Joseph Finger
Joseph Finger (7 March 1887 – 6 February 1953) was an Austrian American architect. After immigrating to the United States in 1905, Finger settled in Houston, Texas in 1908, where he would remain for the duration of his life. Finger is best remembered for his role in bringing modern architecture to Texas.
Biography
Joseph Finger was born 7 March 1887 in Bielitz, Austria-Hungary to Henri Finger (1862-1941) and Hani Seifter (1870-1947). After finishing high school and technical training, he moved to the United States in 1905.[1] Finger settled first in New Orleans then moved to Houston, Texas in 1908. On 18 June 1913 he married Gertrude Levy (1891-1985), a Houston native. The couple had one son, Joseph Seifter Finger (1918-2003), who became a chemical engineer and golf course architect. In Houston, Finger was a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Houston Chamber of Commerce, Houston Turn-Verein, B'nai B'rith, and the Westwood Country Club.
Finger began his Houston career working for C. D. Hill & Company, and in 1912 he became a partner in the firm Lewis Sterling Green. In 1914 he formed his own practice, starting a partnership with James Ruskin Bailey, and from 1920 to 1923 was in a partnership with Lamar Q. Cato. From 1923 until 1944 he worked independently. From 1944 until his death in 1953, Finger worked in a partnership with George W. Rustay.
Finger designed the 1939 Houston City Hall, designed in a stripped classical style. In response to criticism from Houston mayor R. H. Fonville, who wanted a style with more classical reference, Finger said, "Here in America we are rapidly developing our own type of architecture which is far above that of foreign countries. We are building for the masses, not the classes." Above the lobby entrance of the City Hall is a stone relief of two men taming a wild horse, symbolizing a community coming together to form a government to tame the world around them. This sculpture, and the twenty-seven other friezes around the building, were carved by Beaumont artist Herring Coe and co-designer Raoul Josset.
On 6 February 1953, a month short of his 66th birthday, Finger died at his home at 120 Portland Street. He is buried in Beth Israel Mausoleum in Beth Israel Cemetery.
Works
| Name | City | Address | Year | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panama Hotel | Galveston, Texas | 202 Rosenberg Street | 1912 | |
| American National Insurance Company | Galveston, Texas | 1913 | Demolished | |
| Model Laundry Building | Galveston, Texas | 513 25th Street | 1913 | |
| De George Hotel | Houston, Texas | 1418 Preston Street | 1913 | |
| Concordia Club | Houston, Texas | 1915 | Demolished | |
| Sterne Building | Houston, Texas | 300 Main Street | 1916 | |
| Cheek-Neal Coffee Company | Houston, Texas | 2017 Preston Street | 1917 | |
| Keystone Building | Houston, Texas | 1120 Texas Avenue | 1922 | |
| Tennison Hotel | Houston, Texas | 110 Bagby Street | 1922 | |
| Ricou-Brewster Building | Shreveport, Louisiana | 421 Milam Street | 1924 | Demolished |
| Temple Beth Israel | Houston, Texas | 3517 Austin Street | 1924 | Now Heinen Theatre |
| Texas Packing Company | Houston, Texas | 1924 | ||
| William Penn Hotel | Houston, Texas | 1423 Texas Avenue | 1925 | Demolished 2006 |
| Citizens State Bank | Houston, Texas | 3620 Washington Avenue | 1925 | Now Rockefeller Hall |
| Auditorium Hotel | Houston, Texas | 701 Texas Avenue | 1926 | Now Lancaster Hotel |
| Wade Irvin House | La Porte, Texas | 431 Bayridge Road | 1927 | |
| Vaughn Hotel | Port Arthur, Texas | 600 Proctor Street | 1929 | |
| Charleston Hotel | Lake Charles, Louisiana | 900 South Ryan Street | 1929 | |
| Joseph Finger House | Houston, Texas | 2221 Rosedale Avenue | 1929 | |
| A. C. Burton Company Auto Showroom | Houston, Texas | 1400 Main Street | 1929 | Demolished |
| Texas State Hotel | Houston, Texas | 720 Fannin Street | 1929 | Now Club Quarters Hotel |
| Houston Turn-Verein Clubhouse | Houston, Texas | 5202 Almeda Road | 1929 | Demolished 1993 |
| James West House | Houston, Texas | 3303 East NASA Parkway | 1929 | |
| Plaza Hotel | Houston, Texas | 5020 Montrose Boulevard | 1929 | |
| McCartney Hotel | Texarkana, Texas | 100 Front Street | 1930 | Abandoned |
| Wolff Memorial Home | Houston, Texas | 1930 | Demolished | |
| Simon and Mamie Minchen House | Houston, Texas | 1753 North Boulevard | 1931 | |
| Thomas Monroe House | Houston, Texas | 1624 Kirby Drive | 1931 | |
| Davis House | Houston, Texas | 2330 North Braeswood Boulevard | 1933 | |
| Barker Brothers Studio | Houston, Texas | 4912 Main Street | 1931 | |
| Henry Tennison House | Houston, Texas | 427 Lovett Boulevard | 1932 | Now owned by Alliance Française |
| Byrd's Department Store | Houston, Texas | 420 Main Street | 1934 | |
| Beth Israel Mausoleum | Houston, Texas | 1207 West Dallas Street | 1935 | |
| Montgomery County Courthouse | Conroe, Texas | 301 North Main Street | 1935 | |
| Jefferson Davis Hospital | Houston, Texas | 1801 Allen Parkway | 1936 | Demolished 1999 |
| Ben Milam Hotel | Houston, Texas | 1521 Texas Avenue | 1936 | Demolished 2012 |
| Clarke and Courts Printing Plant | Houston, Texas | 1210 West Clay Street | 1936 | Now Tribeca Lofts |
| John Platt House | Houston, Texas | 3311 Del Monte Drive | 1936 | |
| Joseph Weingarten House | Houston, Texas | 4000 South MacGregor Way | 1937 | Currently undergoing full restoration |
| Tower Community Centre | Houston, Texas | 1003 Westheimer Road | 1937 | |
| Abe Weingarten House | Houston, Texas | 3612 Parkwood Drive | 1938 | |
| Wesley West House | Houston, Texas | Riverside Drive and Live Oak Street | 1938 | Demolished 1963 |
| Houston Municipal Airport Terminal | Houston, Texas | 8325 Travelair Street | 1939 | Operating as museum |
| Houston City Hall | Houston, Texas | 901 Bagby Street | 1939 | |
| Parker Brothers and Company | Houston, Texas | 5305 Navigation Boulevard | 1939 | |
| Abe Battelstein House | Houston, Texas | 3615 Parkwood Drive | 1940 | |
| Carnation Company Creamery | Houston, Texas | 701 Waugh Drive | 1946 | Demolished |
| Beth Yeshurun Synagogue | Houston, Texas | 3501 Southmore Avenue | 1949 | Now Lucian L. Lockhart Elementary School |
| Battelstein Building | Houston, Texas | 812 Main Street | 1950 | |
| Harris County Courthouse | Houston, Texas | 1953 | ||
| Sol Weingarten Family Home | Houston, Texas | 3222 Oakmont Drive | 1949 | Abandoned; restoration in process |
References
- Fox, Stephen. "Finger, Joseph". Texas Handbook Online. Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 27, 2014. Uploaded on June 12, 2010.