Erasmus T. Carr (October 25, 1825 – May 12, 1915) was an American architect in practice in Leavenworth, Kansas, Denver, Colorado and Miles City, Montana from 1857 until his retirement in 1898. Carr, along with John G. Haskell, was one of the first two professional architects to practice in Kansas.
Life and career Erasmus Theodore Carr was born October 25, 1825, in Greenfield, New York to Almon Carr and Arathusa Carr, née Morse. As a young man he was trained as a mason and carpenter. In 1852 he moved to Syracuse, New York, where he worked as a builder. In 1855 he moved to St. Paul, Minnesota and almost immediately was hired to superintend construction at Fort Leavenworth, outside Leavenworth. At the close of this work in 1856 he returned east. This was planned as a permanent move, but in the spring of 1857 he returned to Leavenworth, where he opened an architect's office. While maintaining his independent practice, he was again hired by the government in 1859 to take charge of construction at Fort Leavenworth. During the Civil War Carr intended to enlist, but did not at the request of General Jesse L. Reno, who thought he was most useful at Leavenworth. His work at the fort was not complete until 1871."Erasmus Theodore Carr" in The United States Biographical Dictionary: Kansas Volume (Chicago and Kansas City: S. Lewis & Company, 1879): 73-74.
After completing his work for the federal government Carr briefly formed the partnership of Carr & Schultz, which was responsible for the new Leavenworth County Courthouse, completed in 1874.Leavenworth Times, September 3, 1873, 4. Carr formed a second partnership, Carr & Grodavent, in 1884 with Frank J. Grodavent. This was dissolved in 1887. In 1891 he moved to Denver, then a boomtown, and formed a third and final partnership, Carr & Feth, with William Pratt Feth. This was dissolved in 1893 and Carr moved on to Miles City, Montana, where his daughter and son-in-law, Jepp Ryan, lived. In 1898 Carr retired from practice and Ryan closed out his business interests in Miles City. The family then returned to Leavenworth."E. T. Carr" in Portrait and Biographical Record of Leavenworth, Douglas and Franklin Counties, Kansas (Chicago: Chapman Publishing Company, 1899): 788-789.
Carr was made a Fellow of the Western Association of Architects in 1885, and was also elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1888. The two organizations merged in 1889. Carr's membership in the organization lapsed in 1895, while he was resident in Montana.E. T. Carr, AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, no date. Accessed July 5, 2024. In all of the places he lived Carr was prominent in Masonic circles. He originally joined the Masons in 1856 in Leavenworth. At the time of his death he was a 33rd degree Mason.
At least four buildings designed by Carr have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.
Personal life Carr was married in 1859 to Margaret Redfern Cubbins. They had one daughter, Addie Bell, who married Jepp Ryan. After the death of Mrs. Carr in 1903 the family moved to California. Carr died May 12, 1915, at his daughter's home in Glendale at the age of 89.George F. Moore, "Erasmus Theodore Carr, 33°," in New Age 23, no. 4 (October, 1915): 177-180.
Architectural works 1867 – Henry W. Gillett house, 319 N Broadway St, Leavenworth, Kansas 1868 – Lansing Correctional Facility, 301 E Kansas Ave, Lansing, Kansas 1869 – Alexander A. Higginbotham house, 624 Olive St, Leavenworth, Kansas 1872 – White Cloud School, 103 5th St, White Cloud, KansasWhite Cloud School NRHP Registration Form (1973) 1873 – Administration Building, Emporia State University, Emporia, KansasA History of the State Normal School of Kansas: For the First Twenty-Five Years (Emporia: 1887) 1873 – Morris County Courthouse, 501 W Main St, Council Grove, Kansas 1874 – Leavenworth County Courthouse, 300 Walnut St, Leavenworth, Kansas 1876 – Kansas and Colorado State Building, Centennial Exposition, PhiladelphiaFifth Annual Report of the State Board of Agriculture, to the Legislature of the State of Kansas, for the Year Ending November 30, 1876 (Topeka: George W. Martin, 1877): 211. 1877 – Nemaha County Courthouse, 607 Nemaha St, Seneca, Kansas 1879 – Anderson Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KansasDavid H. Sachs and George Ehrlich, Guide to Kansas Architecture (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996): 195. 1879 – Bartell House, 614 N Washington St, Junction City, KansasJunction City Downtown Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2006) 1879 – Brown County Courthouse, 601 Oregon St, Hiawatha, Kansas 1880 – Administration Building, Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas 1883 – Manhattan Grange, 431 Poyntz Ave, Manhattan, KansasDowntown Manhattan Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2007) 1883 – Wyandotte County Courthouse, 7th St and Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, KansasAmerican Architect and Building News (June 3, 1882): 292. 1884 – Holtz Hall, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KansasDavid H. Sachs and George Ehrlich, Guide to Kansas Architecture (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996): 194. 1885 – Western Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Leavenworth, KansasInland Architect and Builder (June, 1885): 81. 1889 – Ward Memorial Building, Western Branch, National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, Leavenworth, KansasLibrary Journal (May–June 1889): 167. 1892 – Sheedy Mansion, 1115 Grant St, DenverSheedy Mansion NRHP Registration Form (2004)
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