Charles Barton Keen
Charles Barton Keen | |
|---|---|
 Keen pictured in 1928 | |
| Born | December 5, 1868 |
| Died | February 12, 1931 (aged 62) Hamilton, Bermuda |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
Charles Barton Keen (December 5, 1868 – February 12, 1931) was an American architect, prominent in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for designing residences and country estates.[1]
Early life
[edit]Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1868,[2] the youngest of the three sons of Charles Burtis Keen and Harriet Emily Ide.[1]
He studied architecture at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), graduating in 1889. Upon returning from a sojourn to Europe, he worked for a year as a draftsman for Theophilus P. Chandler, the founder of UPenn's school of architecture, before working for his cousin Frank Miles Day, one of the three founders of House and Garden.[1]
Keen also studied at the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Industrial Art between 1890 and 1892.[1] One of his classmates was Frank E. Mead, whom Keen later worked with prior to Mead's departure for California.[1]
His protégé in the early 20th century was William Roy Wallace.[1]
Career
[edit]Keen designed suburban residences and country estates for over thirty-five years, mostly along the Philadelphia Main Line.[1] He became the architect of choice among the wealthy, including North Carolina tobacco magnate R. J. Reynolds.[1] For Reynolds, he designed his Reynolda House residence, now a museum, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.[3] He partnered with landscape architect Thomas Sears on several projects.[1]
Selected works
[edit]
Keen was responsible for the following buildings:[1]
- Swarthmore Lodge, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
- Lasater House, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Lucy Henry Harrison House, Brookneal, Virginia (1911)[4]
- Reynolda House, Winston-Salem, North Carolina (1912–1917)
- Alexander Worth McAllister House, Greensboro, North Carolina (1918–1919)
- Richard J. Reynolds High School, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Personal life
[edit]Keen was an accomplished golfer. As a member of Pine Valley Golf Club, he won his division at the 1920 winter tournament at Pinehurst, North Carolina.[1]
In May 1923, at the request of Katharine Reynolds Johnston, Keen relocated his family from Pennsylvania to Winston-Salem. His business was based at the Wachovia Building.[5] He returned north the following year, however, with Wallace joining him as partner.[1]
Keen was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects.[6]
Death
[edit]Keen died of a stroke on February 12, 1931, while in Hamilton, Bermuda. He was 62, and had been ill since April 1929.[6] He was interred in Woodlands Cemetery in Philadelphia.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Keen, Charles Barton (1868-1931)". ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Biographical Catalogue of the Matriculates of the College Together with Lists of the Members of the College Faculty and the Trustees, Officers and Recipients of Honorary Degrees, 1749-1893. University of Pennsylvania. 1894. p. 452.
- ^ "Charles Barton Keen and the Philadelphia School". www.classicist.org. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ Hill, Patrick Henry's Red. "Red Hill". Patrick Henry's Red Hill. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- ^ Keen, Charles Barton (1868-1931) data from the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings (PAB) project of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia
- ^ a b "Obituary 10 -- No Title". The New York Times. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
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