to New Iberia because of the Great Depression, and moving his private architecture practice with him.[7][8]

Southwell died in April 1961, at the age of 68, and is buried in Saint Peter's Cemetery in New Iberia.

Notable buildings
  • 1888–1953 – Old St. Peter’s Church in New Iberia, Louisiana (now demolished)[9]
  • 1927 – Sardis United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia[8]
  • 1928 – Caed Mile Failte, the John Henry Phelan mansion and 15.4-acre estate in Beaumont, Texas[7]
  • c.1936 – Buddha House at the Jungle Gardens in Avery Island, Louisiana[7]
  • 1937 – Essanee Theater in New Iberia, Louisiana[10]
  • 1953 – St. Peter’s Church in New Iberia, Louisiana (same location as the earlier church)[7]
  • 1951 – Sugar Festival Building in New Iberia, Louisiana[11]

References
  1. "Owen J. Southwell Papers". Edith Garland Dupré Library. University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 2014-10-13. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  2. "Owen James Southwell". The Georgian Revival. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  3. "Owen Southwell". Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle (AH&L). Esteem Media. 2011-04-01. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  4. Announcement of Courses. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. 1914. p. 100.
  5. Chatburn, G.R.; Jacoby, Henry S.; Bishop, F .L. (1916). Bulletin of the Society of the Promotion of Engineering Education. Charlottesville, Virginia: American Society for Engineering Education. p. 181.
  6. Branton, Vicky (2016-03-14). "If trees could talk". The Daily Iberian. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  7. "Art, Architecture & Literature of the Teche Country". Discover Iberia. Arcadia Media Ventures. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2019-01-24.
  8. Marshall (2011). "Owen Southland" (PDF). Atlanta Homes Magazine.
  9. "Saint Peter's Catholic Church « Phone Home". Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  10. "Essanee Theater in New Iberia, LA". Cinema Treasures. Retrieved 2019-01-25.
  11. "Mr. Owen Southwell - Builder of the Louisiana Sugar Cane Festival Building". The Eunice News. 1950-06-02. p. 10. Retrieved 2019-01-25 – via newspapers.com.
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