Gordon W. Lloyd, Detroit, Michigan
(born 1832, Cambridge, England; died 1904, San Francisco, California [died while traveling]) Moved to Detroit in 1858.
When Gordon W. Lloyd was six, his parents emigrated to Sherbrook, Quebec, where he lived until his father’s death in 1847. He then returned to England. After completing his education, he entered the office of his uncle, architect Ewan Christian. In 1856 and 1857 he made trips to France and Germany studying architecture. He moved to Detroit in 1858 and practiced for 35 years. The Detroit Free Press stated “[Lloyd] was one of Detroit’s most prominent architects and was identified with its building interests since 1858. He was an authority on classical and gothic architecture....”1
Lloyd was known for his church designs - especially Episcopal churches. The training he received in his uncle’s office and the Gothic buildings he had studied during his travels, helped form a background in the traditions and requirements of church designs.2 This, coupled with connections in the Anglican Church and an understanding of the Ecclesiology movement, assisted him in obtaining commissions.3 He successfully utilized historical models as an inspiration for creating churches ideally suited for his client’s needs.4
Hawkins Ferry noted that Lloyd often wrestled with controlling costs.5 In Detroit many of the churches he designed are constructed from dressed stone. In his two Saginaw churches - where dressed stone was difficult to obtain and costly - he utilized locally produced brick.
Representative Work:
Saginaw:
First Congregational Church, 403 South Jefferson Avenue
Saint John’s Episcopal Church, 122 North Michigan Avenue
Grosse Isle:
Saint James Episcopal Chapel, 25150 E. River Road6
Detroit The Whitney [Constructed for use as a private residence], 4421 Woodward Avenue, 18907
Traverse City:
Traverse City State Hospital [Constructed for Northern Michigan Asylum], 18858
Saugatuck:
All Saints Episcopal Church, 252 Grand Street, 18729
Sources:
1“Lived Here for 35 Years: Gordon W. Lloyd one of the City’s Prominent Architects.” The Detroit Free Press. Sunday, December 26, 1904. Section 1. 5.
2W. Hawkins Ferry. The Buildings of Detroit: A History. Detroit: Wayne State UP. 1968. 49.
3Kathryn Bishop Eckert. Buildings of Michigan New York: Oxford UP. 1993. 121.
4Ferry. 49.
5 Ferry. 49.
6Eckert. 85.
7Eckert. 427.
8Eckert. 277.
9Eckert. 277.
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