Henry J. Hefty

Henry John Hefty (December 28, 1858 – August 20, 1915) was an immigrant from Switzerland who worked as an architect based in Portland, Oregon, United States.

Henry J. Hefty
Born(1858-12-28)December 28, 1858
Schwanden, Switzerland
DiedAugust 20, 1915(1915-08-20) (aged 56)[1]
Weesen, Switzerland[1]
NationalitySwiss
OccupationArchitect
SpouseAgatha Durst[2]
ChildrenBessie, Edward, Alfred, Marguerite
BuildingsFirst Congregational Church
Eaton Building[3]

Early life

Hefty was born Heinrich Hefti in 1858 in Schwanden, in the Swiss canton of Glarus. His father was an architect and building contractor who taught his son the principles of architecture and construction. Hefty continued his study of architecture at the Darmstadt Technical School, graduating in 1879. He immigrated to the United States in 1881, following his brother to Portland, Oregon.[2]

He later adopted the anglicised spelling of his name.

Career

Hefty began working in Portland as a building contractor, and he employed over twenty workers. Beginning in 1884, he focused entirely on architecture, designing in a variety of styles and usually incorporating at least one tower in his designs.

Most of Hefty's work is preserved only in photographs and engravings, although a few buildings remain. He designed Portland's First Congregational Church at SW Park and Madison Street, and he supervised its construction between 1889 and 1895.[4] In 1904 Hefty designed the Eaton Hotel at SW 9th and Morrison. One of his last projects was the Buckingham Hotel in 1911, also known as the Kingston Apartments, at the intersection of West Burnside, Southwest Morrison, and Southwest 20th Place.[5]

City Hall

One of Hefty's designs that was never completed was Portland City Hall. In 1890 Hefty won a design competition to build a new city hall. His design was massive, and its construction required a major amount of stone, iron, and brick over a two-year period at a cost of $500,000.[6] Hefty's compensation for the project as approved by the city was $20,000.[7] After the building's foundation was completed, the city council stopped construction, citing cost overruns. The council awarded a new contract to architects Whidden & Lewis to design a less costly, more modest building.[8] Biographer Harvey K. Hines classified the change of architects as "political dodgery."[2]

In 1915 Hefty died suddenly during a vacation in Switzerland. At the time, his estate was valued at $70,000.[1]

Partial list of buildings

See also

Further reading
  • Thomas Vaughan and George A. McMath, A Century of Portland Architecture (Oregon Historical Society, 1967)
  • E. Kimbark MacColl and Harry H. Stein, Merchants, Money, and Power: The Portland Establishment, 1843–1913 (Georgian Press, 1988)
  • Richard Ellison Ritz, Architects of Oregon (Lair Hill, 2003)

References
  1. "City News in Brief: Hefty Estate". The Oregonian. Portland. October 16, 1915. p. 9.
  2. Hines, Rev. H.K. (1893). An Illustrated History of the State of Oregon. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Co. pp. 952–953. ISBN 9780665152344.
  3. Nelson, Donald R. (2004). Midtown Blocks Historic Assessment (pdf). City of Portland Bureau of Planning. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  4. Hartwig, Paul B.; Sutton, Robert K. (1975). "Nomination Form: First Congregational Church". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. Archived from the original (pdf) on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  5. Hallman, Tom (June 4, 2014). "Upscale Kingston Hotel featured hot and cold water in rooms: Portland history quiz". The Oregonian. Portland. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  6. "Editorial Page". West Shore. Portland: L. Samuel. July 5, 1890. p. 2. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  7. Hume, W.T. (1892). An Ordinance Authorizing a Contract with Henry J. Hefty, Architect. City of Portland. pp. 441–442.
  8. The council may have had undisclosed motives for firing Hefty and awarding a new contract to Whidden and Lewis. The amount of capital raised from the sale of city construction bonds plus accrued interest was almost $550,000. It may have seemed wise at the time to build a cheaper city hall and use the excess cash for other projects. See Mayor's Message and Municipal Reports for the Fiscal Year Ending December 31, 1895. Portland: Schwab Bros. City Printers. 1895. p. 287.
  9. "The Vendome". The Oregonian. Portland. May 10, 1891. p. 10.
  10. "Coleman Flats Now in Course of Construction at Nineteenth and Davis Streets". The Oregonian. Portland. May 7, 1905. p. 24.
  11. "Knapp, Richard B., House (Portland, Oregon)". Building Oregon. University of Oregon Libraries. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
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