B. Stanley Simmons

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B. Stanley Simmons
Born
Benjamin Stanley Simmons

(1871-03-10)March 10, 1871
Charles County, Maryland, U.S.
DiedSeptember 8, 1931(1931-09-08) (aged 60)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsHume School, National Metropolitan Bank Building, Fairfax Hotel, Barr Building

Benjamin Stanley Simmons (March 10, 1871 – September 8, 1931) was an American architect.

Life[]

He was born in Charles County, Maryland in 1872, but came to Washington, DC as a child where he later established his career in architecture.[1] Simmons received his architecture degree at the University of Maryland, and later studied architecture at MIT.[2] He started designing and building houses in the 1890s, before he moved on to bigger commissions.[3] In 1902, the Evening Star described Simmons as "an architect who has added to the beauty and growth of this city."[1][4]

His career spanned several decades from the 1880s to the 1930s during which time he established himself as an extremely prolific architect, designing more than 280 buildings in the city.[2] Simmons also worked with every major developer, though he appears to have had a particularly close working relationship with Lester A. Barr and later his son, John L. Barr with whom he designed some of his best known commissions.[2] Simmons was incredibly versatile, designing a variety of building types that ranged from row houses, to fraternal clubs, to commercial and institutional buildings, though he seems to have had a proclivity for apartment buildings, having designed over 60 of them. Of particular note on his resume are his designs for the National Metropolitan Bank Building at 15th and G Streets NW (1905), the Elks Club at 919 H Street NW (1908, demolished); and the Fairfax Hotel at 21st and Massachusetts Avenue NW (1921), in addition to the Wyoming Apartments and the Barr Building.[3] His earlier Hume School, built in 1891, is on the National Register of Historic Places, along with the National Metropolitan Bank Building, the Wyoming Apartments, and the Barr Building.[5]

The National Metropolitan Bank Building

Although he never studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, B. Stanley Simmons became a student of the Beaux Arts tradition and the City Beautiful Movement. While his earlier 19th-century buildings (namely speculative row houses) reflect Victorian styles of architecture, his later early 20th-century buildings are grander and more monumental structures that reflect a variety of academic styles inspired the City Beautiful movement, including the Classical Revival style and Renaissance Revival.[2]

Simmons passed away in 1931 at age 60, but as many of his buildings were recognized in the late 20th century, he was survived by a son, B. Stanley Jr., and 11 grandchildren.[1]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Johnson, Jane Simmons (February 15, 1997). "An Architect's Legacy". The Washington Post.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d "910 17th Street NW - Barr Building, Application for Historic Landmark or Historic District Designation". DC Office of Planning. May 17, 2000. Retrieved 25 February 2019. Architect B. Stanley Simmons (1872-1931) was born in Charles County, Maryland in 1872, but came to Washington as a child where he later established his career in architecture. Simmons received his architecture degree at the University of Maryland, and later studied architecture at M.I.T.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Capitol Hill Architects and Builders". Capitol Hill Restoration Society. Archived from the original on 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  4. ^ "Prosperous Washington and the Men Who have Made It: His Work Excellent". Evening Star. December 16, 1902. p. 4.
  5. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.


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