Alfred Faist Rosenheim | |
---|---|
Born |
St. Louis, Missouri |
June 10, 1859
Died | September 9, 1943 Los Angeles, California |
(aged 84)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Architect |
Buildings |
Hellman Building Second Church of Christ Scientist Eugene W. Britt House Doheny House |
Alfred Faist Rosenheim, F.A.I.A. (June 10, 1859 – September 9, 1943) was an architect born in St. Louis, Missouri and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. He was one of the leading architects in Los Angeles, California in the early part of the 20th century. His major works include the Hellman Building, the Hamburger Department Store, Second Church of Christ Scientist and the Eugene W. Britt House.
Rosenheim was born in St. Louis, Missouri, to German parents. After attending public schools in St. Louis, he studied in Frankfurt am Main, Germany from 1872 to 1875. When he returned from Germany, Rosenheim was a student at Washington University in St. Louis from 1876 to 1879. He next attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from 1879 to 1881.
Rosenheim began his career as a draftsman working for Charles K. Ramsay of Boston from 1881 to 1883. In early 1884, he joined the practice of Major Francis D. Lee, then the leading architect in St. Louis. When Major Lee died in 1885, Rosenheim took over the practice. In 1894, he formed a partnership with T.C. Link and William B. Ittner that lasted until 1897. From 1897 to 1899, he worked in a partnership with his younger brother, Samuel F. Rosenheim, with Alfred working in Boston and Samuel in St. Louis. During this time, the Rosenheim firm designed Farragut Chambers, a ten-story apartment house in Washington, D.C., and various structures in Boston and Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1899, Rosenheim returned to St. Louis, where he remained until 1903.
In 1902, Rosenheim received a commission from Herman W. Hellman to design the Hellman Building, which was to be the largest steel-frame building in Los Angeles. He moved to Los Angeles in February 1903 to personally oversee its construction, which continued until November 1904. The impressive eight-story structure located in the heart of the city's new financial district established Rosenheim's reputation in the young city. The Architect and Engineer of California wrote that the building "universally is considered the finest architectural monument in Los Angeles," built at an unprecedented cost of $1 million. The structure was built with a full steel skeleton frame, concrete floors and metal partitions.