Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff Explained

Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff
Founders:	George S. Mills
City:	Toledo, Ohio
Founded:	1912
Dissolved:	1999

Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff was an architectural firm founded in Toledo, Ohio in 1912. Renamed Bellman, Gillett & Richards in 1944, Richards, Bauer & Moorhead in 1962 and Bauer, Stark & Lashbrook in 1979, it closed in 1999.

Organizational history

The firm of Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff was formed in 1912 as a partnership between noted Toledo architect George S. Mills (1866–1939) and three of his employees: George V. Rhines (1875–1938), Lawrence S. Bellman (1876–1951) and Charles M. Nordhoff (1877–1950). After World War I two new partners were added: architect Chester B. Lee (1876–1933) in 1920 and mechanical and electrical engineer John Gillett (1882–1960) in 1922.^{[1] [2]} In 1929 the firm was incorporated, with the former partners becoming shareholders.^[3] Rhines died in 1938, and in 1939 architect Reeve K. Biggers (1913–1998) was made a principal.^[4] Mills died shortly thereafter, and in 1940 another architect, John N. Richards (1904–1982), was added.^[5] Biggers left the firm during World War II, and upon Nordhoff's retirement in 1944 the firm was reorganized by the remaining principals as Bellman, Gillett & Richards.^[6] In 1949 Bellman retired and two new principals, George H. Erard (1891–1959) and Michael B. O'Shea (1897–1969), were admitted.^[7] In 1954 Gillett retired, and three more principals, architect Orville H. Bauer (1921–1979) and engineers Raymond A. Etzel (1901–1976) and Robert C. Moorhead (1911–2005), were added.^[8]

In 1962 Richards became head of the firm, which was reorganized by the senior principals as Richards, Bauer & Moorhead.^[9] Two more principals were added in 1971, architect Charles H. Stark III (1935–2012) and engineer Dean L. Lashbrook (1923–2001). Richards retired in 1976, leaving Bauer as senior principal. In early 1979 the firm was renamed Bauer, Stark & Lashbrook to reflect this change, but Bauer died only a few months later.^[10] Lashbrook retired in the early 1990s, leaving Stark as senior principal. In 1999, when Stark formally closed the firm, it was noted as the oldest surviving architectural firm in Ohio.^[11]

Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff and its successors were Toledo's leading architectural firm. They designed many of the city's most prominent buildings, and developed a national reputation before World War II.^[12] The firm was involved in important local projects until the very end. One of their last was the restoration of the Valentine Theatre, originally opened in 1895 and reopened in 1999 after an extensive restoration led by Stark.^[11]

Legacy

As members of a leading architectural firm, the principals of Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff and its successors were well respected members of their professions. Mills, Bellman, Richards and Bauer were all elected Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, and Richards served as AIA president from 1958 to 1960.^[13] They and their associates also frequently held leadership posts in local architectural and engineering organizations.

The firm and its individual partners designed a number of buildings that are listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places for their architecture.

Architectural works

Mills, Rhines, Bellman & Nordhoff, 1912–1943

• Toledo Club, 235 14th St, Toledo, Ohio (1914–15)^[3]
• Willys–Overland Block, 151 Chestnut St, Springfield, Massachusetts (1916, NRHP 1983)
• Willys–Overland Building, 2300 Locust St, St. Louis, Missouri (1917, NRHP 1993)
• Blissfield State Bank Building, 103 S Lane St, Blissfield, Michigan (1922–23)^[14]
• Toledo Safety Building, 525 N Erie St, Toledo, Ohio (1923–26)^[3]
• Commodore Perry Hotel, 505 Jefferson Ave, Toledo, Ohio (1924–27, NRHP 1997))^[3]
• Ohio Bell Telephone Building, 121 N Huron St, Toledo, Ohio (1925)^[3]
• Gordon N. Mather house, 30267 Hickory Hill Dr, Perrysburg, Ohio (1926–27)^[15]
• Campbell Baking Company building, 325 Commercial St, Waterloo, Iowa (1927, NRHP 2016)
• Daughters of America National Home, 652 N Sandusky St, Tiffin, Ohio (1928–30, NRHP 2003)
• PNC Bank Building, 405 Madison Ave, Toledo, Ohio (1929–30)^[3]
• University Hall, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio (1929–31)^[2]
• Field House, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio (1930–31)
• Central YMCA, 1110 Jefferson Ave, Toledo, Ohio (1934–35, NRHP 1982)
• Haughton Elevator Company office building, 671 Center St, Toledo, Ohio (1940, demolished)^[5]

Bellman, Gillett & Richards, 1944–1962

• Ohio Union, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (1949–51, demolished 2006)^[5]
• Child Study Institute, 428 10th St, Toledo, Ohio (1953)^[5]
• Gillham Hall, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio (1953)^[5]
• Clay High School, 5665 Seaman Rd, Oregon, Ohio (1954)^[5]
• Mershon Auditorium, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (1955–57)^[16]
• St. Michael's in the Hills Episcopal Church, 4718 Brittany Rd, Ottawa Hills, Ohio (1957–58)^[17]
• Health and Human Services Building, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio (1960)^[16]
• Ohio Bell Telephone Building, 130 N Erie St, Toledo, Ohio (1960)^[16]
• Columbia Gas Building, 701 Jefferson Ave, Toledo, Ohio (1961)^[16]
• Lebanon Correctional Institution, 3791 OH-63 Lebanon, Ohio (1961)^[16]
• Federal Office Building, 234 N Summit St, Toledo, Ohio (1962, demolished 2001)
• Front Street office buildings, 25 and 145 S Front St, Columbus, Ohio (1962–64)

Richards, Bauer & Moorhead, 1962–1978

• Beeghly Library, Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio (1967)^[18]
• Fiberglas Tower, 200 N St Clair St, Toledo, Ohio (1967–69)
• Life Sciences Building, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio (1968)^[19]
• Kent Student Center, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio (1969–73)^[20]
• Mathematical Sciences Building, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio (1970)^[18]
• Moore Musical Arts Center, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio (1976–79)^[21]

Bauer, Stark & Lashbrook, 1979–1999

• Catlett Music Center, University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma (1985–86)^[22]
• Valentine Theatre restoration, 410 Adams St, Toledo, Ohio (1996–1999)^[11]
• All Saints Catholic Church, 628 Lime City Rd, Rossford, Ohio (1997–2002)^[11]

Notes and References

1. "Announcements" in Architecture 42, no. 2 (August, 1920): 256.
2. "John Gillett Dies at 78" in Ohio Architect 18, no. 6 (June, 1960): 30.
3. "George Mills" in Weekly Bulletin of the Michigan Society of Architects 14, no. 2 (January 9, 1940): 6.
4. Engineering News–Record 122 (1939)
5. "Richards, John Noble" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker, 1956): 459.
6. Weekly Bulletin of the Michigan Society of Architects 18, no. 52 (January 11, 1946): 4.
7. "Erard and O'Shea Admitted to Partnership" in Ohio Architect 2, no. 1 (January, 1949): 10.
8. "Firm Changes" in Architectural Record 116, no. 1 (July, 1954): 270.
9. "Change in Name" in Monthly Bulletin, Michigan Society of Architects (June, 1962): 5.
10. "Orville H. Bauer FAIA" in AIA Journal 69, no. 1 (January, 1980): 108–109.
11. Mark Zaborney, "Charles H. Stark III, 1935-2012: Architect designed Valentine's restoration," The Blade, March 15, 2012. Accessed December 31, 2022.
12. "Buckeye Architects: Mills, Rhines, Bellman and Nordhoff" in Ohio Architect 2, no. 10 (November, 1941): 2.
13. R. Randall Vosbeck, A Legacy of Leadership: The Presidents of the American Institute of Architects, 1857–2007 (Washington: American Institute of Architects, 2008)
14. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/15000364 Blissfield Downtown Historic District NRHP Registration Form
15. Web site: Historic Perrysburg - 30209 Waterford Drive . www.historicperrysburg.org . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160507160803/http://historicperrysburg.org/properties/30209Waterford.htm . 2016-05-07.
16. "Richards, John Noble" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 584.
17. "Facilities," St. Michael's in the Hills Episcopal Church, no date. Accessed December 31, 2022.
18. Richard N. Campen, Ohio–An Architectural Portrait (West Summit Press, 1973)
19. "Richards, John Noble" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 759.
20. Sue Krawetz, "New Student Union Should Be Finished in Two Years," Daily Kent Stater, May 29, 1969, 12.
21. Engineering News–Record 196 (1976): 107.
22. Bob Vandewater, "Norman Architects Design Angular OU Music Building,", The Oklahoman, September 8, 1985. Accessed January 12, 2023.