Oliver G. Traphagen

Oliver G. Traphagen House, Duluth, Minnesota (1892)

Oliver G. Traphagen (b. 3 September 1854 in Tarrytown, New York; d. 21 October 1932 in Alameda, California)^[1] was an American architect who designed many notable buildings in Duluth, Minnesota during the late 19th century and in the Territory of Hawaii during the early 20th century. Among his most famous landmarks are the Oliver G. Traphagen House in Duluth, called the Redstone,^[2] and the Moana Hotel in Honolulu, both of which are on the National Register of Historic Places, as are several other buildings he designed.

During his youth, his parents moved to St. Paul, Minnesota where he began working as a carpenter, contractor, and later apprentice to the architect George Wirth before moving to Duluth, where he became the city's first major architect, either on his own or in partnership with Wirth (1884–1886) and later Francis W. Fitzpatrick (1889–1896).^[1][3] He and his partners designed buildings for both public and private owners, such as the First National Bank (1888), Weiland Building (1889), old City Jail (1889),^[4] Fire Station No. 1 (1889), First Presbyterian Church (1891),^[5] and Duluth Central High School (1892).^[6] Many of Traphagen's designs show the influence of the Richardsonian Romanesque style that was popular at the time.

Palama Fire Station, Honolulu, Hawaii (1901)

Because his daughter needed a warmer climate, the family relocated to the soon-to-be annexed Republic of Hawaii in October 1897.^[1][7] Thanks to his earlier work in Duluth he soon became "the most prolific and highly regarded architect in town."^[8] He designed the first building in the islands with a passenger elevator, the Judd Building (1898);^[9] the first hotel on Waikiki Beach, the Moana (1901); and the first public crematory in the Islands, at Oahu Cemetery (1906).^[10] As in Duluth, he also designed public works, such as the Kakaako Pumping Station (1900),^[11] Palama Fire Station (1901),^[12][13] and the State Archives Building (1906).^[14]

Two of his finer buildings have not survived: the classical-style Hackfeld & Co. building downtown (1902) and the four-story James B. Castle home on Waikiki Beach.^[8] Among the last buildings he designed in Hawaii was the Punahou School president's home, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in December 2007.^[15] In 1907, he moved to Alameda, California, where he retired in 1925 and died in 1932.^[1][3]

Gallery

• Traphagen designs
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  Sandstone carving, Traphagen House (1892)

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  Moana Hotel (1898)

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  Kakaako Pumping Station (1900)

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  Judd Building (1901)

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  Front entrance, Old Hawaii State Archives building (1906)

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  Reception area, Old Hawaii State Archives building (1906)

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  Skylight, Old Hawaii State Archives building (1906)

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  Oahu Cemetery Crematorium (1906)

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  Punahou School President's House (1907)

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "HT Klatzky & Associates - The Difference: Oliver Traphagen". http://www.htklatzky.com/difference/oliver_traphagen.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. "Traphagen designed a majority of Duluth’s finest buildings, many of which are still standing today." ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ "HT Klatzky & Associates - The Difference: Where We Work". http://www.htklatzky.com/difference/duluth_office.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. "The Redstone is Victorian in design. Its most interesting exterior features include a somewhat ornate carved redstone facade, with towers, conical roofs, unusual dormers and stone window dressing. The other three sides of the building are of a more ordinary red brick construction." ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ ^{a b} "University of Minnesota digital content library: Oliver G. Traphagen". http://dcl.umn.edu/dcl/show_results?per_page=12&s=r_DESC+f_search_cache_title&q=v_Oliver_G._Traphagen+o_fand+f_search_cache_agent&page=1. Retrieved 2009-02-16. "Among the buildings attributed to Traphagen are the Munger Block, Chester Terrace, the First Presbyterian Church (Traphagen and Fitzpatrick, 1891), the Old City Hall and Jail (1889), the Oppel Block, c. 1885), the Wieland [sic] Block, Costello Hardware, and the Pastoret and Stenson Block." 
4. ^ "Duluth Public Library: Duluth's Early Days". http://www.duluth.lib.mn.us/History/CorianPanels.html. Retrieved 2008-02-16. "Designed by Oliver G. Traphagen and opened in 1889, this sandstone building near the corner of 2nd Ave. E. and Superior Street has been well preserved." 
5. ^ "Emporis: Oliver G. Traphagen, Duluth, MN, USA". http://www.emporis.com/en/cd/cm/?id=olivergtraphagen-duluth-mn-usa. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
6. ^ "Archiplanet: Duluth Central High School". http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Duluth_Central_High_School. Retrieved 2009-02-17. 
7. ^ Wilcox 1972, p. 7
8. ^ ^{a b} Wilcox 1972, p. 8
9. ^ Burl Burlingame (21 September 2003). "Judd Building had Hawaii’s first passenger elevator". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2003/09/21/travel/index1.html. "Another one of Oliver Traphagen's artful pastiches of Italian Renaissance decor and stately, businesslike proportions, the Judd Building featured the first passenger elevator in Hawaii when its four floors opened in 1898." 
10. ^ "Oahu Cemetery: Cremation". http://www.oahucemetery.org/cremation.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. "In March of 1905, the trustees of Oahu Cemetery began discussing the need for a public crematory, and enlisted the highly esteemed Oliver G. Traphagen (best known as the designer of the Moana Hotel) as the principal architect for the project. Around September of 1906, the single-chamber facility was completed, making it one of the first crematories in the United States." 
11. ^ "Hawaii for Visitors: Kakaako Pumping Station". http://www.hawaiiforvisitors.com/oahu/attractions/kakaako-pump-station.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-16. "The Kakaako Pumping Station is located on an acre of land between the Kewalo Basin and Downtown Honolulu, at Ala Moana Boulevard and Keawe Street. It is a blue stone structure with arched windows, a green tile roof, and an 80 foot tower." 
12. ^ "Archiplanet: Palama Fire Station". http://www.archiplanet.org/wiki/Palama_Fire_Station. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
13. ^ "National Register of Historic Places in Honolulu County: Palama Fire Station". http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/hi/Honolulu/vacant.html. Retrieved 2009-02-16. 
14. ^ Burl Burlingame (25 April 2004). "Archives built to house monarchy files". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/04/25/travel/index2.html. "The fireproof structure was designed by public-works wiz O.A. [sic] Traphagen and took 18 months to build. It is the first building in the United States designed specifically for the archiving of public records." 
15. ^ Suzanne Sato and Bonnie Louise Judd. "Punahou School: The President's Home". http://www.punahou.edu/page.cfm?p=883. Retrieved 2009-02-16. "In December 2007, the President's Home at Punahou School celebrated its 100th anniversary. It was designed by Oliver G. Traphagen of Duluth, Minn. (also the architect of the Moana, Waikiki's first hotel) to replace the former President's Home, built in 1885 near Old School Hall. It was a home, as Sharon McPhee puts it, 'to be of the school, a gracious home for the school's leader'." ^{[dead link]}

• Wilcox, Gaylord (1972). "Business and Buildings: Downtown Honolulu's Old Fashioned Block," Hawaiian Journal of History 6:3-27.[1]

Persondata
Name	Traphagen, Oliver G.
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1854-09-03
Place of birth
Date of death	1932-10-21
Place of death