Background
Albert D’oench was born in 1852 in St. Louis, United States. Member of a family of Flemish descent.
Albert D’oench was born in 1852 in St. Louis, United States. Member of a family of Flemish descent.
He was educated in the city schools of St. Louis. He studied Mechanical Engineering at Washington University, and after graduation in 1872 continued his studies at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and the Royal Polytechnic Institute at Stuttgart, Germany.
Upon his return to New York Mr. D’oench began as draftsman, working first for Leopold Eidlitz, later entered Richard M. Hunt's office. In 1881 he started independent practice, but a few years later during the second administration of Mayor Grace he was appointed Building Superintendent for New York City. While serving in that capacity he proposed the use of hollow brick as an integral part of bearing walls, with the result that the City's Building Code was revised in 1887 permitting that form of construction. Later in that year he resigned to practice in association with Bernhard Simon (Doench & Simon) and dinring that period planned a number of commercial buildings, apartment houses and also city and suburban homes. The Germania Life Insurance Building built in 1911 on Fourth Avenue at 18th Street was generally considered his most important building.