Background
John R. Nierensee was born in 1831 in Vienna, Austria. Early in life left his native country to migrate to the United States.
John R. Nierensee was born in 1831 in Vienna, Austria. Early in life left his native country to migrate to the United States.
Arriving eventually in Baltimore, Nierensee began work as draftsman in the office of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, meantime devoting his leisure hours to the study of Architecture. Some years later he formed a partnership with the late J. C. Neilson and during a period prior to the Civil War designed a number of buildings in Baltimore.
In the early 1860’s Mr. Nierensee was appointed "Supervising Architect" on work at the State Capitol at Columbia, S. C. Uncompleted at the start of the War, the structure suffered considerable damage during the occupation of General Sherman's troops in 1865.
It was twenty years later when Major Nierensee was called to Columbia to complete work on the Capitol, but he died before it was finished. He was succeeded by Mr. Neilson (his former partner), who in turn was superceded by Frank Nierensee, a son of the Major, then a resident of South Carolina.