Louis Weissbein


Louis Weissbein was a German-born American architect practicing in Boston, Massachusetts.

Life and career

Louis Weissbein was born July 19, 1831, to Michael A. Weissbein and Johanna Weissbein in Krotoschin, then under the control of Prussia but historically and presently a part of Poland. He was educated in a local school and studied with a government architect, followed by two years at the Bauakademie in Berlin. In 1854 he immigrated to the United States, settling in Boston. For four years he worked as a draftsman for various architects, including Richard Bond and Nathaniel J. Bradlee. In 1858 he established his own office in Boston. He was a sole practitioner until 1883, when he formed a partnership with William Hatch Jones, who had joined Weissbein as a draftsman. The firm of Weissbein & Jones was active until Jones' death in 1903. Weissbein then returned to private practice, retiring shortly before his death.
Weissbein was a Republican. During his term as Mayor of Boston, Hugh O'Brien proposed to appoint him City Architect of Boston, though he declined. In 1891 he was appointed to the Board of Commissioners of Prisons by Governor William E. Russell, and he resigned in 1894. Weissbein was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1870 until 1895, and became a Fellow in 1889.

Personal life

Weissbein was Jewish, and may have been the first Jewish architect to practice in Boston. He was one of the best-known German residents of Boston, and was a leader in local German society and philanthropy. For fifty years he was a member of the Orpheus Musical Society, a German singing society, and was president for 22 years.
Weissbein never married. He died December 10, 1913, in Boston. At his death he bequeathed four thousand dollars to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to support scholarships for Jewish students.

Legacy

Weissbein's major works include the original buildings of Boston College and Temple Israel, the latter of which is the oldest synagogue building in Massachusetts. He also designed a concentration of large buildings, including the courthouse, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, one of which has been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Many of his other works contribute to listed historic districts.
Weissbein established the Louis Weissbeing Scholarship Fund at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology "to found a scholarship to be awarded each year to a promising student, preference to be given a Jewish boy in making the award."

Architectural works