William Martin Aiken was an American architect who served as Supervising Architect

Office of the Supervising Architect

The Office of the Supervising Architect was an agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings from 1852 to 1939....

 of the United States Treasury and oversaw and participated in the design and construction of numerous federal buildings during his appointment that now reside on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

.

Early life

William Aiken was born in Charleston, SC and educated at The University of the South from 1872-1874. He taught at his alma mater

Alma mater

Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...

 in his last year of attendance and moved to Charleston, SC to teach a special course Architecture

Architecture

Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...

. In 1877, he moved to Boston, MA andl 1886. He left Boston to start his own practice in Cincinnati, OH.

Supervising Architect

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|first=James Knox
|year=1908
|month=December
|title=In Memoriam — William Martin Aiken
|journal=The American Architect and Building News
|volume=XCIV
|issue=1722
|pages=213 |url=http://books.google.com/?id=IqoDAAAAYAAJ&dq=William+Martin+Aiken+Architect&pg=RA1-PA213&cd=2 |accessdate= 2007-11-15
|format=reprint |publisher=James R. Osgood & Co.}}

Notable Buildings

• Denver Mint
  Denver Mint
  The Denver Mint is a branch of the United States Mint that struck its first coins on February 1, 1906. The mint is still operating and producing coins for circulation, as well as mint sets and commemorative coins. Coins produced at the Denver Mint bear a D mint mark...
  
   (Initial Design) - Denver, CO
• Philadelphia Mint
  Philadelphia Mint
  The Philadelphia Mint was created from the need to establish a national identity and the needs of commerce in the United States. This led the Founding Fathers of the United States to make an establishment of a continental national mint a main priority after the ratification of the Constitution of...
  
   - Philadelphia, PA
• Castle Station US Post Office - Saginaw, MI
• Allegheny Post Office
  Allegheny Post Office
  Allegheny Post Office, also known as Old North Post Office, The Landmarks Museum, is a building built in 1897 in the Allegheny City area that is now within Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
  
   - Pittsburgh, PA
• East 23rd Street Bathhouse - New York, NY (with Arnold W. Brunner)