H. Rus Warne
Encyclopedia
Harry Rus Warne was a Charleston, West Virginia
-based architect.
He was born at Parkersburg, West Virginia
in 1872 and attended the Ohio Mechanics Institute
(OMI) in Cincinnati, Ohio
. Warne established his architectural practice in
Parkersburg in 1892, after having traveled extensively throughout the United States and in Europe. He moved to Charleston in 1902, and formed Silling Associates, Inc. The firm continues today as the oldest continuing architectural firm in West Virginia.
He designed two World’s Fair pavilions for West Virginia. One was the 123-foot tall Coal Column and West Virginia Building at the 1907 Jamestown Exposition
; the other was the West Virginia Building for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition
in San Francisco. He also designed many residential homes for wealthy clients in the growing suburbs of Edgewood, South Hills and Kanawha City near Charleston.
Warne died at home in Charleston April 25, 1954, and his ashes are in the Warne family mausoleum in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Parkersburg.
Charleston, West Virginia
Charleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
-based architect.
He was born at Parkersburg, West Virginia
Parkersburg, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 33,099 people, 14,467 households, and 8,767 families residing in the city. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that Parkersburg's population had decreased 4.4% to 31,755. The population density was 2,800.5 people per square mile . There were 16,100 housing...
in 1872 and attended the Ohio Mechanics Institute
University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science
The University of Cincinnati College of Applied Science is an applied science college at the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio. Organized as the Ohio Mechanics Institute in 1828, it merged with UC in 1969 and was renamed the OMI College of Applied Science in 1978...
(OMI) in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
. Warne established his architectural practice in
Parkersburg in 1892, after having traveled extensively throughout the United States and in Europe. He moved to Charleston in 1902, and formed Silling Associates, Inc. The firm continues today as the oldest continuing architectural firm in West Virginia.
He designed two World’s Fair pavilions for West Virginia. One was the 123-foot tall Coal Column and West Virginia Building at the 1907 Jamestown Exposition
Jamestown Exposition
The Jamestown Exposition was one of the many world's fairs and expositions that were popular in the United States in the early part of the 20th century...
; the other was the West Virginia Building for the 1915 Panama–Pacific International Exposition
Panama–Pacific International Exposition
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
in San Francisco. He also designed many residential homes for wealthy clients in the growing suburbs of Edgewood, South Hills and Kanawha City near Charleston.
Warne died at home in Charleston April 25, 1954, and his ashes are in the Warne family mausoleum in Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Parkersburg.
Selected works
- 1897: Sharon Lodge No. 28 IOOFSharon Lodge No. 28 IOOFSharon Lodge No. 28 IOOF is a historic Independent Order of Odd Fellows clubhouse located at Parkersburg, Wood County, West Virginia. It was designed and built in 1897, by noted West Virginia architect H. Rus Warne . It is a five-story, masonry building in an eclectic Romanesque Revival style...
, Parkersburg, West Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1982. - 1910: Kenwood (Huntington, West Virginia)Kenwood (Huntington, West Virginia)Kenwood, also known as the John A. Shepard House, is a historic home located at Huntington, Cabell County, West Virginia. It was designed by the prominent West Virginia architect, H. Rus Warne, and built about 1910, and is a 2 1/2 story, rectangular, side gable house with flanking one-story,...
, Huntington, West VirginiaHuntington, West VirginiaHuntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia, along the Ohio River. Most of the city is in Cabell County, for which it is the county seat. A small portion of the city, mainly the neighborhood of Westmoreland, is in Wayne County. Its population was 49,138 at...
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. - 1913: Old Main (Nicholas County High School)Old Main (Nicholas County High School)Old Main, the former Nicholas County High School, is a school building located in Summersville, West Virginia. The two-story stone Renaissance-style building was constructed in 1913 and graduated its first class in 1915....
, Summersville, West VirginiaSummersville, West VirginiaSummersville is a town in Nicholas County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,194 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Nicholas County.-Geography:...
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. - 1916: DalgainDalgainDalgain, also known as the McCabe House, is a historic home located at Charleston, West Virginia. Robert E, McCabe, for whom the house was built in 1916, was a prominent Charleston attorney active in the city's business life...
, Charleston, West VirginiaCharleston, West VirginiaCharleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. - 1917, 1924: Kanawha County CourthouseKanawha County CourthouseKanawha County Courthouse is a historic courthouse located at Charleston, West Virginia. It is located across from the Charleston City Hall, and is a block-long structure constructed in 1892 of rock-face masonry....
, Charleston, West Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978; additions to original 1892 building by Warne and Warne, Tucker & Patteson. - 1917-1921: Boone County Courthouse (West Virginia)Boone County Courthouse (West Virginia)The Boone County Courthouse in Madison, West Virginia was completed in 1921 in the Neoclassical Revival style. Designed by architect H. Rus Warne of Charleston, the courthouse stands on a small hill in a square. Construction started in 1917, but disputes and construction delays extended...
, Madison, West VirginiaMadison, West VirginiaMadison is a city in Boone County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,076 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Boone County.-History:...
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. - 1921: Charleston City HallCharleston City HallCharleston City Hall is a historic city hall located at Charleston, West Virginia. It was constructed in 1921 in the Neoclassical style. It is located opposite the Kanawha County Courthouse, at the center of downtown...
, Charleston, West Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. - 1928: Garnet High SchoolGarnet High SchoolGarnet High School, also known as Garnet Career Center and Garnet Adult Education Center, is a historic African American high school located at Charleston, West Virginia. It is a three story, brick structure, constructed in 1928-29 from the plans of the prestigious Charleston architectural firm of...
, Charleston, West Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990; by Warne, Tucker, Silling & Hutchison. - 1928: St. John's Episcopal Church (Charleston, West Virginia)St. John's Episcopal Church (Charleston, West Virginia)St. John's Episcopal Church is a historic Episcopal church located at 1105 Quarrier Street in Charleston, West Virginia, in the United States. On November 2, 1989, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.-National Register listing:*St...
, Charleston, West Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989; Parish House additions to original building by Warne, Tucker, Silling & Hutchison.
- Also designed properties in the Grosscup Road Historic DistrictGrosscup Road Historic DistrictGrosscup Road Historic District is a national historic district located at Charleston, West Virginia. The district is a neighborhood of 22, 19th and early 20th century residences...
, Charleston, West Virginia, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and Mount Hope Historic DistrictMount Hope Historic DistrictMount Hope Historic District is a national historic district located at Mount Hope, Fayette County, West Virginia. The district encompasses 144 contributing buildings, one contributing site, four contributing structures, and one contributing object...
, Mount Hope, West VirginiaMount Hope, West VirginiaMount Hope is a city in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 1,487 at the 2000 census.-History:The Mount Hope Historic District and New River Company General Office Building are listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
External links
- Silling Associates, Inc. website
- The West Virginia Encyclopedia: H. Rus Warne, by Judie Smith, West Virginia Humanities Council, November 12, 2010