John Everett Tourtellotte (February 22, 1869 – May 8, 1939) was a prominent
westernAmericanarchitect, best known for his projects in
Idaho. His work in Boise included the
Idaho State Capitol, the Boise City National Bank, the
Carnegie Library, and numerous other buildings for schools, universities, churches, and government institutions.[1] From 1922 to 1930, he worked in
Portland, Oregon.
He was associated with partnerships John E. Tourtellotte & Company and
Tourtellotte & Hummel, based in Boise. Works by these firms were covered in a 1982 study and many of the buildings were immediately or later listed on the
National Register of Historic Places.[2][3]
Early years
Tourtellotte was born in
East Thompson,
Connecticut, to a well-respected
French Huguenot family. His father, Charles W. Tourtellotte, was a prosperous farmer and grist-mill owner. At age 17, he enrolled as an
apprentice to the architectural firm of Cutting & Bishop, based in
Webster,
Massachusetts, where he studied architectural drawing for two years. During this time, he supervised roof construction for the Butler Insane Asylum in
Providence,
Rhode Island, and the Anne & Hope factory in
Lonsdale, the largest factory in the United States.
Following his apprenticeship, Tourtellotte travelled westward, working on construction projects in
Chicago,
Kansas City,
Albuquerque, and
Pueblo,
Colorado, before arriving in Boise in 1890, months after Idaho achieved statehood.
Idaho and Oregon
His architectural and construction business thrived in Boise, and by 1894, Tourtellotte devoted his business entirely to architecture. In 1903, he formed a partnership with German immigrant
Charles Hummel (1857–1939), a university-trained architect who had previously worked for Tourtellotte's architecture and construction business.[4] "Charles Hummel, born in Germany in 1857, became the unspecified but probably indispensable second partner in the firm Tourtellotte & Company in 1900. He became a named partner in 1910, and was left fully responsible for the Boise operation when Tourtellotte went to Portland in 1913."[5]
"After 1900 it becomes increasingly difficult to attribute designs specifically to Tourtellotte, given that most of his energies were devoted to promotion. Hummel was probably the chief designer of the greater share of the key works between 1900 and 1920."[5]
"The community development hotels, a major accomplishment of Tourtellotte's little-documented Oregon years, were a direct reflection of [his persuasive business] skills. They were so valued that, when he and Charles Hummel severed most of the connections between their Portland and Boise offices in 1922. Tourtellotte retained ten percent of the gross receipts from the Idaho operation in return for "getting out quantities of plates, booklets, etc. for advertising purposes and also letters for direct solicitation of business. ... The two offices, though maintaining a common name, joint advertising, and a periodic association on particular projects, were hencefoth functionally separate."[5]
Tourtellotte then partnered with one of Charles Hummel's sons, fellow architect Frank K. Hummel (1892–1961). The two shared a Portland office from 1922 until Tourtellotte's retirement in 1930, and Frank Hummel worked there until its closure around 1934, when he returned to Boise. *Tourtellotte continued to work as he designed a proposed Portland City Hall in 1933 with architect Truman E. Phillips as well as a completed project, Linn County Courthouse in Albany, OR, which was in the building stages at the time of his death, also with Mr. PHillips, according to "Architect and Engineer", Vols. 136-139, page 55.[6]
After retiring, Tourtellotte continued to live in Portland,[6] where he died on May 8, 1939.[7] He and his wife Della (1869–1946) are buried in Idaho at Morris Hill Cemetery in Boise.
Tourtellotte was known for combining architectural motifs from disparate styles and eras, and the domed
Idaho State Capitol is celebrated for its use of natural light. To celebrate the opening of the state capitol, Tourtellotte wrote an essay where he compared the architectural styles of various eras to the state of spiritual and moral development of civilization evident during those times, with the use of illumination and light signifying the increasing spiritual enlightenment of humanity.[8] The state capitol underwent an extensive restoration which was completed in 2010.[9]
^"Death Summons Noted Architect" (May 10, 1939). The Oregonian, p. 11.
^"John E Tourtellotte: A Western Visionary"(PDF). About the History of Idaho's Capitol. Idaho Capitol Commission. p. 2. Retrieved December 13, 2013. (Note: The full essay is also included in the same PDF document, near the end.)