User:JPRiley/vonDohlen

Russell Gibson vonDohlen was an American architectural firm active in West Hartford and Farmington, Connecticut from 1954 until 1995. Formed as the partnership of James F. Russell (died 1979) and Murray O. Gibson  (1923–2011), it grew to be one of the largest architectural firms in Connecticut before its 1995 merger.

Robert J. vonDohlen (born 1928, living) is an American architect in practice in West Hartford and Farmington, Connecticut from 1957 to 1991.

History and principals
Russell & Gibson was formed in 1954 in West Hartford as the partnership of two architects, James F. Russell and Murray O. Gibson.

James Francis Russell was born in 1923 in Glens Falls, New York. He was educated at Cornell University, graduating in 1949 with a BArch.

Murray O'Brien Gibson was born March 27, 1923 in Newcastle, Ontario. His family immigrated to the United States a few years later and settled in Cortland, New York. He served in the Army during World War II and, like Russell, attended Cornell, graduating in the same year with the same degree.

In 1957 they were joined in partnership by Robert J. vonDohlen:

Robert John vonDohlen was born October 30, 1928 in Brooklyn to Henry vonDohlen and Anna Margaret (Meyer) vonDohlen. He was educated at Cornell University, graduating with a BArch in 1950 and a Master's degree in regional planning in 1954. He worked for architects Warren H. Ashley in West Hartford and Willard Wilkins in Hartford before joining Russell & Gibson in 1956.

In 1960 Russell, Gibson & vonDohlen opened a branch office in Pittsfield, Massachusetts under the direction of Terry F. Hallock.

Terry Farber Hallock was born August 26, 1928 in New York City. He was educated at Wesleyan College and Adelphi University, graduating from the latter in 1952. He worked for Pittsfield architect John H. Fisher before joining Russell, Gibson & vonDohlen.

In the 1950s and 1960s the firm built up a substantial practice based on the design of schools, churches and other institutional buildings. Beginning in the 1970s, they developed a strength in the design of corporate office buildings. It was on this basis that by 1981 they were the second-largest architectural firm in Connecticut, after Roche-Dinkeloo. vonDohlen retired from practice in 1991, following Russell and Gibson. In 1995 the firm was merged with Stecker LaBau Arneill McManus Architects of Glastonbury to form the SLAM Collaborative, which remains active regionally and nationally.

In 1960 the firm opened a branch office in Pittsfield, Massachusetts under the direction of Terry F. Hallock. In 1965 it was reorganized as a corporation subsidiary to the West Hartford firm with Hallock among the directors, and in 1973 he was elected its president. Hallock left to establish the firm of Hallock Architects in 1976 and the Pittsfield corporation was dissolved in 1978.

Russell retired from the firm in 1977 and returned to his hometown of Glens Falls, where he died July 28, 1979 at the age of 56.

Murray retired in 1988 and died August 23, 2011 at home in New Hartford at the age of 88.

Cornell '48, BArch '49, died July 28, 1979, Bolton Landing, New York

Associates by 1967: John L. Riley, Charles T. Bellingrath, Richard W. Quinn

Russell: vice president in 1974

vonDohlen: president 1972–82, chair 1982–91

Bellingrath: president in 1986, chair in 1991 and 1995

Riley: president in 1995, retires same summer


 * https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/hartfordcourant/name/charles-bellingrath-obituary?id=26405280

Architectural works

 * Plant Junior High School (former), 759 Farmington Ave, West Hartford, Connecticut (1957)
 * Bloomfield Junior High School, 330 Park Ave, Bloomfield, Connecticut (1958, demolished)
 * Life Insurance Agency Management Association office building, 170 Sigourney St, Hartford, Connecticut (1959, demolished)
 * St. Timothy Catholic Church, 1116 N Main St, West Hartford, Connecticut (1960)
 * American Institute for Economic Research library, 250 Division St, Great Barrington, Massachusetts (1961)
 * Cheshire Lutheran Church, 660 W Main St, Cheshire, Connecticut (1961)
 * Northwest Catholic High School, 29 Wampanoag Dr, West Hartford, Connecticut (1961)
 * Immaculate High School, 73 Southern Blvd, Danbury, Connecticut (1963)
 * Jubilee House, 40 Clifford St, Hartford, Connecticut (1962)
 * Annie Fisher Elementary School, 280 Plainfield St, Hartford, Connecticut (1965)
 * WBEC studio, 211 Jason St, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1965)
 * Cathedral of St. Joseph rectory, 140 Farmington Ave, Hartford, Connecticut (1965)
 * Church of the Resurrection, 115 Pond Hill Rd, Wallingford, Connecticut (1966)
 * Main Building, Marianapolis Preparatory School, 26 Chase Rd, Thompson, Connecticut]] (1966)
 * St. Mary's Church, 1600 Main St, Coventry, Connecticut (1967)
 * St. Mary's Church, 626 Willard Ave, Newington, Connecticut (1967)
 * South Windsor Town Hall, 1540 Sullivan Ave, South Windsor, Connecticut (1968)
 * Westledge School (former), 36 Westledge Rd, West Simsbury, Connecticut (1969)
 * Congregation Knesset Israel, 16 Colt Rd, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1970)
 * Richmond Congregational Church UCC, 1515 State Rd, Richmond, Massachusetts (1970)
 * St. Peter Claver Church, 47 Pleasant St, West Hartford, Connecticut (1970)
 * Heublein headquarters, 16 Munson Rd, Farmington, Connecticut (1970)
 * Enrico Fermi High School (former), 124 N Maple St, Enfield, Connecticut (1971)
 * David C. Phillips Communication Sciences Building, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut (1971)
 * Lammers Hall, Westfield State University, Westfield, Massachusetts (1972)
 * Thomas J. Quirk Middle School, 85 Edwards St, Hartford, Connecticut (1972)
 * Blessed Sacrament Church (former), 15 Milbrook Dr, East Hartford, Connecticut (1973)
 * Trinity Lutheran Church, 20 Meadowlark Rd, Vernon, Connecticut (1973)
 * Conte Community School, 200 W Union St, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1974)
 * Emhart Corporation headquarters, 1 Carrier Pl, Farmington, Connecticut (1974)
 * Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Ave, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1975)
 * Morningside Community School, 100 Burbank St, Pittsfield, Massachusetts (1976)
 * Southington High School, 720 Pleasant St, Southington, Connecticut (1976)
 * Scovill headquarters, 500 Chase Pkwy, Waterbury, Connecticut (1978)
 * Security Insurance Group headquarters, 9 Farm Springs Rd, Farmington, Connecticut (1980)
 * New England Air Museum, 36 Perimeter Rd, Windsor Locks, Connecticut (1981)
 * Connecticut River Plaza, 450 Columbus Blvd, Hartford, Connecticut (1984)
 * State House Square, 90 State House Sq, Hartford, Connecticut (1987)
 * Connecticut Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Ave, Hartford, Connecticut (1988)
 * Harry A. Gampel Pavilion, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut (1990)
 * Tampa Convention Center, 333 S Franklin St, Tampa, Florida (1990)