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The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

HAMILTON, JAMES MONTGOMERY - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

HAMILTON, JAMES MONTGOMERY (26 June 1876-12 Jan. 1941), prominent architect active in Cleveland from 1905 until the 1930s and, in partnership with FRANK B. MEADE†, responsible for designing several hundred homes in historical revival styles, was born in Ft. Wayne, Ind., son of Allen and Cecilia (Frank) Hamilton. After graduating from high school in 1894 he attended MIT in Boston and moved to Cleveland in 1901. Hamilton traveled in Europe for 2 years (1903-04) to study architecture, then returned to Cleveland, where he worked for the firm of Meade & Garfield. In 1911, he formed a partnership with Meade--Meade & Hamilton, which lasted until 1941. The two architects designed many residences for industrialists living in the northeastern U.S. Among Meade & Hamilton's projects in the Greater Cleveland area were the Euclid Ave. homes of Francis E. Drury, H. G. Otis, NATHAN L. DAUBY†, Kenyon V. Painter, and Henry White, and the WADE PARK homes of Eugene R. Grasselli, A. A. Augustus, Justin Sholes, and EMIL JOSEPH†. In the emerging SUBURBS of Euclid and AMBLER HEIGHTS (now CLEVELAND HEIGHTS), the firm designed homes for MYRON T. HERRICK†, John Sherwin, and John G. W. Cowles. In SHAKER HEIGHTS, homes were designed for CAESAR A. GRASSELLI†, A. H. Diebold, C. K. Chisholm, ROLLIN H. WHITE†, and Ira H. Baker. In addition to residential buildings, Meade & Hamilton designed 6 clubhouses, including the SHAKER HEIGHTS COUNTRY CLUB, the MAYFIELD COUNTRY CLUB, and the HERMIT CLUB. Never married, Hamilton died in Cleveland and was buried in Ft. Wayne, Indiana.


Johannesen, Eric. Cleveland Architecture, 1876-1976 (1979).

Last Modified: 17 Jul 1997 11:27:55 AM

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