Adolphus Druiding

American architect

Adolphus Druiding

Born| 1839

Hanover, Germany

Died| 1900

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Nationality| American
Known for| = Adolphus Druiding, Architect

Adolphus Druiding (1838–1900) was a German-born American architect who was best known for his work in creating Roman Catholic churches, schools, rectories and convents. Druiding’s work along with that of fellow German immigrant Franz Georg Himpler (1833–1916) makes up the largest body of German Catholic architecture in the United States between the end of the Civil War and 1900.[1]

## Early life and career

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Druiding was born May 29, 1838, in Aschendorf, a province of Hanover, Germany. He studied at the Secondary School in Papenburg and at the Polytechnic School in Munich where he graduated with honors. He worked briefly at a French architect’s office and then entered government service in Munich. After this he studied in Berlin under Strach, Adler and Local. He built one church in Schoenwalde and was employed erecting government stations in the Netherlands.

## Architectural practice

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In 1865 after completing his work in the Netherlands, Druiding came to the United States where he enjoyed an extensive practice in the design of Roman Catholic Churches throughout the Midwest.[2]

Druiding was noted as an aggressive businessman who was prepared to assume projects large and small.[3] This was quite unlike his countryman and fellow architect Franz Georg Himpler who designed far fewer buildings than Druiding, but more of Himpler's buildings survive to the present day.

## Legacy

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Druiding was one of perhaps 20 American architects who contributed most of the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical architecture throughout the later part of the 19th century. His church buildings are much admired locally, have been featured in books on church architecture[4] and have found their way to some of the National Registers.[5]

## Works

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### Alabama

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Cathedral of St. Paul, Birmingham, Alabama

* Cathedral of St. Paul, Birmingham, Alabama[6]

### Arkansas

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* Immaculate Conception Church, Fort Smith, Arkansas

### District of Columbia

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* St. Anthony of Padua Church, Washington, DC

### Iowa

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* Blessed Sacrament Church, Sioux City, IA

### New York

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* St. Michael Church, Rochester, NY
* Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church, Bridgehampton, NY
* Church of the Guardian Angel, Brooklyn, NY
* Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Buffalo, NY (now King Urban Life Center)
* Blessed Sacrament Church, Buffalo, NY

### Ohio

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St. John the Baptist, Maria Stein

* Immaculate Conception, Ottoville
* Sacred Heart of Jesus Church, Camp Washington, Cincinnati
* St. Charles Borromeo Church, Carthage, Cincinnati
* St. Aloysius-on-the-Ohio Church, Cincinnati
* St. Michael Church, Cleveland
* St. Henry Church, Harriettsville
* St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Maria Stein
* St. Henry Catholic Church, St. Henry
* St. Joseph Church, Plymouth
* St. Lawrence Church, Cincinnati
* Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Cincinnati
* Mt. St. Joseph Sisters of Charity Convent and Mother House, Cincinnati
* St. Mary, Delaware
* Franciscan Sisters of the Poor – St. Clare Convent & Chapel near Hartwell/ Cincinnati – Springfield Township
* St. Patrick Church, Toledo[7]

### Illinois

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* St. Hyacinth Church Chicago, IL (first church constructed in 1895 and replaced by much larger church by Worthmann and Steinbach)
* St. George Church, Chicago, IL
* St. John Cantius Church, Chicago, IL
* St. Hedwig Church, Chicago, IL

### Indiana

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* St. Benedict Church, Terre Haute, Indiana (destroyed by fire 1930, partially rebuilt)

### Kentucky

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* St. Peter Church, Lexington, KY
* St. Stephen Church, Newport, KY

### Minnesota

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* Saint Michael Church, Saint Michael, MN

### Missouri

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St. Alphonsus Liguori Church, St. Louis

* St. Agatha Church, St. Louis, MO
* Shrine of St. Joseph, St. Louis, MO
* St. John Nepomuk Church, St. Louis, MO
* St. Alphonsus Liguori Church, St. Louis, MO[8]
* St. Peter's Church, Jefferson City, MO[9]

### New Jersey

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* St. Joseph Chapel, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ

### Pennsylvania

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* Ss. Peter and Paul Church, Pittsburgh, PA
* St. Joseph Church, Oil City, PA
* St. Patrick Church, Philadelphia, PA

### South Dakota

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* St. Paul Church, Marty, SD

### Wisconsin

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* St. Francis Xavier Cathedral, Green Bay, Wisconsin
* St. Joseph's Church, Waukesha, Wisconsin[10]
* St. Mary Oratory. Wausau, WI[11]
* St. Mary Church, Oshkosh, WI
* St. Mary (originally “of the Immaculate Conception”) Catholic Church, Menasha, Wisconsin[12]
* St. Mary's Church, Kaukauna, WI[5]

## References

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1. ^ Roy A. Hampton III, German Gothic in the Midwest: The parish Churches of Franz Georg Himpler and Adolphus Druiding JSTOR 25154572
2. ^ Architects, American Institute of (1899-01-01). Proceedings of the ... Annual Convention of the American Institute of Architects. Committee on Library and Publications.
3. ^ "Seton Hill University - A Leading Catholic Liberal Arts University in Greensburg Pennsylvania". Archived from the original on 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2011-02-03. Seaton Hall Chapel article discusses Druiding aggressiveness.
4. ^ McNamara, Denis Robert (2005). Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago. LiturgyTrainingPublications. ISBN 978-1-56854-503-5.
5. ^ a b "St. Mary's Catholic Church (and School)". Wisconsin Historical Society. January 2012. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
6. ^ Schnorrenberg, John M. (2000) Aspiration: Birmingham's Historic House of Worship. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society ISBN 0943994268
7. ^ http://media.aeoned.org/portal/members/atticadmin/content/2644_stpatrickschurch_6347_0669_7243_8091.pdf St. Patrick Church Toledo OH
8. ^ http://stlouis.missouri.org/government/heritage/buildtyp/p2-2.htm St. Alphonsus Liguori Church
9. ^ "History". www.stpeterjc.org. Archived from the original on 2016-05-10. Retrieved 2016-06-01.
10. ^ "Intensive Survey Form: St. Joseph's Catholic Church Complex". State Historical Society of Wisconsin. 1982-02-10. Retrieved 2017-05-09. With seven photos.
11. ^ http://www.institute-christ-king.org/wausau/ Archived 2011-01-20 at the Wayback Machine St. Mary Oratory
12. ^ "St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church". Wisconsin Historical Society. October 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-26.

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