Background
James Riely Gordon was born in 1863 at Winchester, Virginia, United States, the son of a Civil Engineer.
James Riely Gordon was born in 1863 at Winchester, Virginia, United States, the son of a Civil Engineer.
He continued his training while employed in the local office of the late W. C. Dobson. Leaving there in 1883 the young man began his career in Washington, D. C., as draftsman in the office of the U. S. Supervising Architect, and later was employed as Supervisor on a number of Governmental buildings. About 1900 he returned to San Antonio where he practiced independently for two years, and later for a brief period was associated with Alfred Zukor.
In New York after 1904, Mr. Gordon first entered the office of Tracy & Swartwout, and after seven years with that well-known firm established an independent office in the city. Early in his practice he acquired a reputation as specialist in designing various types of Government buildings. The first of these, the original unit of the State Capitol at Phoenix, Arizona, designed in his San Antonio office, was completed in 1900, followed later by the Mississippi Capitol at Jackson in association with the firm of Link & Haire. Of the many Court Houses built from his plans (said to number sixty-nine) should be named the first unit of the Lee County building at San Antonio and the Bergen County Court House, erected at Hackensack, N. J. in 1912. Also included in the scope of his work were a number of hospitals, prisons, churches and hotels. Later in his career Mr. Gordon was chosen architect of the Texas State Building for the Century of Progress Exposition held in Chicago in 1933, and shortly before his death was commissioned to design one of the buildings for the World's Fair of 1939 in New York.
Formerly a member of the Texas Society of Architects, Mr. Gordon during later years in New York was affiliated with several professional organizations. Through the years 1915-1929 he served as President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New York Society of Architects, also belonged to the New York Council of Registered Architects, and in 1930 was elected member of the New York Chapter, A. I. A.