William B. Ittner Explained

William B. Ittner
Birth Date:4 September 1864
Birth Place:St. Louis
Nationality:American
Death Date:1936
Death Place:St. Louis

William Butts Ittner (September 4, 1864 – 1936) was an American architect in St. Louis, Missouri. He designed over 430 school buildings in Missouri and other areas, was president of the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institute of Architects from 1893 to 1895, was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Missouri in 1930, served as president of the Architectural League of America during 1903–04, and at the time of his death was president of the St. Louis Plaza Commission, a fellow and life member of the American Institute of Architects, and a thirty-third degree Mason. He was described as the most influential man in school architecture in the United States and has a star on the St. Louis Walk of Fame.[1] He was appointed St. Louis School Board commissioner in 1897 and is said to have designed open buildings that featured "natural lighting, inviting exteriors, and classrooms tailored to specific needs."[2] In 1936, Ittner died.[3]

Background

His parents were Anthony F. and Mary Butts Ittner.[4] His father worked at a lead plant and then as a bricklayer before founding Ittner Bros. with his brother Conrad in 1859.[4] William Ittner's father (later a U.S. Congressman) helped establish the trade school from which his son graduated in 1884 "with the first class granted diplomas by Washington University's Manual Training School."[4] He also graduated with a degree in architecture from Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, traveled in Europe and married Lottie Crane Allen in St. Louis. He worked in the office of Eames & Young between 1889 and 1891, then practiced alone "before entering brief partnerships, first with William Foster and then with T. C. Link and Alfred Rosenheim."[4]

He was elected to the new office of Commissioner of School Buildings for the School Board of St. Louis in 1897 and remained in the position until he resigned in 1910.[4] He continued as "consulting architect" to the Board until October 1914.[4] His first school design was Eliot School (1898–99) and his last was Bryan Mullanphy (1914–15).[4]

He is credited with the design of over 430 schools nationwide and has over 35 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.[2] E-shaped schools were said to be his trademark.

Architectural innovations

Many of the architectural planning and designs seen in schools today were developed by Ittner.[5] Some examples include:

  1. Integrated ventilation: Ittner designed chases to be placed behind lockers, which allowed air from inside the school to exit through chimneys.
  2. Natural lighting: Ittner integrated large windows, skylights, and lightwells in order to introduce light inside school buildings.
  3. Standardized plans: Ittner constructed plans that would effectively connect the specialized places of the school into one, cohesive unit. These plans included the H-Plan, I-Plan, and L-Plan.
  4. The Community School Concept: Ittner used site planning concepts to allow school resources to be available to residents in the surrounding areas.

Projects

Residences

Schools

Other buildings

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St. Louis Walk of Fame Inductees. St. Louis Walk of Fame. stlouiswalkoffame.org. 25 April 2013. 31 October 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121031162946/http://www.stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/?view=achievement. dead.
  2. http://stlouiswalkoffame.org/inductees/William%20B.%20Ittner.html
  3. Web site: Landmarks Association of St. Louis :: Architects :: William B. Ittner, FAIA (1864-1936). www.landmarks-stl.org. 2020-05-04. 2020-09-19. https://web.archive.org/web/20200919060744/https://www.landmarks-stl.org/architects/bio/william_b_ittner_faia_1864_1936/. live.
  4. Carolyn Hewes Toft William B. Ittner, FAIA (1864–1936) Landmarks Association of St. Louis
  5. Web site: History Ittner Architects Experts in Education. ittner. en. 2020-05-04. 2020-08-07. https://web.archive.org/web/20200807153732/https://www.ittnerarchitects.com/our-history. live.
  6. https://books.google.com/books?id=PxwCLqaGl6YC&q=ittner&pg=PA7 Educational architecture in Ohio
  7. Web site: The St. Louis Schools of William B. Ittner . Collins, Cameron . 2012-09-05 . NEXTSTL . 2020-11-03 . 2020-12-02 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201202134627/https://nextstl.com/2012/09/the-st-louis-schools-of-william-b-ittner/ . live .
  8. Web site: Nipher Middle School: Our History. Kirkwood School District. Kirkwoodschools.org. April 22, 2019. April 23, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190423012737/https://www.kirkwoodschools.org/domain/452. live.
  9. Web site: Keysor Elementary School: Our History. Kirkwood School District. Kirkwoodschools.org. April 18, 2019. April 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419002423/https://www.kirkwoodschools.org/domain/240. live.
  10. Web site: Robinson Elementary School: Our History. Kirkwood School District. Kirkwoodschools.org. April 18, 2019. April 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190419002430/https://www.kirkwoodschools.org/domain/282. live.
  11. Web site: Indiana State Historic Architectural and Archaeological Research Database (SHAARD). Department of Natural Resources, Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. Searchable database. 2019-03-07. 2018-11-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20181123193539/https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/welcome.html. live. Note: This includes Web site: National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Theodore Roosevelt High School. 2019-03-07. Gregg Abell. December 2010. 2019-03-08. https://web.archive.org/web/20190308082620/https://secure.in.gov/apps/dnr/shaard/r/43af3/N/Theodore_Roosevelt_HS,_Lake_Co.pdf. live. and Accompanying photographs.
  12. Web site: Phelps School, Springfield, Mo.. 4 February 2018. 6 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150906003535/http://thelibrary.org/lochist/postcards/phelps_school.cfm. live.

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