Cowles and Mutscheller, Saginaw, Michigan 1908 - 1935
(Clarence Cowles, born 1869, Flint, Michigan; died 1935, Saginaw, Michigan)
(George Mutscheller, born 1882, Sturgis, Michigan; died 1936, Saginaw, Michigan)
Clarence Cowles opened office in 1893.
Formed the firm of Cowles and Mutscheller with George Mutscheller in 1908.
Firm dissolved in 1936
Clarence Cowles moved to Saginaw in 1893. The first advertising for his services appears in Saginaw papers in the days following the fire of 20 May 1893.1 He practiced independently until 1908 when he joined with George Mutscheller to form the firm of Cowles and Mutscheller.2 In the first decade of the twentieth century, Clarence Cowles produced designs for a number of substantial private and public buildings. Although he employed many different historically inspired styles, his work is characterized by structural innovation and imaginative manipulation of space.
A 1915 article declared that “This firm has designed 1,600 buildings since its inception. They are unquestionably the leading architects in this part of the country and have been remarkably successful.”3 In the teens, Cowles and Mutscheller designed some of their finest buildings. They progressively moved away from historical revival styles and developed a personal style based on the American Arts and Crafts Movement. In the late 1920s the office produced designs for three major buildings in the Art Deco style.3 After the death of George Mutscheller in 1936,4 the office was closed.
Representative Work: (Clarence Cowles)
Saginaw:
St. Mary’s Cathedral, 1901, 601 Hoyt5
New Covenant Christian Center6
Residence, 732 S. Warren7
Schust Bakery [Art Sample Furniture]8
Comfort Station at Forest Lawn Cemetery9
Jefferson One10
Sources
1 Advertisement. Saginaw Courier-Herald. 28 May 1893. 15.
2“Architect’s Career Ended.” Saginaw Daily News. 21 October 1935. 1- 2.
3"Cowles & Mutscheller Architects.” Commerce of Greater Saginaw. Saginaw, Michigan: Saginaw Press, 1915. n. pag.
4“Death Takes Civic Leader: George Mutscheller Heart Attack Victim - Prominent Architect” Saginaw Courier- Herald. 11 April 1936. 1.
5 “A Splendid Edifice.” Saginaw Courier-Herald. 25 July 1904. 4.
6 Saginaw Evening News. 14 February 1908. 3.
7“Marskey Residence Handsome Addition to Saginaw Homes.” Saginaw Daily News. 7 June 1910.
8"Cowles and Mutsheller Architects.” Commerce of Greater Saginaw. 1915.
9Plans on file in City of Saginaw Engineering Office.
10 “Handsome New Home of Building & Loan Association Thrown Open For Public Inspection.” The Saginaw News. 24 May 1931.
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