User:CA2MI/sandbox

MY SANDBOX

Albert Sutton
Born	(1867-06-06)June 6, 1867 Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Died	November 18, 1923(1923-11-18) (aged 56) Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of California
Occupation	Architect
Spouse(s)	Ethel F. Meek, 1894-1908 Marie L. Hewitt, 1909-1923
Parent(s)	John Sutton Anna Beatrice Dolan Sutton
Practice	James Pickles, 1888-1892 Charles Peter Weeks, 1903-1910

For other people named Albert Sutton, see Albert Sutton (disambiguation).

Albert Sutton (June 6, 1867 – November 18, 1923) was a prominent architect in the Pacific Northwest, especially in the cities of Tacoma, Washington; San Francisco, California; Portland, Oregon; and vicinities.

Life and career

Early life

Albert Sutton was born in Victoria, British Columbia, the eighth of nine children to John and Anna Sutton. His father led a seafaring life as chief engineer on the Pacific Squadron of the U.S. Navy during the 1860s and was on the George S. Wright Steamer when it tragically disappeared in 1873 on its way from Sitka, Alaska back to Portland, Oregon.

Sutton grew up in Portland, Oregon, where his family moved to when he was a young boy, and attended public schools there. He relocated to Berkeley, California for two years of study at the University of California. He then became a draftsman for the Southern Pacific Railroad, working on railroad bridges and buildings for three years.

Pickles & Sutton, Tacoma

Sutton moved to Tacoma, Washinton, during its railroad boomtown period, when it served as the western terminus of the newly completed northern transcontinental railroad. Sutton, in his early twenties, fortunately was able to became a junior partner with architect James Pickles, who was thirty. Together, Pickles & Sutton designed many of the historic commercial buildings in Tacoma in the early boom years, using design elements from the Romanesque Revival style which was in vogue at the time. Their portfolio included the Sprague Block (1888); the Sprague Building (1889); the U.S. Post Office (1889); the Abbot Building (1889); the Uhlman Block (1889); the Baker Building (1889); the Wolf Building (1889); the Dougan Block (1890); the Holmes & Ball Furniture Co. (1890); the Joy Block (1892); and the Berlin Building (1892).

Sutton got married in 1894 to Ethel F. Meek of San Lorenzo, California and moved the following year to San Francisco, where they had two daughters, Alberta and Anna.

Sutton & Weeks, San Francisco

In San Francisco, Sutton entered a 1895 design competition for new buildings to house the affiliated colleges of the University of California, including the College of Medicine, the College of Dentistry & Pharmacy, and the College of Law. Although he did not win the award, he garnered among five finalists the largest support of the Board of Regents on their first two ballots and established his presence as an architect. In 1896 he designed a new building for the Good Samaritan Mission near 2nd and Folsom streets in San Francisco. The following year he was selected by the Board of Trustees to design a new $125,000 homeopathic hospital on Lake street between 14th and 15th avenues of San Francisco, with support from philanthropist Phoebe Hearst for a children's ward. In 1900 he designed the St. Peter's Chapel, Mare Island, which was dedicated in 1901. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places in and is the oldest extant U.S. Navy chapel.

In 1903 Sutton formed the firm of Sutton & Weeks with junior partner Charles Peter Weeks (1870-1928), which increased his reach in California. Their portfolio included the Pacific Hardware and Steel Company Building (1904), Citizens' National Bank of San Francisco (1905), John A. Roebling's Sons Company building at San Francisco, said to be one of the best examples of fireproof construction in the country, and the Farmers & Merchants Bank at Oakland. Impressively, they bested the State competition and landed the premium controlling contract to remodel the State Capitol in Sacramento. As the senior partner, Sutton spent much time working with the State Capitol commission, which consisted of Governor Pardee, Secretary of State Curry, and State Treasurer Reeves; this resulted in State appropriations of almost $700,000 in total for the remodeling project.

After a public contested divorce and child custody battle in the courts, Sutton received custody of the two daughters, remarried in 1909 to Marie L. Hewitt of Tacoma, and retired to Hood River, Oregon the following year. His second marriage added two children, Rocena and John Hewitt.

Sutton & Whitney, Portland

Main article: Sutton & Whitney

Sutton resumed his practice of architecture, when he returned back to his childhood city of Portland in 1912, and joined forces with junior partner Harrison Allen Whitney (1877-1962). The two formed a prosperous alliance for more than a decade.

This success of the Portland office enabled him to open in 1918 a branch office in Tacoma, where he got his first break in architectural practice. Dividing his time between the two offices, Sutton supervised their many activities, which included (c. 1922) the construction of the Multnomah County Infirmary at a cost of one million dollars, the Meter & Frank Warehouse, also costing one million dollars, and the Scottish Rite Cathedrals in Portland and Tacoma.

Death

Sutton, at the height of his career, passed away suddenly in Tacoma of congestive heart failure at the age of 56. He was buried at Tacoma Cemetery.