User:Voxpopuli25/sandbox: Difference between revisions – Wikipedia

 

Line 15: Line 15:

== Early life and education ==

== Early life and education ==

Allison Owen was born on December 29, 1869 in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], into a family with deep military ties. His father, William Miller Owen, served as adjutant of the Washington Artillery during the Civil War and later rose to the rank of general in the Louisiana National Guard.<ref>“General Owen, in Service 43 Years, Quits: Retires for Age at Colorful Ceremonies at Barracks,” ”New Orleans Morning Tribune”, December 17, 1933, Jackson Barracks Military Museum.</ref> This connection strongly influenced the younger Owen, who from an early age combined an interest in military service with a dedication to the arts and civic improvement.

Allison Owen was born on December 29, 1869 in [[New Orleans, Louisiana]], into a family with deep military ties. His father, William Miller Owen, served as adjutant of the Washington Artillery during the Civil War and later rose to the rank of general in the Louisiana National Guard.<ref>“General Owen, in Service 43 Years, Quits: Retires for Age at Colorful Ceremonies at Barracks,” ”New Orleans Morning Tribune”, December 17, 1933, Jackson Barracks Military Museum.</ref> This connection strongly influenced the younger Owen, who from an early age combined an interest in military service with a dedication to the arts and civic improvement.

Owen attended [[Tulane University]], where he first distinguished himself in drawing under Professor [[Ellsworth Woodward]]. When Woodward left to help establish the Art School at [[H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College|Newcomb College]], Owen was appointed instructor of drawing at Tulane University High School. According to a contemporary profile, “so satisfactory was the work of young Owen, that he continued with the title of ‘Instructor’ until he resigned, some years later, to complete his own studies in architecture at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in Boston.”<ref>Lichtenstein, Tinette. “Useful Citizens,” ”New Orleans Item-Tribune Sunday Magazine”, June 1937, Jackson Barracks Military Museum.</ref>

Owen attended [[Tulane University]], where he first distinguished himself in drawing under Professor [[Ellsworth Woodward]]. When Woodward left to help establish the Art School at [[H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College|Newcomb College]], Owen was appointed instructor of drawing at Tulane University High School. According to a contemporary profile, “so satisfactory was the work of young Owen, that he continued with the title of ‘Instructor’ until he resigned, some years later, to complete his own studies in architecture at the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] in Boston.”<ref>Lichtenstein, Tinette. “Useful Citizens,” ”New Orleans Item-Tribune Sunday Magazine”, June 1937, Jackson Barracks Military Museum.</ref>

Finished writing a draft article? Are you ready to request review of it by an experienced editor for possible inclusion in Wikipedia? Submit your draft for review!

Allison Owen
Major-General Allison Owen, c. 1937
Born	(1869-12-29)December 29, 1869
Died	January 30, 1951(1951-01-30) (aged 81)
Nationality	American
Occupation(s)	Architect, Soldier, Civic Leader

Major-General Allison Owen (1869–1951) was an American architect, military officer and civic leader. He served as commander of the Washington Artillery during World War I and later led the 56th Field Artillery Brigade. Owen was also a prominent New Orleans architect, responsible for several notable civic and religious buildings.

Allison Owen was born on December 29, 1869 in New Orleans, Louisiana, into a family with deep military ties. His father, William Miller Owen, served as adjutant of the Washington Artillery during the American Civil War and later rose to the rank of general in the Louisiana National Guard.^[1] This connection strongly influenced the younger Owen, who from an early age combined an interest in military service with a dedication to the arts and civic improvement.

Owen attended Tulane University, where he first distinguished himself in drawing under Professor Ellsworth Woodward. When Woodward left to help establish the Art School at Newcomb College, Owen was appointed instructor of drawing at Tulane University High School. According to a contemporary profile, “so satisfactory was the work of young Owen, that he continued with the title of ‘Instructor’ until he resigned, some years later, to complete his own studies in architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.”^[2]

At MIT, Owen studied architecture formally while also traveling in Europe to observe classical and modern building traditions.^[3] Ellsworth Woodward later recalled that “from the very outset Allison Owen showed a talent for the work in which he afterwards became so distinguished—architecture. As a pupil, his work was characterized by that kind of painstaking and conscientious application to his studies which always leads to success.”^[4]

Owen’s military career spanned more than four decades, during which he rose from the enlisted ranks of the Washington Artillery to command the unit through World War I and retire as a brigadier general in 1933. He later received brevet promotion to major general in recognition of his long service.^[5]

He first joined the Washington Artillery in 1890, at a time when the historic New Orleans battalion was reorganizing after its service in the Civil War and Spanish–American War.^[6] By 1916, Owen, then a major, commanded the unit during its federal mobilization on the Mexican border at Donna, Texas, where the Washington Artillery was praised as “stacked up as well as any troops from other States.”^[7]

When the United States entered the First World War, the Washington Artillery was redesignated the 141st Field Artillery, part of the 39th Division. As colonel, Owen led the regiment through training at Camp Beauregard, Louisiana, and later at Camp Coëtquidan in Brittany, France, where many of his officers and men were detached to reinforce the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd U.S. Armies in combat.^[8] The main body of the 141st returned to New Orleans in April 1919 to a triumphant welcome and demobilization.^[9]

Following the war, Owen was promoted to brigadier general and placed in command of the newly created 56th Field Artillery Brigade of the Louisiana National Guard, comprising units from Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.^[10] He held that command until his retirement in December 1933 upon reaching the statutory age limit. His farewell review at Jackson Barracks drew thousands of spectators and included tributes from Generals John J. Pershing and Douglas MacArthur, who praised Owen’s “forceful and constructive efforts in behalf of adequate National Defense.”^[11][12]

Owen’s service was recognized with multiple honors, including the Louisiana National Guard Distinguished Service Medal, the Alabama Special Service Medal, and investiture as a knight of the French Legion of Honor in 1931.^[13]

In 1895, after teaching drawing at Tulane, Owen partnered with Collins C. Diboll to form the firm Diboll & Owen, which became one of the most prominent architectural offices in New Orleans at the turn of the century.^[14]

Among the firm’s major commissions were the New Orleans Criminal Courts Building (1929), the Notre Dame Seminary complex, the New Orleans Athletic Club, and the former main branch of the New Orleans Public Library at Lee Circle (demolished in the 1950s).^[15] He also designed numerous Catholic churches, including St. Henry’s on General Pershing Street and Our Lady of Lourdes on Napoleon Avenue.^[16] Owen explained that his Criminal Courts design embodied “elegance reflected in the classical colonnade and severity reflected in … modern buttresses.”^[17] The monumental limestone courthouse combined a twelve-columned colonnade with Egyptian-influenced pavilions and Art Deco ornament by sculptor Angela Gregory.^[18]

Owen also designed residences, most notably his own family home at 1237 State Stree (1902), a Greek Revival–inspired house with Ionic columns modeled on Natchez prototypes.^[19] The house was later landmarked for its architectural significance and as the long-time Owen family residence.^[20]

Beyond building design, Owen was central to New Orleans civic beautification. He co-founded and long-chaired the New Orleans Parkway Commission, supervising tree-planting programs, boulevards, and park improvements. By 1935, the commission had planted more than 90,000 trees and created extensive azalea and magnolia trails.^[21]

Owen also wrote on architectural history and theory. In his 1927 essay, “New Orleans a City of Architectural Inspiration,” he analyzed the city’s colonial and Creole traditions, arguing that its architecture represented a unique blend of French and Spanish influences adapted to the Gulf South environment.^[22]

Professionally, Owen was active in the American Institute of Architects, serving as president of the Louisiana chapter and being advanced to Fellowship in 1926.^[23] His civic and architectural contributions were recognized with the Times-Picayune Loving Cup in 1929.^[24]

(Add details here…)

(Add details here…)