Thursday, April 5, 2012

Courthouse Architect

From 1895-1910, itinerant architect Andrew J. Bryan had a virtual monopoly on county courthouse projects in the Deep South.  A part-time New Orleans resident who frequented such hotels as the Grunewald, the St. Charles, and the Park View Guest House, Bryan established his office in the Hennen Building.

His county courthouse work --sometimes remodels, sometimes new construction -- included:

Alabama

Lee County Courthouse, Opelika, AL
Monroe County Courthouse, Monroeville, AL
Randolph County Courthouse, Wedowee, AL

Georgia

Chattooga County Courthouse, Summerville, GA
Coffee County Courthouse, Douglas, GA
Colquit County Courthouse, Moultrie, GA
Douglas County Courthouse, Douglasville, GA
Habersham County Courthouse, Clarkesville, GA
Muscogee County Courthouse, Columbus, GA
Pulaski County Courthouse, Hawkinsville, GA
Stephens County Courthouse, Toccoa, GA
Stewart County Courthouse, Lumpkin, GA
Troup County Courthouse, LaGrange, GA

Louisiana

Iberville Parish Courthouse, Plaquemine, LA
Pointe Coupee Parish Courthouse, New Roads, LA
West Feliciana Parish Courthouse, St. Francisville, LA

Mississippi

Attala County Courthouse, Kosciusko, MS
Claiborne County Courthouse, Port Gibson, MS
Jefferson County Courthouse, Fayette, MS
Prentiss County Courthouse, Booneville, MS
Simpson County Courthouse, Mendenhall, MS

Texas

Rains County Courthouse, Emory, TX

Bryan also designed the Nix-Arensman Residence, located at 2140 South Carollton Avenue in New Orleans (1922).

Image above:  "Andrew J. Bryan, Architect." Men of Affairs in Progressive New Orleans. New Orleans, 1908. Louisiana Research Collection, Special Collections Division, Tulane University Libraries.



5 comments:

ELMalvaney said...

This is the first picture I've ever seen of Bryan--how exciting!

P.S. The Fayette, MS courthouse is actually the Jefferson County Courthouse, not Jackson County.

Keli Rylance said...

Thanks much -- corrected! There is a lot of misinformation about this architect out there... someone needs to write the monograph.

ELMalvaney said...

Agreed! Delos Hughes has touched a bit on his Deep South career working with the Lewman Construction Company in the 1890s and 1900s, but Andrew is a hard man to track!

Reagan Grimsley said...

He also designed the Harrison County Courthouse, c. 1903.

Sam Rumore said...

He designed a total of 6 courthouses in Alabama:
Randolph County - Wedowee - 1897
Lee County - Opelika - 1898
Dale County - Ozark - 1902
Coffee County - Elba - 1903
Monroe County - Monroeville - 1903
Houston County - Dothan - 1905