User:JPRiley/Herbert

Charles Herbert (October 16, 1925 – April 10, 2010) was an American architect in practice in Des Moines, Iowa from 1956 until his retirement in 1999. In 1961 he established the firm of Charles Herbert & Associates, reorganized as Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture in 1987. This firm dominated regional architectural practice and in 2001 was recipient of the American Institute of Architects Architecture Firm Award. The firm was dissolved in 2011.

Life and career
Charles Emmet Herbert was born October 16, 1925 in Chicago to Frank Arthur Herbert and Ella Herbert, nee St. Germain. He was raised in Savanna and Macomb. He began his education at the William H. Rice Institute, now Rice University, but left during World War II to serve in the navy. After the war he resumed his education at Iowa State College, now Iowa State University, graduating with a BArch in 1951. After graduating he joined Flad & Associates, architects of Madison, Wisconsin. In 1956 he moved back to Iowa, where he joined the Des Moines firm of Karl Keffer Associates as a partner. In summer of 1961 he and a colleague, John P. Locke, left Keffer to form Charles Herbert & Associates.

In 1987 the firm was renamed Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture to reflect the addition of architects Calvin F. Lewis, Rodney G. Kruse and Kirk V. Blunck as partners. Lewis had been an associate in the firm for seventeen years and Kruse and Blunck came from Brussard/Dikis Associates and Brooks-Borg-Skiles, respectively. This firm came to dominate architectural practice in the state and frequently won awards from local, state and national bodies. Herbert had a particular influence on downtown Des Moines and was a major player in two major redevelopment projects: the Civic Center of Greater Des Moines (1979) and the planning of Western Gateway Park, which included his expansion of the Meredith Corporation headquarters (1998). They also became the go-to collaborator for outside architects, completing major Iowa projects with David Chipperfield, Frank Gehry and Steven Holl. Although projects were assigned to individual partners for management purposes, design responsibility was a collaborative process between the partners and other staff. In 2001 the firm was awarded the American Institute of Architects Architecture Firm Award in recognition of their consistently high quality of work.

In 1999 Charles Herbert retired from practice, and Lewis, Kruse and Mankins departed over the next few years. This left Blunck as sole principal. In 2009 the firm name was shortened to HLKB Architecture and in 2011 Blunck dissolved the firm and organized a new one, Knowles Blunck Architecture, with former employee Stephen Knowles. In 2016 Blunck died following an altercation in his offices with a man who may have owed him a large sum of money. In 2022 that man was charged with Blunck's murder and arrested, and in 2024 he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. After this incident the firm was dissolved. Although his own firm had faltered, thoughout his career Herbert had made a point to mentor and support his young employees, many of whom went on to found their own successful firms.

Herbert joined the American Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1958 as a member of the Iowa chapter. He was elected a Fellow in 1973, the organization's highest membership honor. His partners Lewis, Kruse, Blunck and Paul Mankins were also elected Fellows in the 1990s and early 2000s. In addition to producing his own award-winning work, Herbert served on both state and national AIA awards juries. In 1991 AIA Iowa awarded him their inaugural Medal of Honor Award. His partners Lewis, Kruse and Mankins have also been recipients.

Personal life
Herbert was highly active in his local community. He was a long-time trustee of the Des Moines Art Center and sat on the board of governors of his alma mater, Iowa State University. He and his firm were responsible for many projects for both institutions, and the Adrienne and Charles Herbert Galleries of the Des Moines Art Center are named in honor of him and his first wife. The annual Charles E. “Chick” Herbert Lecture of the Iowa State University was also established after his death.

Herbert was married in 1950 to Adrienne Rickerd. They had six children, all sons. Adrienne Herbert died in 1997 and Herbert was married second to Marilyn Connelly. Marilyn Herbert died in 2009. Charles Herbert died April 10, 2010 in Des Moines at the age of 84.

Charles Herbert & Associates, 1961–1987

 * 1963 – St. Paul Presbyterian Church, 6426 Merle Hay Rd, Johnston, Iowa
 * 1967 – Brady Motorfrate office building, 2150 Grand Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1967 – Brenton Student Center, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa
 * 1967 – Buxton Hall, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa
 * 1967 – Maple Residence Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1968 – Welch Junior High School, 321 State Ave, Ames, Iowa
 * 1969 – Willow Residence Hall and Maple Willow Larch Commons, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1971 – Blank Performing Arts Center, Simpson College, Indianola, Iowa
 * 1971 – Larch Residence Hall, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1972 – Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
 * 1976 – Brenton Financial Center, 150 1st Ave NE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
 * 1976 – Northwestern Bell office building, 19 W State St, Marshalltown, Iowa
 * 1977 – Des Moines Public Library South Side Branch, 1111 Porter Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1978 – Design Center, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1978 – Northwestern Bell data center, 900 Keosauqua Way, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1979 – Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, 221 Walnut St, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1982 – Meredith Corporation headquarters expansion, 1716 Locust St, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1982 – Benton State Bank, 1904 State St, Granger, Iowa
 * 1983 – Grundy Community Center, 705 F Ave, Grundy Center, Iowa
 * 1984 – Parks Library expansion, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1985 – Black Engineering Building, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1985 – Valone residence, 3601 Southern Hills Dr, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1986 – HUB Tower, 699 Walnut St, Des Moines, Iowa

Herbert Lewis Kruse Blunck Architecture, 1987–2011

 * 1987 – Drake Legal Clinic, 2400 University Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1990 – Alumni Hall remodeling, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1990 – Faith Lutheran Church, 10395 University Ave, Clive, Iowa
 * 1992 – Iowa Advanced Technologies Laboratory, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
 * 1996 – Praxair Distribution offices, 2301 SE Creekview Dr, Ankeny, Iowa
 * 1997 – Jacobson Athletic Building, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
 * 1998 – Friendship Court, Palmer College of Chiropractic, Davenport, Iowa
 * 1998 – Meredith Corporation headquarters expansion, 1716 Locust St, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1999 – Center Street Park and Ride, 830 6th Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 1999 – Sticks headquarters, 3631 SW 61st St, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 2001 – Corum residence, 1797 Fox Ridge Rd, Pella, Iowa
 * 2005 – Figge Art Museum, 225 W 2nd St, Davenport, Iowa
 * 2006 – Art Building West, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
 * 2006 – Des Moines Public Library Central Library, 1000 Grand Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 2006 – McLeod Center, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa
 * 2008 – Kohout residence, 769 Monterey Tr, Dakota Dunes, South Dakota
 * 2010 – Des Moines Art Center entrance improvements, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, Iowa
 * 2011 – Garland Center, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas