George DeWitt Mason (July 4, 1856 – June 3, 1948) was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan, in the latter part of the 19th and early decades of the 20th centuries.[1]
Biography
Mason in stone, Masonic Temple
George Mason was born in Syracuse, New York, the son of James H. and Zelda E. Mason. In 1870 the family moved to Detroit, where Mason received his early education.[2][3]
He began his architectural career working for Detroit architect Hugh Smith in 1875, but this only lasted a summer. After this he moved to the firm of Henry T. Brush, where he worked for the first nine months without pay. Mason started out assigned to some specific detailing work on the George O. Robinson House[4] and the Detroit Public Library.[5] One of the first buildings in which Mason received equal billing for the design was the Ransom Gillis House.[6] In 1878 he joined with Zachariah Rice to form the firm Mason & Rice. This partnership lasted until 1898, after which time Mason continued his practice alone.[7]
From 1884 until 1896 Albert Kahn worked with Mason and Rice, and he returned to partner with Mason for a few years early in the 20th century.[8]
He married Ida Whitaker in 1882, and they had one daughter.[2]
^Hill, Eric J.; Gallagher, John (2002). AIA Detroit: The American Institute of Architects Guide to Detroit Architecture. Wayne State University Press. p. 341. ISBN 0-8143-3120-3.
^ a bMoore, Charles (1915). History of Michigan. Vol. IV. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 1785–1786. Retrieved March 9, 2023 – via Internet Archive.
^ a b"George Mason Dies; Was Noted Architect". Detroit Free Press. June 5, 1948. p. 17. Retrieved March 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^The Picturesque Style: Italianate Architecture: The George O. Robinson House, Detroit, Michigan May 5, 2013
^Ferry, W. Hawkins (1980). The Buildings of Detroit: A History. Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan. pp. 86, 90.
^Ransom Gillis Home Archived March 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Detroit1701. Retrieved on November 24, 2010.
^Pipp, E. G. (1927). Men Who Have Made Michigan. Detroit, Michigan: Pipp's Magazine. p. 52. Retrieved March 9, 2023 – via Google Books.
^"UMichigan Architecture: Albert Kahn". Archived from the original on March 16, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2011.