Brentwood S. Tolan

Brentwood S. Tolan (November 23, 1855 - June 30, 1923) was an American architect.

Born in Delphos, Ohio to Thomas J. and Harriet Skinner Tolan. With little formal art training, he apprenticed under his father, a marble craftsman-turned architect, starting in 1872 at age 17. In 1874, the father moved the family and architectural practice to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

The younger Tolan continued the architectural practice in Fort Wayne after his father's death in 1883. He became well-known during the Progressive Era the Great Lakes area of the Midwest for designing municipal and local government buildings, including courthouses and jails.

His most notable work is the National Historic Landmark-designated Allen County Courthouse in downtown Fort Wayne. Other prominent buildings include the Whitley County Courthouse in Columbia City, Indiana, the La Porte County Courthouse in La Porte, Indiana as well as the now-demolished Old National Bank Building and Masonic Temple and Opera House in Fort Wayne.

He later moved to Lima, Ohio, where he practiced with the firm DeCurtin, Rawson, and Tolan. He is buried in Delphos, Ohio.

External links

* [http://www.kneller.com/WhitleyIN/photos01.html Whitley County Courthouse photo]
* [http://www.historiclandmarks.org/noted/restored/restored1003.html Allen County Courthouse facts]
* [http://www.lapcohistsoc.org/history.htm La Porte County Historical Society site with courthouse pictures]