Frank Shaver Allen (1860–1930), usually known as F. S. Allen was a significant Joliet, Illinois-based American architect noted for his Richardsonian Romanesque school designs.
Early life and career Frank Shaver Allen was born in 1860 in Galesburg, Illinois. He seems to have received some training in Chicago.Christ Episcopal Church NRHP Registration Form (1982) By 1880, he was practicing architecture in Streator, Illinois. In 1886, Allen formed a partnership with John H. Coxhead, the firm being Allen & Coxhead."New Architectural Firms," Inland Architect and Builder 7, no. 1 (February 1886): 8. The partnership was dissolved the following year when Coxhead relocated to St. Paul, Minnesota.Jeffrey A. Hess and Paul Clifford Larson, St. Paul's Architecture: A History (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2006): 72-74. Following the dissolution of this partnership Allen moved to Joliet, where he did much of his best-known work.
In 1893, an exhibit of his work in school architecture at the World's Columbian Exposition received an award from the exposition commission, which led to significant expansion of his practice."Architect Allen's Advance," School Board Journal 16, no. 3 (March 1898): 11.
After being commissioned for work in California, he moved to Los Angeles in 1904 with his family, settling in Pasadena."Hotel Arrivals," Los Angeles Herald, February 25, 1904, 2. He originally maintained his practice from Pasadena, but moved it to Los Angeles in 1907.
Allen was also an Egyptologist.
Alleged kidnapping incident, retirement and death In 1910, Allen was arrested for having an Altadena boy in his Los Angeles hotel room. The Los Angeles Times wrote that: "The boy, in whose company he was when arrested, is the same who was reported missing some time ago. No trace of him could be found by the police until he walked into his home in Altadena with the explanation that he had been in San Francisco with Allen. The matter was reported to the District Attorney's office, and an investigation was begun which resulted in last night's arrests. Allen is one of the most prominent architects in Southern California. He has been reckoned as a leader in his profession in this end of the State, and has occupied a high position in society. His family is of the most exclusive in the fashionable circles of Pasadena and Altadena.""Architect Is Under Arrest," Los Angeles Times, 09/01/1910, pt. II, p. 3."Architect Under Arrest," Los Angeles Times, September 1, 1910, 14. By early the next year, the felony charge was dropped. The Los Angeles Times reported that "The felony charge against F. S. Allen, a Pasadena architect, was ordered dismissed on motion of Deputy District Attorney Harry Alexander, on the ground it would be impossible to secure sufficient evidence to convict Allen.""Wants Probation," Los Angeles Times, 02/22/1911, pt. II, p. 2.
Though other details of this incident are not known, it likely hastened the end of Allen's architectural career, who retired in 1915. He later operated a music store. He died in California on August 26, 1930.Frank Shaver Allen, Pacific Coast Architecture Database. Accessed October 27, 2022.
Legacy Allen was responsible for a number of buildings that have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.
Architectural works + Year Building Address City State Notes Image Reference 1885 Christ Episcopal Church 75 W Van Buren St Joliet Illinois Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, but destroyed by fire in 2006. 1890 Kenosha High School (former) 913 57th St Kenosha Wisconsin Demolished. Frank H. Lyman, The City of Kenosha and Kenosha County, Wisconsin: A Record of Settlement, Organization, Progress and Achievement (Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1916) 1892 Sioux City Central High School (former) 610 13th St Sioux City Iowa Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Sioux City Central High School NRHP Registration Form (1974) 1895 East St. Louis High School (former) 501 N 10th St East St. Louis Illinois Demolished. "New High School Building," American School Board Journal 11, no. 6 (December 1895): n.p. 1895 Washington School 818 W Lorain St Appleton Wisconsin Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. Washington School NRHP Registration Form (1984) 1898 Trenton High School Chestnut and Hamilton Aves Trenton New Jersey Demolished. 1901 Joliet Township High School 201 E Jefferson St Joliet Illinois Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Joliet Township High School NRHP Registration Form (1982) 1906 San Diego High School 1405 Park Blvd San Diego California Demolished in 1975. American Architect and Building News 89, no. 1587 (May 26, 1906): xv. 1907 San Jose High School E San Fernando and S 7th St San Jose California Demolished. Architect and Engineer of California 8, no. 3 (April 1907): 89.F. S. Allen, "The San Jose High School," Architect and Engineer of California 16, no. 2 (March 1909): 35-44.
External links Frank Shaver Allen website
References