Architects of Record

Who got the credit, how old they were, and how long it took

Hidden history

What the record shows

Every palace has a name attached to it. This table puts the credited architect next to their age when credited (from birth years on Wikidata), an earlier major project, whether there was a competition, and the build time on record.

Young names, huge jobs
Several of the biggest commissions went to people in their twenties and thirties: Schwarzmann at about 28, Garnier at about 36, Richardson at about 32.
Competitions
Competitions often drew hundreds of entries for a single building. Researchers ask where all those detailed, finished designs came from.
Build times
Fair palaces went up in one to three years. Some permanent city halls and parliaments took 15 to 30 years.

Questions worth asking

How did a 28-year-old park engineer come to design a national art gallery?
Why do fair palaces take two years when city halls take thirty?
Were some of these architects restoring or recasting buildings that already stood?

Architects of record

Age = year credited minus birth year (Wikidata), so it can be a year off. Swipe the table sideways.

Architect	Age when credited	Credited for	Earlier major project	Competition?	Claimed build time
Joseph PaxtonDesignerb. 1803 · Wikidata	47in 1850Some records give 1804 as his birth year.	Crystal Palace, LondonThe Great Exhibition →	Great Conservatory, Chatsworth (1836–41)	Yes: the 1850 committee competition drew about 245 entries; none was used, and Paxton's late design was adopted.	About 6 months on site (Aug 1850 – Jan 1851)
Richard Snowden AndrewsArchitectb. 1830 · Wikidata	28in 1858	Trans-Allegheny Lunatic AsylumTrans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum →	Baltimore practice from the 1850s	No	About 23 years (1858–81)
Charles GarnierArchitectb. 1825 · Wikidata	36in 1861	Palais GarnierPalais Garnier →	Prix de Rome (1848); the Opéra was his first major building	Yes: the 1861 competition (171 entries)	About 14 years (1861–75)
Joseph PoelaertArchitectb. 1817 · Wikidata	44in 1861	Palais de Justice, BrusselsPalais de Justice →	Congress Column, Brussels (1850–59)	A competition (1860) produced no winner; he was then appointed	About 17 years (1866–83)
George Edmund StreetArchitectb. 1824 · Wikidata	44in 1868	Royal Courts of JusticeRoyal Courts of Justice →	St James the Less, Westminster (1859–61)	Yes: the 1866–67 competition	About 9 years (1873–82)
John McArthur Jr.Architectb. 1823 · Wikidata	46in 1869	Philadelphia City HallPhiladelphia City Hall →	Continental Hotel, Philadelphia (1860)	Yes: the 1869 competition	About 30 years (1871–1901)
Friedrich von SchmidtArchitectb. 1825 · Wikidata	44in 1869	Vienna City HallVienna City Hall (Rathaus) →	Cologne Cathedral works (1843–57)	Yes: the 1868–69 competition	About 11 years (1872–83)
H. H. RichardsonArchitectb. 1838 · Wikidata	32in 1870	Buffalo State AsylumBuffalo State Asylum (Richardson Olmsted Campus) →	Church of the Unity, Springfield (1866–69)	No	About 25 years (1871–95)
Carl von HasenauerChief architectb. 1833 · Wikidata	38in 1871	Vienna World's Fair groundsVienna World's Fair (Weltausstellung) →	Vienna practice; later the Burgtheater and the court museums	No: appointed	About 2 years (1871–73)
John Scott RussellEngineer (Rotunde)b. 1808 · Wikidata	64in 1872	The Rotunde, ViennaVienna World's Fair (Weltausstellung) →	SS Great Eastern (1854–58, with I. K. Brunel)	No	About 1½ years (1872–73)
Hermann J. SchwarzmannChief architectb. 1846 · Wikidata	28in 1874	Memorial Hall, Centennial ExhibitionCentennial Exposition →Memorial Hall →	Engineer on the Fairmount Park staff; Memorial Hall was his first major building	Not for Memorial Hall: he was appointed	About 2 years (1874–76)
Nathaniel J. BradleeArchitectb. 1829 · Wikidata	45in 1874	Danvers State Lunatic HospitalDanvers State Hospital →	Boston practice from the 1850s	No	About 4 years (1874–78)
Gabriel DavioudArchitect (with Jules Bourdais)b. 1824 · Wikidata	52in 1876	Palais du TrocadéroExposition Universelle of 1878 →	Fontaine Saint-Michel, Paris (1858–60)	Yes: the 1876 competition	About 2 years (1876–78)
Imre SteindlArchitectb. 1839 · Wikidata	44in 1883	Hungarian Parliament BuildingHungarian Parliament Building →	New City Hall, Budapest (1870–75)	Yes: the 1882–83 international competition	About 19 years (1885–1904)
Gordon W. LloydArchitectb. 1832 · Wikidata	51in 1883	Northern Michigan AsylumNorthern Michigan Asylum →	Detroit church work from the 1860s	No	About 2 years (1883–85)
Maurice KoechlinEngineer (first tower sketch)b. 1856 · Wikidata	28in 1884	Eiffel Tower (1884 sketch)Exposition Universelle →	Structural work at Eiffel et Cie	Same competition	Same
H. H. RichardsonArchitectb. 1838 · Wikidata	46in 1884	Allegheny County Courthouse and JailAllegheny County Courthouse →	Trinity Church, Boston (1872–77)	Yes: the 1883 competition	About 4 years (1884–88)
Gustave EiffelEngineer and builderb. 1832 · Wikidata	54in 1886	Eiffel TowerExposition Universelle →	Bordeaux railway bridge (1858–60)	Yes: the 1886 Exposition competition (about 107 entries)	2 years 2 months (Jan 1887 – Mar 1889)
Ferdinand DutertArchitectb. 1845 · Wikidata	41in 1886	Galerie des machinesExposition Universelle →	Prix de Rome (1869)	Yes: the 1886 Exposition competition	About 2 years (1887–89)
E. J. LennoxArchitectb. 1854 · Wikidata	32in 1886	Old City Hall, TorontoOld City Hall →	Toronto practice from 1876	Yes: the 1885–86 competition	About 10 years (1889–99)
Josep Vilaseca i CasanovasArchitectb. 1848 · Wikidata	39in 1887	Arc de Triomf, BarcelonaBarcelona Universal Exposition →	Casa Bruno Cuadros, Barcelona (1883–85)	No	About 1 year (1887–88)
Lluís Domènech i MontanerArchitectb. 1850 · Wikidata	37in 1887	Castle of the Three Dragons and Grand Hotel InternacionalBarcelona Universal Exposition →	Montaner i Simón publishing house, Barcelona (1879–85)	No	Hotel: about two months (often given as 53 days)
Daniel BurnhamChief of constructionb. 1846 · Wikidata	44in 1890	World's Columbian ExpositionWorld's Columbian Exposition →	Montauk Block, Chicago (1882, with John Root)	No: he was appointed	About 2 years for the main palaces (1891–93)
Charles B. AtwoodDesigner-in-chiefb. 1849 · Wikidata	42in 1891	Palace of Fine Arts (now the Museum of Science and Industry)World's Columbian Exposition →Museum of Science and Industry →	Designer for Herter Brothers, New York	No: he was appointed	About 2 years (1891–93)
Theodore LinkArchitectb. 1850 · Wikidata	41in 1891	St. Louis Union StationSt. Louis Union Station →	St. Louis practice from the 1870s	Yes: the 1891 competition	About 2 years (1892–94)
Henry C. KochArchitectb. 1841 · Wikidata	52in 1893	Milwaukee City HallMilwaukee City Hall →	Milwaukee practice from 1870	Reported as a design competition win	About 2 years (1893–95)
William Crawford SmithArchitectb. 1837 · Wikidata	58in 1895	Nashville ParthenonTennessee Centennial and International Exposition →The Parthenon →	No earlier major building on record	No	About 2 years (1895–97)
Charles GiraultArchitect; chief architect of the Grand Palaisb. 1851 · Wikidata	45in 1896	Petit Palais and Grand PalaisExposition Universelle of 1900 →	Prix de Rome (1880)	Yes: the 1896 competition	About 3 years (1897–1900)
Thomas Rogers KimballCo-architect-in-chiefb. 1862 · Wikidata	35in 1897	Trans-Mississippi ExpositionTrans-Mississippi and International Exposition →	Omaha practice from 1891	No	About 1 year (1897–98)
Victor LalouxArchitectb. 1850 · Wikidata	48in 1898	Gare d'OrsayExposition Universelle of 1900 →	Basilica of Saint-Martin, Tours (from 1886)	Reported as a limited competition (1897)	About 2 years (1898–1900)
John M. CarrèreChairman, board of architectsb. 1858 · Wikidata	41in 1899	Pan-American Exposition planPan-American Exposition →	Ponce de Leon Hotel, St. Augustine (1885–88, with Thomas Hastings)	No	About 2 years (1899–1901)
John Galen HowardArchitectb. 1864 · Wikidata	35in 1899	Electric Tower, Pan-American ExpositionPan-American Exposition →	Draftsman for H. H. Richardson	No	About 2 years (1899–1901)
Isaac S. TaylorChief of designb. 1850 · Wikidata	51in 1901	Louisiana Purchase ExpositionLouisiana Purchase Exposition →	St. Louis practice from the 1870s	No	About 3 years (1901–04)
Cass GilbertArchitectb. 1859 · Wikidata	43in 1902	Palace of Fine Arts, St. Louis (now the Saint Louis Art Museum)Saint Louis Art Museum →	Minnesota State Capitol (won the competition in 1895)	No	About 2 years (1902–04)
Charles A. ReedArchitect (Reed & Stem, with Warren & Wetmore)b. 1858 · Wikidata	45in 1903	Grand Central TerminalGrand Central Terminal →	Railway stations in the Midwest (Reed & Stem)	Yes: the 1903 competition	About 10 years (1903–13)
Whitney WarrenArchitect (Warren & Wetmore)b. 1864 · Wikidata	39in 1903	Grand Central Terminal (facade and interiors)Grand Central Terminal →	New York Yacht Club building (1899–1901)	Joined after the 1903 competition	About 10 years (1903–13)
John Charles OlmstedLandscape architect (grounds plan)b. 1852 · Wikidata	54in 1906	Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition planAlaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition →	Seattle parks plan (1903)	No	About 2 years (1907–09)
Arthur Brown Jr.Architect (Bakewell & Brown)b. 1874 · Wikidata	38in 1912	San Francisco City HallSan Francisco City Hall →	Berkeley City Hall (1908–09)	Yes: the 1912 competition	About 2½ years (1913–15)
Whitney WarrenArchitect (Warren & Wetmore, with Reed & Stem)b. 1864 · Wikidata	48in 1912	Michigan Central StationMichigan Central Station →	Grand Central Terminal, New York (1903–13, with Reed & Stem)	No	About 1½ years (1912–13)
Bernard MaybeckArchitectb. 1862 · Wikidata	51in 1913	Palace of Fine Arts, San FranciscoPanama-Pacific International Exposition →Palace of Fine Arts →	Hearst Hall, Berkeley (1899)	No	About 2 years (1913–15), rebuilt in concrete in the 1960s