Mifflin E. Bell
| Mifflin Emlen Bell | |
|---|---|
| Born |
October 20, 1847 East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania |
| Died | May 31, 1904 (aged 56) Chicago, IL |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Several US Post Offices, Courthouses, and Customhouses |
Mifflin Emlen Bell (October 20, 1847 – May 31, 1904), often known as M.E. Bell, was an American architect who served from 1883 to 1886 as Supervising Architect of the US Treasury Department. Bell delegated design responsibilities to staff members, which resulted in a large variety of building styles, including Second Empire, Châteauesque, Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque.
Bell was born on a farm in East Bradford Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania to Chalhly Bell & Mary Emlen. He married Addie Vanhoff on June 7, 1871, and by 1876 he was living in Springfield, Illinois with his wife and two children, working as Assistant Superintendent of the statehouse. Bell's tenure as Supervising Architect for the US Treasury began on November 1, 1883, with an annual salary of $4,500 (equivalent to $115,666 today). He was member of the Joint Commission to Complete the Washington Monument, and his name is engraved on the north face of the monument's capstone. Bell submitted his resignation from the position by mid-1887 and moved to Chicago. In Chicago, Bell was appointed as superintendent of repairs for the city's federal buildings, and was in charge of federal buildings at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. He died in Chicago of pneumonia in 1904.
Many of his works survive and a number of these are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
U.S. Post Office, Brooklyn, New York. One of the finest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque
U.S. Post Office, Quincy, Illinois, in the Châteauesque style
...
Wikipedia