Gurdon P. Randall (February 18, 1821– September 20, 1884) was an architect in Chicago, Illinois. Early in his career, he studied in Boston, Massachusetts, in the office of Asher Benjamin. He moved to Chicago when he was 30, and practiced there for 34 years, focusing on large institutional architecture. He designed a number of notable buildings, including several that survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Biography Gurdon P. Randall was born in Braintree, Vermont on February 18, 1821. His siblings included Francis V. Randall, an attorney and Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He attended public school and assisted his father in lumbering and carpentry. Randall married Louisa Caroline Drew on January 31, 1842. When he was twenty-two, Randall moved to Boston, Massachusetts to study architecture with Asher Benjamin and G. W. Gray. In 1845 he returned to Vermont, establishing an architect's office at Northfield,"To the Public," Vermont Patriot and State Gazette (Montpelier, VT), January 11, 1845, 3. later relocating to the larger town of Rutland. Randall specialized in railroad buildings, designing many of the structures on the Vermont Central and Rutland & Burlington lines. In Rutland Randall worked with his brother J. J. R. Randall, who succeeded to the practice when he relocated,"Randall," Vermont Watchman (Montpelier, VT), September 2, 1891, 1. in 1850, to Syracuse, New York. He practiced there for another six years.
In 1856, he moved west to Chicago, Illinois. There, he focused on designing public buildings such as county courthouses and churches. Major commissions in the Chicago area included University Hall at Northwestern University, Union Park Congregational Church, Eighth Presbyterian Church, and Plymouth Church. He also designed plans for the Theological Seminary of the Northwest and the original University of Saint Mary's of the Lake. Many of his Chicago works were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Outside of the Chicago area, Randall also designed some of the first buildings at The State Normal University in Bloomington, Illinois; the Minnesota State Normal School in Winona, Minnesota; and the Whitewater Normal School in Whitewater, Wisconsin. He died on September 20, 1884.
Architectural works + Year Project Address City State Notes Image Reference 1867 Plymouth Congregational Church S Wabash Ave and E 9th St Chicago Illinois Later the St. Mary R. C. Church. Demolished in 1971.John R. Schmidt, "Lost Chicago landmark: the old Old St. Mary’s" Frank A. Randall, History of the Development of Building Construction in Chicago (Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1999) 1868 Madison County Courthouse 201 W Court St Winterset Iowa Destroyed by fire in 1875, and rebuilt largely on the same lines from 1876-78 under the direction of Alfred H. Piquenard. The rebuilt courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. Madison County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1981) 1868 Montgomery County Courthouse 105 Courthouse Sq Hillsboro Illinois Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Montgomery County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1994) 1868 Morgan County Courthouse 300 W State St Jacksonville Illinois Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Morgan County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1986) 1868 University Hall,Northwestern University 633 Clark St Evanston Illinois Jay Pridmore, Northwestern University: Celebrating 150 Years (Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 2000) 1869 Congregational Church of Iowa City 30 N Clinton St Iowa City Iowa Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Congregational Church of Iowa City NRHP Registration Form (1973) 1869 Union Park Congregational Church (former) 60 N Ashland Blvd Chicago Illinois Presently the First Baptist Congregational Church. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. Union Park Congregational Church and Carpenter Chapel NRHP Registration Form 2006) 1870 Marshall County Courthouse 117 W Jefferson St Plymouth Indiana Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. Marshall County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1983) 1870 Ladies' Hall 420 N Park St Madison Wisconsin First coed dorm at a public institution in the U.S. Demolished in 1957. 1871 Administration Building,Mercer University 1501 Mercer University Dr Macon Georgia Renamed in 2006 for R. Kirby Godsey. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971, and contributes to the Macon Historic District, listed in 1974.Macon Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1974) Mercer University Administration Building NRHP Registration Form (1971) 1871 Willard Hall (former),Northwestern University 711 Elgin Rd Evanston Illinois Originally built by the Evanston College for Ladies, which merged with Northwestern University in 1873. Most recently known as the Music Administration Building. 1872Omaha High School124 N 20th StOmahaNebraskaReplaced gradually by present school on same site, demolished in process 1872 Bibb County Courthouse 601 Mulberry St Macon Georgia Demolished in 1924. Wilber W. Caldwell, The Courthouse and the Depot: The Architecture of Hope in an Age of Despair (Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2001) 1872 Spaulding Building 301-303 S State St Chicago Illinois Demolished. 1874 Benton County Courthouse 706 E 5th St Fowler Indiana Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Benton County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (2008) 1875 Menominee County Courthouse 839 10th Ave Menominee Michigan Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. Menominee County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1975)
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