Fred W. Hollister, Saginaw, Michigan
(Born 1847, Gainesville, New York; died 1923, Saginaw, Michigan)
Fred Hollister started working in the office of Saginaw architect John B. Dibble in 1864. In 1869 he was hired by Porter & Watkins, a Bay City architectural firm, and was placed in charge of an office the firm opened in Saginaw City. A year later he purchased the firm's Saginaw office. In 1889 and 1890, he served in the Michigan House of Representatives1. He designed numerous buildings throughout Michigan and other parts of the Midwest. His work included a number of courthouses and, according to his obituary, 169 school buildings.2
Throughout a long and productive career he demonstrated a knowledge and interest in changing and emerging styles. In the 1880s and 90s, drawing on the Romanesque Revival and the Queen Ann styles, he developed an eclectic but strong personal style. His richly detailed residential interiors of the 1880s and the furniture he designed for the Saginaw County Courthouse reflect his awareness and assimilation of contemporary design movements.
Representative Work:
Saginaw:
The Stable, Hamilton Street; First Presbyterian Church, Court Street3
Lansing:
The Hollister Building, East Allegan Street
Manistee:
Ramsdell Building, River and Maple Streets, 1891; Manistee Fire Hall, 280 First Street, c. 1889 4
Muskegon:
St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church
Sources
1 Michigan Legislative Manual 1889-1890. 646.
2 “Saginaw Architect Called by Death: Fred W. Hollister Designed Local Court House and Many Schools” Saginaw Courier-Herald 11 April 1923. 9.
3 Leonard, James W. Industries of the Saginaws: Historical Descriptive and Statistical. East Saginaw: J.M. Elstner & Co. [1885].
4 Kathryn Bishop Eckert. Buildings of Michigan. New York: Oxford UP. 1993. 395.
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