Charles Henry Owsley (1846–1935) was an English-born American architect in practice in Youngstown, Ohio, from 1872 until 1912.

Life and career Charles Henry Owsley was born December 15, 1846, at Blaston Hall in Blaston, Leicestershire in England to William Poyntz Mason Owsley and Henrietta Jane (Farrer) Owsley. He was educated at Allesley Park College, a boys' school, in Coventry, and at the age of 16 intended to pursue a career in the Royal Navy. Owsley had difficulties on a trial voyage and deserted when the ship docked in a Welsh port. His father then arranged for Owsley, then aged 18, to be apprenticed to James Hoskins, an Abergavenny contractor and builder. Owsley later claimed to have worked on projects designed by Matthew Digby Wyatt and George Gilbert Scott during his apprenticeship. He completed his apprenticeship in January 1868. Following his marriage and the death of his father in the same year, Owsley and two of his brothers immigrated to Canada, initially settling in Toronto. In 1869 he moved to Ohio, purchasing land in Weathersfield Township in Trumbull County near Youngstown, and opened an office as an architect in 1872. His first major work was the second Mahoning County Courthouse in Youngstown, completed in 1876, and over the next decade developed a successful regional practice.William Joseph Palmer (2000), To Raise the Standard of Architecture: The Work and Vision of Charles Henry and Charles Frederick Owsley in Youngstown, Ohio [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Youngstown State University.

In 1887 he formed a partnership with Swiss-born architect Louis Boucherle, who had worked for Owsley for about three years. During the same period Owsley directed his son, Charles Frederick Owsley, towards an architectural career. After an education at the University of Pennsylvania and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, the younger Owsley joined his father's office in 1905. In 1908 they began construction of the third Mahoning County Courthouse, replacing Owsley's courthouse of 1876. The new building reflected the younger Owsley's Beaux-Arts training, and he became a partner in the expanded firm of Owsley, Boucherle & Owsley in 1909. The new courthouse, completed in 1910, was Owsley's last major project as a principal architect. Boucherle retired from the partnership in 1911,Brickbuilder 20, no. 2 (February, 1911): 43. followed by the elder Owsley in 1912. His son continued the office, but Owsley stayed active. He worked in his son's office, and when the firm was incorporated in 1920 as the Owsley Company, he became vice president. He retired fully .

Owsley joined the Western Association of Architects in 1884, and became a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1889 when the two organizations merged.Charles H. Owsley, AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, no date. Accessed January 30, 2023.

The majority of Owsley's work was in the Mahoning Valley area of Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, and several of his significant buildings remain in Youngstown, Ohio, Sharon, Pennsylvania, and Salem, Ohio.

Personal life and death Owsley was married in 1868 in Abergavenny to Mary Jane Williams. They had five children, including Charles Frederick Owsley (1880–1953). He was a parishioner of the First Presbyterian Church and a member of the Elks and the Masons. He died August 25, 1935, at home in Youngstown."Charles H. Owsley, Architect, Dies at Youngstown Home" in Salem News, August 26, 1935, 1.

Architectural works Works by Charles H. Owsley, before 1912 Mahoning County Courthouse, Wick Ave and Wood St, Youngstown, Ohio (1874–76, demolished) Montrose B. Magoffin house, 129 S Pitt St, Mercer, Pennsylvania (1884)Lu Donnelly, H. David Brumble IV, and Franklin Toker, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010) Ashtabula High School, Station Ave and W 44th St, Ashtabula, Ohio (1885, demolished 1954)Inland Architect and News Record 5, no. 6 (July, 1885): 98. Julian Harmon house, 210 High St NW, Warren, Ohio (1885, demolished 1928)Inland Architect and News Record 5, no. 4 (May, 1885): 71. Second National Bank Building, Wick Ave and Central Square, Youngstown, Ohio (1886, demolished)Inland Architect and News Record 8, no. 1 (August, 1886): 14. Middlefield Town Hall (former), 16013 E High St, Middlefield, Ohio (1887)Inland Architect and News Record 10, no. 2 (August, 1887): 15. Park Hotel, 136 N Park Ave, Warren, Ohio (1887)Sanitary Engineer and Construction Record 15, no. 17 (March 26, 1887): iv. Henry K. Wick house, 57 Illinois Ave, Youngstown, Ohio (1888)Wick Park Historic District (Boundary Increase) NRHP Registration Form (2001) Trumbull County Orphan's Home, 1440 E Market St, Warren, Ohio (1889–90, demolished)Engineering and Building Record 20, no. 4 (June 22, 1889): 56. Frank H. Buhl house, 422 E State St, Sharon, Pennsylvania (1890–91, NRHP 1977)Frank H. Buhl Mansion NRHP Registration Form (1977) Christian H. Buhl Hospital, E Silver St, Sharon, Pennsylvania (1895–96, demolished)Charitable Institutions of Pennsylvania (Harrisburg: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1898) Memorial Chapel, Riverview Cemetery, East Liverpool, Ohio (1897–99)"G. A. R. Memorial Chapel, East Liverpool, O." in Park and Cemetery 7, no. 9 (November, 1897): 208–209. Darke County Infirmary, 5105 County Home Rd, Greenville, Ohio (1897–98, demolished)Ohio Bulletin of Charities and Correction for the Quarter Ending June 30, 1897 3, no. 2 (1897) Mahoning County Infirmary, Herbert Rd, Canfield, Ohio (1897–98, demolished) Parmalee School, 1320 Belmont Ave, Youngstown, Ohio (1898, demolished)Engineering News 39, no. 13 (March 31, 1898): 109. Carnegie Public Library, 219 E 4th St, East Liverpool, Ohio (1900–02, NRHP 1980)Carnegie Public Library NRHP Registration Form (1977) Buhl Community Recreation Center, 28 Pine St, Sharon, Pennsylvania (1901–03) Dollar Bank Building, 16 Wick Ave, Youngstown, Ohio (1901–02 and 1908, altered)Electrical World and Engineer 37, no. 26 (June 29, 1901): 1149.Engineering News 59, no. 12 (March 19, 1908): 92. Elks Club, Wick Ave and W Wood St, Youngstown, Ohio (1901, demolished)Brickbuilder 10, no. 9 (September, 1901): 197. Franklin High School, Otter St, Franklin, Pennsylvania (1902–04, demolished)School Board Journal 23, no. 5 (November, 1901): 11. First Presbyterian Church, 323 Main St, Greenville, Pennsylvania (1904) Potters Building and Savings Company Building, 517–519 E Broadway St, East Liverpool, Ohio (1904, NRHP 1985) Richard Brown Memorial United Methodist Church (former), 1205 Elm St, Youngstown, Ohio (1905)Wick Park Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1996) Charles H. Owsley house, 238 Broadway, Youngstown, Ohio (1906) Mahoning County Courthouse, 120 Market St, Youngstown, Ohio (1908–10, NRHP 1976)Mahoning County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1976) Mercer County Courthouse, 120 S Diamond St, Mercer, Pennsylvania (1909–11, NRHP 1998)Mercer County Court House NRHP Registration Form (1998) Reuben McMillan Free Library, 305 Wick Ave, Youngstown, Ohio (1909–10, NRHP 1986)Reuben McMillan Free Library NRHP Registration Form (1986) South High School (former), 1833 Market St, Youngstown, Ohio (1909–11)Engineering–Contracting 32, no. 12 (September 22, 1909): 30.

Works by Charles F. Owsley, after 1912 Salem High School (former), 230 N Lincoln Ave, Salem, Ohio (1916–17)Salem Downtown Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1995) G. M. McKelvey Company building, 210–218 W Federal St, Youngstown, Ohio (1917, NRHP 1986, demolished)McKelvey–Higbee Co. Buildings NRHP Registration Form (1986) Home Savings and Loan Company Building, 542 E State St, Salem, Ohio (1928) First National Bank Building, 315 E State St, Salem, Ohio (1930) St. Augustine Episcopal Church, 614 Parmalee Ave, Youngstown, Ohio (1921, demolished 2019) Columbiana County Courthouse remodeling, 105 S Market St, Lisbon, Ohio (1934) East Liverpool City Hall, 126 W 6th St, East Liverpool, Ohio (1934, NRHP 1985)

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