Background
Alexander C. Eschweiler was born in 1865 at Boston, Massachusetts. United States. The son of a mining engineer.
Alexander C. Eschweiler was born in 1865 at Boston, Massachusetts. United States. The son of a mining engineer.
Mr. Eschweiler completed his education at Marquette College, later studied architecture at Cornell University, graduating therefrom in 1870.
For two subsequent years he acquired experience while employed as draftsman in a number of offices in the city, then in 1892 organized the firm of Eschweiler & Eschweiler. Associated with him in partnership were three sons, Alexander C. Jr., a Major in the U. S. Engineering Corps during World War II, Theodore, also an Engineer, and at the end of the war a 2nd Lieutenant, and Carl, who served in the navy.
Throughout his long career Mr. Eschweiler was constantly busy in the execution of a large number of commissions for various types of work including churches commercial and public buildings and numerous residences, designed independently or under the firm name. Among the most important of these were St. Rose's Church at Racine, built in 1903; Plymouth Congregational Church, Milwaukee, 1913; Church of St. Thomas Aquinas, also in Milwaukee, 1914; First Universalist Church, Wausau, Wis., 1914 (a beautiful structure built of reddish granite, a native stone); Redemptorist Monastery at Ocono- mowoc, Wis., 1923; Law School and Science Building at Marquette University, 1923; House of the Good Shepherd, Milwaukee, 1927, a large institution consisting of three separate units; Koly Ghost Church in Miwaukee, erected in 1929; Cistercian Monastery at Lake Oconomowoc; House of St. Francis at Madison, Episcopal Headquarters for the University of Wisconsin, 1929; Downer College, Milwaukee, first school in the city; Emanuel Philip School, Milwaukee, 1931; Columbia Hospital, four units, 1932-41; Fox Point School, north of Milwaukee, on Lake Michigan, 1934; Senior High School at Appleton, Wis., (with Smith & Brandt, Associate Architects), 1934; Milwaukee Downer Seminary (Lower School), 1936; the Frederick J. Gaensler School for Crippled Children, Milwaukee (Alexander Bauer, Associate Architect) 1938; the Gas Light Company Office, Milwaukee; and in add;tion General Headquarters, Office Building and other structures for the Wisconsin Telephone Company, several industrial buildings, and many distinctive country residences.