Ambrose J. Russell was an
architectAn architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
in Tacoma, Washington. He was Scottish and was born in the
East IndiesEast Indies is a term used by Europeans from the 16th century onwards to identify what is now known as Indian subcontinent or South Asia, Southeastern Asia, and the islands of Oceania, including the Malay Archipelago and the Philippines...
. He was trained in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts where he was a classmate of
Bernard MaybeckBernard Ralph Maybeck was a architect in the Arts and Crafts Movement of the early 20th century. He was a professor at University of California, Berkeley...
.
Russell trained in the United States with 19th Century Boston architect
Henry Hobson RichardsonHenry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
. Henry Rhodes had Russell and
Frederick HeathFrederick Heath was an American architect responsible for numerous projects in Tacoma, Washington. He worked out of his own office and as a senior partner at architectural firms. He was involved with Spaulding, Russell & Heath , and Heath & Gove...
design and build a house in 1901.
In the Pacific Northwest
Everett Phipps BabcockEverett Phipps Babcock was an architect who worked in the U.S. states of Washington and California.Babcock worked with Ambrose J. Russell in Tacoma, Washington on "distinguished residences in various styles". The firm completed the Washington Governor's Mansion in Olympia, Washington. Their work...
worked with him. Russell's projects included the
Washington Governor's MansionThe Washington Governor's Mansion is the official residence of the governor of Washington. The Georgian-style mansion is located on the grounds of the State Capitol campus in the capital city Olympia...
in
OlympiaOlympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
and the
William Ross Rust HouseThe William Ross Rust House is a house in Tacoma, Washington built in 1905 for William Ross Rust, then President of the Tacoma Smelter and Refining Company. The house was designed by Ambrose J. Russell, who worked for Russell & Babcock with Everett Phipps Babcock, and was built by Charles Miller...
built for smelter magnate William Rust, costing $122,500. He also designed the
Temple TheaterTemple Theater or Temple Theatre may refer to:* Temple Theater , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Mississippi* Temple Theatre , listed on the NRHP in North Carolina...
, Rust Building,
Perkins BuildingThe Perkins Building is a historic building in Tacoma, Washington. The 8-story building housed the offices of the Tacoma Ledger/Daily News. It was the tallest reinforced concrete building in the Northwest and the first building on West Coast to have a basement parking garage...
, Tacoma's armory and "many of the city's large mansions" including the Rhodes mansion.
Admiral
James Sargent RussellJames Sargent Russell was an Admiral in the United States Navy.-Biography:Russell was born in Tacoma, Washington, the son of noted architect Ambrose J. Russell and Loella Janet Russell. He attended DeKoven Hall School and graduated from Stadium High School in 1918...
was his son.