David R. Jones (architect)

David Richard Jones (1832-1915) was a Welsh-American architect and poet.

Jones was born October 24, 1832 in Dolwyddelan, North Wales, the son of Richard James Jones and Ann Jones. On September 2, 1845 Richard, Ann and family (5 boys and one girl) immigrated to the United States. Richard purchased 480 acres of government land east of the village of Cambria, Wisconsin. He built a log house and moved there in the spring of 1846. The farm was named Oakland. In May 1852, David R. left Oakland for the city of Racine, Wisconsin where he apprenticed with architect Lucas Bradley.His brother, Evan O. Jones, remained in Cambria and was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Senate.

Jones worked in Racine for about 4 years before he returned to Cambria. While in Cambria he designed and built many buildings in the area, along with maintaining a lumber yard. In 1871 he left Cambria to become the head draftsman for architect Abraham Radcliffe of St. Paul, Minnesota. In the spring of 1873, Jones returned to Wisconsin and started his own practice in Madison. He set up office on Main Street across from the Capitol. He would maintain the office in Madison until 1885.

In 1880 and 1881 Jones had a branch office in Racine Wisconsin. His head draftsman James Gilbert Chandler worked for him in the Racine office and later took over the business in 1882.

One of his first commissions in Madison was a mansion for General David Atwood, the founder and publisher of the Wisconsin State Journal. Atwood wrote highly of Jones skill in his paper. Residences for other prominent Madisonians were soon to follow, Mayor Silas U. Pinney, Colonel C.G. Thorton, banker Lucien Hanks, and Judge Romanzo Bunn among others.

Madison was becoming a resort city in the 1870s and 80s. Two of Jones commissions were in response to that. Jones designed the buildings for the Monona Lake Assembly Chautauqua and the Tonyawatha Resort Hotel during that time period. Much of his other work was for the Wisconsin State Government. He designed buildings for the Normal Schools at Whitewater, Platteville and River Falls. He also designed buildings at the Mendota Insane Asylum, University of Wisconsin Madison and the north and south wings of the Wisconsin Capitol Building.

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