Henry John Klutho

Henry John Klutho (1873–1964) was an American architect known for his work in the "Prairie School" style. He helped in the reconstruction of Jacksonville, Florida after the Great Fire of 1901—the largest-ever urban fire in the Southeast—by designing many of the new buildings built after the disaster. This period lasted until the beginning of World War I. Several Jacksonville architects began their careers in the offices of Klutho's firm.

Henry John Klutho
Henry John Klutho, ca. early 1900s
Born	1873 Breese, Illinois
Died	1964 Jacksonville, Florida
Nationality	American
Occupation	Architect
Buildings	St. James Building, Dyal-Upchurch Building, Old Jacksonville Free Public Library

Early life

Klutho was born in Breese, Illinois, a small midwest town. He lived there until the age of 16, when he left for St. Louis, Missouri to study business. When he became interested in architecture, he moved to New York City to learn more, and became an architect.

Work

The rebuilding of downtown Jacksonville in the aftermath of the Great Fire of 1901 introduced modernism in architecture to Florida. On May 3, 1901, a small fire had started in a LaVilla mattress factory, and in just over eight hours swept through 146 city blocks. It destroyed over 2,000 buildings, killed seven people, and left almost 9,000 residents homeless.^[1] New York architect Henry John Klutho (1873-1964) read about the fire in the New York Times and recognized the opportunity of a lifetime. He finished his current projects in New York and moved to Jacksonville to help rebuild the city. Klutho introduced himself to prominent local businessmen and politicians, and within a month, he was commissioned to design the six-story Dyal–Upchurch Building, the first large structure in the barren downtown area.^[2] Other projects soon followed, including the new City Hall and private homes.^[3]

During a business trip to New York City in 1905, Klutho met Frank Lloyd Wright, and the event changed Klutho's life. Wright and other Chicago area architects had originated a new American style of architecture that became known as the "Prairie School", which discarded traditional European features of building design, such as Roman arches and Greek columns. The new style appealed to Klutho, who adapted his own style to accommodate Wright's ideas.^[4]

Klutho and other architects in the city enamored of Prairie School architecture designed local buildings with an exuberant Florida flair.^[1] Between 1907 and the start of World War I, Klutho was commissioned to design dozens of buildings, including the Morocco Temple, the Seminole Hotel, the Florida Life Building, the Bisbee Building, and the YMCA. In what is now the Springfield Historic District, he drew plans for the Klutho Apartments, the Claude Nolan Cadillac Building, the Florence Court Apartments and his own home. He also was involved in the design of buildings in the Avondale and Riverside neighborhoods.^[4][5]

In March 1910, Klutho agreed to design a building for Jacob and Morris Cohen's department store, to be named the St. James Building. Among the proposals sent to the Cohens was a striking design for a building with four floors, twice what had been requested. Klutho proposed a "mixed use" design that would contain small shops on the first floor exterior with the department store in the interior and on the second floor. The third and fourth floors would contain offices for rent. He convinced the brothers that their structure would become the center of commerce for Jacksonville and they embraced his idea.^[6]

Klutho not only designed the building, but acted as construction manager using the fast-track method, whereby work begins prior to design completion. Remarkably, the project was finished in less than a year and a half. The structure was named the St. James Building, and it was Klutho's crowning achievement. When dedicated on October 21, 1912, it was the largest structure in Jacksonville, occupying an entire city block. The St. James Building was the featured article in The Western Architect and Klutho's work was highlighted throughout the magazine in June 1914.^[7] The most striking interior feature was a 75-foot octagonal glass dome, which served as a skylight. The elevators were open "cages", giving passengers a view of the store. The building exterior was decorated with large abstract terra-cotta ornaments.^[7] The former department store is now Jacksonville's City Hall.

Later generations in Jacksonville did not appreciate the creativity and style of his designs. His contributions to the rebirth of the city were mostly ignored, except by his colleagues. Regarding this fact, he quoted Desiderius Erasmus: "In the land of the blind, a one-eyed man is king." Klutho lived to be 91, but had little money, making his later years difficult. Following his death, much of his work was razed or "renovated".^[4] In the mid-1970s, a number of his creations were added to the National Register of Historic Places, assuring their preservation. The Morocco Temple and the St. James Building still stand, and the Klutho Apartments in Springfield were recently restored and converted into office space by the local Episcopalian charity, Fresh Ministries. Despite losses over the years, Jacksonville still has one of the largest collections of Prairie Style buildings (particularly residences) outside the Midwest.^[1] The Jacksonville Historical Society takes special interest in his work:

• Dyal–Upchurch Building
• Florida Baptist Building
• Old Jacksonville Free Public Library (a/k/a Carnegie Library)
• Larimer Memorial Library
• Morocco Temple
• St. James Building (now the Jacksonville City Hall)
• Thomas V. Porter House
• Alexander St. Clair-Abrams House
• Henry John Klutho House the architect's residence
• Bisbee Building
• Florida Life Building
• Hotel James in Palatka

Gallery

• 
  Old YMCA building
• 
  St. James Building
• 
  Old Larimer Library, in Palatka
• 
  Bisbee Building
• 
  Dyal–Upchurch Building
• 
  Florida Life Building
• 
  Klutho House
• 
  Old Jacksonville Free Public Library
• 
  Morocco Temple, Jacksonville
• 
  Klutho Apartments on Main Street

See also

• Architecture of Jacksonville

References

Notes

1. "Downtown Jacksonville Historic District: Architecture". npgallery.nps.gov. National Park Service. 2016. p. 12. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
2. Wood, Wayne W. "Dyal-Upchurch Building". Jacksonville Historical Society. Archived from the original on January 25, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
3. "John Henry Klutho". Jacksonville Historical Society. Archived from the original on February 14, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
4. Wood, Wayne. "Jacksonville Historical Society, Henry John Klutho" Archived 2012-02-14 at the Wayback Machine
5. Broward, Robert. The Architecture of Henry John Klutho , University Press of Florida, 1984. ISBN 0-8130-0731-3
6. Wood, Wayne W. "St. James Building". Jacksonville Historical Society. Archived from the original on August 9, 2014. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
7. Wood, Wayne. "Jacksonville's Architectural Heritage, St. James Building"

External links

• Jacksonville Architects at Jacksonville Historical Society
• Photographic exhibit on the Great Fire of 1901 and Aftermath, and includes images of Klutho and his buildings. Presented by the State Archives of Florida.
• RAP: Application for Historic District – Riverside / Avondale at Riverside Avondale Preservation
• Jacksonville Modern Times^[usurped] at The Vernon Johns Society^[usurped]