Background
Leon N. Gillette was born in 1878 at Malden, Massachusetts, United States.
Leon N. Gillette was born in 1878 at Malden, Massachusetts, United States.
He was educated at the University of Minnesota the youth received a basic training in architecture in Minneapolis. Realizing then his need of more advanced study before beginning his career, Mr. Gillette went to Paris, France, where he completed his studies at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
In 1899 he began work in New York with the firms of Howell & Stokes and Babb, Cook & Willard.
Following his return to New York, he joined Mr. Walker in partnership in 1906 and over a period of almost four decades the firm was active in practice. During the twenties the partners acquired a reputation in the field of residence work, with a number of large suburban homes to their credit. Among the best known of these were the H. H. Rogers estate at Southampton, Long Island, the William H. Coe house at Oyster Bay, the George F. Baker residence at Glen Cove, and others, for which the firm was awarded the Gold Medal Award of the Architectural League in 1922. Their most important works however were in New York City, including the First National Bank at No. 2 Wall Street; National City Bank on Canal Street, and the Fuller Office Building at 57th Street and Madison Avenue completed in 1930.
Independently Mr. Gillette designed the Grassland Hospital at East View, N.Y., several buildings at White Plains, all public buildings and homes in the new city of Venice, Florida, and in addition a Housing development at Lake Charles, La.