So yeah, it’s that time of year… we all get busy, and well I totally missed that I forgot to put a post up Friday, until well into Saturday afternoon… so… Sorry about that! Now on to the post that I was going to do on Friday…
The Detroit firm of Spier & Rohns designed a large amount of Railway Stations and Churches at the end of the 19th century, and into the start of the the 20th century, from Detroit to London. Locally, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on the corner of Park & Victoria is their most notable comission. Above is a neat photograph from 1896 showing the firm at work in their Detroit offices.
In this detail shot, you can see Frederic H Spier on the left & William C Rohns to the right.
From my early years as a draftsman I can tell this is a typical “look busy” shot. The bosses are hunched over a board! If they had a big project they would probably have more people doing the detail work. It wouldn’t meet today’s ergonomic standards and I am not sure there is enough light. The gentleman is so busy he did not have time to remove his coat and hat. Or maybe it is cold in the office.