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Joseph Pierre Foucart

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Joseph Pierre Foucart (1848–1917) was a prominent architect during the opening of the Oklahoma Territory. The city of Guthrie, Oklahoma's skyline is dominated by buildings designed by him.

Joseph Foucart bust, Oklahoma Territorial Museum, Guthrie, Oklahoma

Foucart was the first architect to establish a practice in Oklahoma. He was the son of Katherine Mater and John Pierre Foucart, born on November 14, 1848, in Arlon, Belgium. He studied at the Royal Athenaeum in Arlon, Belgium, and studied civil engineering and architecture at Ghent, graduating in 1865. He worked as a civil engineer, and served in the French Army during the Franco-Prussian War. He oversaw the construction of the castle of Viere and assisted the architect for the King of Belgium. In 1880 he relocated to Paris and served as draftsman for the City Hall. His first wife was Frances Henrietta Jacques, who died in France. He later married Mary Philomene Jacquart née Coen in 1865. He immigrated to the United States in 1888 and settled within two months of the Land Rush of 1889. He left Guthrie in 1907 and moved to Muskogee, Oklahoma. He died there on April 11, 1917.

His building designs were influenced by the French architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc. The buildings Foucart designed include the Bonfils Building, DeFord Building, Gaffney Building, Gray Brother's Building, State Capital Publishing Company Building, Victor Block and the Foucart Building. He also designed the First National Bank and Trust Company in Perry, Oklahoma, the "Castle on the plains" at the Northwestern State Normal School in Alva and the Williams Hall library at Oklahoma State University; the last two buildings are no longer extant. He also designed two brick private residences in Guthrie, Oklahoma.[1][2][3][4]

Buildings Designed by Joseph Foucart
Name Address Year Built Architectural Style
Oklahoma Odd Fellows Home at Checotah
Oklahoma Odd Fellows Home at Checotah
211 West North St., Checotah, Oklahoma 1902 Romanesque Revival and Bungalow/Craftsman architecture
State Capital Publishing Company Building
State Capital Publishing Company Building
301 West Harrison Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1902 Commercial Style
Victor Block
Victor Block
202-206 W. Harrison Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1893 Richardsonian Romanesque
Foucart Building
Foucart Building
115 W. Harrison Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1891 Romanesque Revival with Gothic Revival influences
Gray Brothers Building
Gray Brothers Building
101-103 W. Oklahoma Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1890 & 1893 Richardsonian Romanesque
Bonfils Building
Bonfils Building
107 S. Second Street, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1890 Richardsonian Romanesque
De Ford Building
De Ford Building
116 S. Second Street, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1890 Richardsonian Romanesque
Gaffney Building
Gaffney Building, Guthrie, Oklahoma
212-214 W. Oklahoma Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma 1890 Architectural style not classified
First National Bank
First National Bank
Perry, Oklahoma 1902 Italian Mannerist style
Castle on the Hill
Castle on the Hill
Alva, Oklahoma 1899 Romanesque Revival of Norman architecture. Northwestern Normal School building, burned in 1935 and demolished.
Williams Hall Library
Williams Hall Library
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma
Joseph Foucart Designed Private Residence
Foucart Residence, Guthrie, Oklahoma
Intersection of Ash and Cleveland Streets, Guthrie, Oklahoma
Joseph Foucart Designed Private Residence
Foucart Designed Private Residence
Intersection of Maple Street and Warner Avenue, Guthrie, Oklahoma

References

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  1. ^ Ramirez, Enrique (September 1, 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: First National Bank and Trust Company Building". National Park Service. Retrieved December 22, 2014. and two photos
  2. ^ Susan Allen Kline (March 29, 1998). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Guthrie Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved June 17, 2015. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying photos, perhaps 100 in number, from 1997, 1998, and perhaps other dates.
  3. ^ "Joseph Foucart, "Father of Guthrie's Skyline", honored during '89er Week". 28 March 2014.
  4. ^ "Foucart, Joseph Pierre - The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture". www.okhistory.org.