William A. Starrett

William Aiken Starrett, Jr. (June 14, 1877 – March 25, 1932) was an American builder and architect of skyscrapers. He was best known as the builder of the Empire State Building in New York City (1930–31). He was a principal officer of several companies associated with building approximately 200 notable buildings and skyscrapers in cities throughout the United States. He sent steel construction technology to Japan to help design buildings to resist earthquakes. During World War I he was a Colonel and assigned to overseeing the architectural engineering of army construction for military housing for over a million soldiers.

William A. Starrett
Born
William Aiken Starrett

(1877-06-14)June 14, 1877
Lawrence, Kansas
DiedMarch 25, 1932(1932-03-25) (aged 54)
Madison, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Michigan
OccupationArchitect, builder
Known for
Notable work
Empire State Building

Early life

Starrett was born in Lawrence, Kansas, on June 14, 1877.[1] His father was William Aiken Starrett Sr., a Kansas minister.[2] His mother, Helen Martha (Ekin) Starrett, was a writer of many books and a teacher who founded the Starrett School for Girls in Chicago.[3] There were seven children in the family, five boys and two girls.[3] When he was a boy the family moved to the Chicago area, where he received his initial schooling.[4] Starrett worked part-time in a wholesale grocery house when he was in his early teens.[5]

Mid life and career
The Woolworth Building under construction in February 1912
Empire State Building

Starrett entered the University of Michigan in 1893. However, he had to leave his studies in 1895 to help the family financially. He entered the construction field part-time, working along side his four brothers in companies which started the concept of building American skyscrapers.[6] Starrett started his full-time career at the age of 21 with the George A. Fuller Company in 1898 as an office boy, working alongside his brother Paul, who was already employed there.[7][8]

Starrett left the Fuller Company in 1899 and formed with his brothers Theodore and Ralph the Thompson-Starrett Company.[9] His brothers and Thompson left the company within a couple of years and Starrett became executive vice president of the company in 1901.[10] He was in charge of designing skyscraper buildings.[6] Between 1910 and 1912, one of the New York City skyscraper projects the company did was the Woolworth Building.[11]

Starrett sold out his share of the Thompson company In 1913 and joined his brother Goldwin at Starrett & van Vleck, architects of skyscraper department stores.[12][13] Key design elements used were skeleton steel framing and reinforced concrete.[14][15][16] Ultimately he passed on this steel construction technology to Japan so they could design buildings to resist earthquakes.[17][18][19] Starrett was an assistant architect engineer for three commercial buildings in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo and for the Crescent Building in Kobe.[13][16]

Just before World War I Starrett entered army training and qualified for the rank of Major in the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He served by supervising all U.S. government war construction as Chairman of the Emergency Construction Committee for the Council of National Defense.[20][21][22] He was in charge of all the architects that did work for the government.[23][24] During the war he was assigned to the War Industrial Board and put in charge of overseeing the architecture engineering of army construction work for military barracks housing for over a million soldiers.[25][26][27] He was promoted to captain, major and finally colonel. Starrett served in the Quartermaster Corps as an architect in charge of building cantonments.[28][29][30] He received several accolades and was honorably discharged on March 22, 1919.[6][13]

Starrett was chosen in 1919 as an advisory architect for the state of New Jersey for improving public buildings and designing future ones.[31] After this assignment he returned to George A. Fuller Company and became its vice president through 1921.[13] In 1922 the Starrett Corporation was formed and he became its president. He held the position for the rest of his life.[32]

Starrett was the main motivator behind the real estate and building interests of the family.[10][33] They consisted of his grandfather, four brothers, and two brothers-in-law. He was a principal officer of several companies associated with building approximately 200 notable buildings and skyscrapers in cities throughout the United States.[34][35] The 1,250-foot (380 m) Empire State Building was built by a Starrett's company in one year from 1930 to 1931.[36] It was the tallest structure in the world at the time.[37][38][39]

Legacy and family

In 1917 the University of Michigan awarded Starrett his Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering nunc pro tunc, as if he had graduated in the class of 1897.[6][40] In 1931 he received an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering from the same university.[6][41][42] He was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the Associated General Contractors of America.[42]

Starrett is remembered as building the tallest steel and concrete structures of his time as a new art form – the American skyscraper.[43][44][45] He was once nicknamed the "father of the skyscraper".[46] The Chicago Tribune newspaper reported that they considered him the person that built more skyscrapers than anyone.[13]

Starrett and his wife, Eloise, had a daughter, Helen Ruth, and a son, David.[47] He suffered a series of apoplectic strokes and was gravely ill from January 19, 1932.[17][19][48] He died at his home in Madison, New Jersey, on March 25, 1932, at the age of 54.[1][47][49] Starrett's will provided an income to Eloise and the children for the rest of their lives from his substantial estate.[50]

Works

Adjunct associate professor of Urban Studies at Columbia University and architectural historian Carol Willis designates Starrett as an authority in the designing and construction of the skyscraper building.[51] The Skyscraper Museum considers Starrett's book Skyscrapers and the Men Who Build Them the best book written on the subject. They point out how he was able to convey in down-to-earth language easily understood by the general public the technical aspects of various skills of the architect, engineer, iron-worker, financier, and builder of the skyscraper since he had each of these talents.[52][53]

References
  1. "Col. W. Starrett Dies In New Jersey". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin. March 26, 1932. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com . Col. Starrett's company built many of America's largest skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building, the world's tallest structure.
  2. Parton, Lemuel F. (November 16, 1931). "Who's News Today". The Post-Crescent. Appleton, Wisconsin. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com .
  3. "Useful Citizen Passes in Death in Mrs. Starrett". The Oregon Daily Journal. Portland, Oregon. December 17, 1920. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com .
  4. McGraw 1932, p. 486.
  5. Buttenheim 1921, pp. 59–60.
  6. U of M 1931, p. 487.
  7. "Starrett, Empire Tower Builder, Stricken In East". The Sandusky Register. Sandusky, Ohio. March 27, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com . A nervous disorder halted the career that had directed the construction of approximately 200 notable buildings, including the Empire State Building.
  8. Osgood 1932, p. 94.
  9. Microfilms 1967, p. 42.
  10. Greenwood 2009, p. 90.
  11. Fenske 2008, pp. 168–170.
  12. United States War Dept 1919, p. 2530.
  13. "Col. Starrett noted builder of skyscrapers, dies". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. March 27, 1932. p. 16 – via Newspapers.com . This firm of general contractors continued until 1913, when Col. Starrett left it to join the firm of Starrett & Van Vieck.
  14. "American Construction for Japan". Christian Statesman. 57 (9–12): 28. 1923. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  15. "Special Stiffening of Tokio Buildings". Iron Age. 112: 686. 1923. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  16. Cody 2005, p. 75.
  17. "Builder of Empire State Dies; Age 55". Reading Times. Reading, Pennsylvania. March 28, 1932. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
  18. "Col. Starrett, Builder, Dies". Miami Daily News-Record. Miami, Oklahoma. March 27, 1932. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com . A nervous disorder which came upon him two months ago halted the career that had directed the construction of approximately 200 notable buildings, including the world's tallest structure, the Empire State Building. The influence of Colonel Starrett's building extended to the orient, where he introduced in Japan steel construction designed especially to resist earthquakes.
  19. "Famous Construction Engineer Dies Friday". Greeley Daily Tribune. Greeley, Colorado. March 26, 1932. p. 2 – via Newspapers.com . Col. Starrett's company built many of America's largest skyscrapers, including the Empire State building, the world's tallest structure.
  20. Monograph 1919, p. 126.
  21. "Col. Starrett, Builder, Dies in New Jersey". La Grande Observer. La Grande, Oregon. March 26, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
  22. "Noted Army Builder Dies". The Vidette-Messenger. Valparaiso, Indiana. March 28, 1932. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com .
  23. "The Architect of Tomorrow". American Architect and Architecture. 115: 91–92. 1919. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
  24. "Army and Navy News". The Washington Herald. Washington, District of Columbia. January 24, 1918. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com .
  25. "Early War-Time Conditions and Needs 1917". Engineer and Engineering. 37: 92. 1920. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  26. "Famed Builder Goes To Rest". Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. Fairbanks, Alaska. March 26, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com . He introduced steel designed to resist earthquakes in Japan and in this country built many of the largest skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building.
  27. "William Starrett Steel Wizard Dies". Medford Mail Tribune. Medford, Oregon. March 27, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
  28. Kingston 2017, p. 146.
  29. "Passing of Mr. Theodore Starrett, Builder". Architect and Engineer. 51: 686. 1917. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  30. "Business boom is Predicted". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. January 17, 1919. p. 20 – via Newspapers.com .
  31. "For better public buildings". Architecture. 40: 220. 191. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  32. Forbes 1932, p. 248.
  33. Benardo 2006, p. 132.
  34. "Rites Tomorrow For Col Starrett, Famous Builder". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. March 27, 1932. p. 15 – via Newspapers.com . A nervous disorder two months ago halted the career that had directed the construction of approximately 200 notable buildings, including the world's tallest structure, the Empire State Building.
  35. "Madison Man Built Empire State Building". The Chatham Press. Chatham, New Jersey. May 9, 1931. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com . Colonel William A. Starrett, former mayor of Madison, was the builder of the great Empire State Building, the tallest structure in the world.
  36. "A lofty accomplishment". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. August 28, 2001. p. 51 – via Newspapers.com .
  37. Encyclopedia Americana 1967, p. 299.
  38. McDonnald 1951, p. 296.
  39. "Skyscraper Completed in Record Time". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. May 3, 1931. p. 48 – via Newspapers.com . The Empire State Building – 102 stories high, if the top observation platform, 17 stories above the 85th floor is included in the estimate – was completed within a year from setting of the first column of the building, days ahead of the schedule, according to Col. William A. Starrett Brothers and Eken, inc. who built the structure.
  40. GCA 1921, p. 39.
  41. Tauranac 2014, p. 172.
  42. Gothamite 1910, p. cxliii.
  43. "A Builder Passes". The Madison Eagle. Madison, New Jersey. April 1, 1932. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com . In this new art of the skyscraper, Colonel William A. Starrett was one of the foremost artists. From whatever angle he approaches New York, the traveler to that great city catches sight of Col. Starrett's most famous achievement long before he has entered the city limits. The Empire State Building, its topmost floors often obscured by clouds, is more than the tallest building in the world. It is concrete evidence of engineering and architectural progress that would have seemed impossible 50 years ago.
  44. "110 Story Building". Lebanon Daily News. Lebanon, Pennsylvania. January 21, 1929. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com .
  45. "Writes Book on building". The Madison Eagle. Madison, New Jersey. February 1, 1929. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
  46. "Predicts Skyscraper Shift From Manhattan to Brooklyn". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. March 22, 1931. p. 44 – via Newspapers.com . The father of the skyscraper, Col. William A. Starrett...
  47. "W.A.Starrett, 55, Dies; Noted As Big Builder". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. March 26, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com . Col. William A. Starrett, who had charge of all army construction for war purposes in the World War and built the Empire State Building, died at his home last night.
  48. "Famous Army Colonel Dies". The Newark Advocate. Newark, Ohio. March 26, 1932. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
  49. "Noted U.S. Builder Dies Saturday". Hope Star. Hope, Arkansas. March 28, 1932. p. 4 – via Newspapers.com . He has built many of Americas' largest skyscrapers, including the Empire State Building the world's tallest structure.
  50. "Col. Sarrett Estate Bequeathed to Wife". The Madison Eagle. Madison, New Jersey. April 15, 1932. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com .
  51. Willis 1998, p. 12.
  52. "Writes book on building – Colonel Starrett Publishes Interesting Work on Skyscrapers". The Madison Eagle. Madison, New Jersey. February 1, 1929. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com .
  53. Foster, Helen Herbert (June 16, 1929). "New York Skyline and A Man Who Helped Trace It". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Brooklyn, New York. p. 96 – via Newspapers.com .

Sources
  • Cody, Jeffrey W. (2005). Exporting American Architecture. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135804879. One of those who became most influential in the construction of the four buildings was William A. Starrett, an architect, engineer and member of a dynasty of American construction experts in the early twentieth century.
  • Encyclopedia Americana (1967). The Encyclopedia Americana. Americana Corporation. William Aiken Starrett (Lawrence, 1877–1932), builder of the Empire State Building...
  • Gothamite (1910). The Gothamite. University of Michigan Club of New York. Colonel William A. Starrett, '97E, builder of the Empire State Building, was recently nominated for president of the Associated General Contractors of America. Last summer at the 1931 Commencement at Ann Arbor, Mr. Starrett who is a member of our club, received the honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering.
  • McDonnald, Alexander Hopkins (1951). The Encyclopedia Americana. Americana Corporation. William Aiken Starrett (Lawrence, 1877–1932), builder of the Empire State Building in New York and other famous buildings...
  • U of M (1931). The Michigan Alumnus. University of Michigan Libraries. UOM:39015071179470. Colonel William A. Starrett, B.S.C.E.'97, D.Eng. (hon.) '31, who built the Empire State Building and a good many others.
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