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The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

HUBBELL, BENJAMIN S. - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

HUBBELL, BENJAMIN S. (11 July 1867-21 Feb. 1953), architect active in Cleveland (1895-1930), who played a major role developing UNIVERSITY CIRCLE and who, with W. DOMINICK BENES†, was responsible for designing several Cleveland landmarks, including CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART (1916) and WEST SIDE MARKET (1912), was born in Leavenworth, Kans. to Peter Hanford and Sophia (Still) Hubbell. He graduated from Cornell with an M.S. in architecture in 1894. Within 2 years, Hubbell was a partner in Coburn, Barnum, Benes & Hubbell (1896), a year later establishing a partnership with Benes--HUBBELL & BENES (1897-1939). In 1916, when Hubbell & Benes were designing the Cleveland Museum of Art, they also exhibited drawings siting proposed cultural buildings in the Wade Park Oval along formal, symmetrical axes in an informal parklike setting, reflecting the Beaux-Arts planning concepts utilized at the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition, as well as the Group Plan placing of public buildings around a formal mall in downtown Cleveland. While many portions of Hubbell & Benes's plan were not developed in detail, they established the general character for the area. Hubbell is credited with helping form the UNIVERSITY IMPROVEMENT CO. in 1918, to preserve the neighborhoods and open spaces in the Wade Park area, which eventually led to the construction of University Circle. Hubbell married Bertha M. Tarbell on 17 June 1895 and had a son, Benjamin S., Jr., and a daughter, Virginia. They lived at their home, "Playmore," in Mentor, Ohio.

Last Modified: 18 Jul 1997 03:59:40 PM

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