Background
Seth Justin Temple was born in 1867 in Winona, Minnesota, United States.
Seth Justin Temple was born in 1867 in Winona, Minnesota, United States.
He went to New York to complete an academic course at Columbia University. Awarded his Ph.D. degree in 1892, he turned his attention to the study of Architecture, and having won a Traveling Scholarship in 1894, became a pupil of the American Academy in Rome, later attended Atliers of the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris.
Returning to America in 1926, Mr. Temple accepted an invitation to teach at the University of Illinois' School of Architecture at Urbana, and as Assistant Professor of Architecture remained on the faculty eight years. In 1904 he resigned that position, moved to Davenport, Iowa, and under the firm name of Temple & Burrowes opened an office for architectural practice. Through the ensuing years, the firm of Temple & Burrowes executed a number of important commissions for buildings in the city and elsewhere throughout the state. Comprising these were the Davenport Hotel, Union Bank and Office Building, Black Hawk Hotel, three public schools and other small structures in Davenport, also the Burlington (la.) Hotel and a High school building in the city.
In 1925, Mr. Temple withdrew from the partnership, and carried on his work without associates until 1940 when he was joined by his son, Arthur. In that latter phase of his career, the elder architect continued active until shortly before his decease in 1949 at the age of eighty-two.
Well known professionally, and a member of the Iowa Chapter, A.I.A. after 1907, raised to Institute Fellowship in 1913, Mr. Temple was also active in public affairs. He served for a number of years as officer and member of the Board of Trustees of the Davenport City Museum, and in the same capacity at the Municipal Art Gallery.