Albert Simons
| Albert Simons | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1890 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Died | 1980 Charleston, South Carolina |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet P. Stoney |
| Parent(s) | Thomas Grange Simons and Serena Daniel Aiken |
Albert Simons (1890 – 1980), had a sixty-year career as an architect and preservationist in Charleston, South Carolina, where he is known for his preservation work and architectural design. He played a key role in the Charleston Renaissance. Simons helped to create many nationally prominent preservation functions such as the zoning ordinance for the historic district, the first such ordinance in America, with municipal austerity, and the first Board of Architectural Review. As a professor at the College of Charleston for over 20 years, he started the School of the Arts whose building is named after him and is honored yearly through the Simons Medal of Excellence.
Born in 1890, Albert Simons descended from a long line of influential Charlestonians. His father, Dr. Thomas Grange Simons, was a physician and who enocuraged public health through the advocacy of proper sewers and infrastructure. Simons' uncle, William Martin Aiken, was an architect who designed many large classical buildings such as "The Old Post Office Pavilion" in Washington,D.C., and in his capacity as architect to the United States Treasury, the Federal Mint in Philadelphia.
Albert Simons enrolled at the College of Charleston for his first year and completed his B.S. and M.S. degrees in architecture at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation he traveled through Europe and Northern Africa studying architecture, and finished his trip studying at the Atelier Hébrard in Paris. During his travels, Simons created hundreds of wonderful travel sketches and watercolors, fulfilling the Beaux-Arts-instilled desire to learn through sketching great examples of architecture. Upon returning to Charleston in 1915, he became one of the first instructors of architecture at the Clemson School of Architecture. During this time, Simon’s worked briefly as a partner in the firm of Todd, Simons and Todd, until he volunteered to serve in the U.S. Army during World War I. Simons also volunteered to serve in France in World War II.
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