Purcell & Elmslie

The American progressive architectural practice most widely known as Purcell & Elmslie (P&E) was the second most commissioned firm of the Prairie School after Frank Lloyd Wright.

The firms consisted of three partnerships: Purcell and Feick (1907-1910); Purcell, Feick, and Elmslie (1910-1912), and Purcell and Elmslie (1913-1921). The architects were commissioned for work in twenty-two states, participated in the competition for the National Parliament Buildings in Canberra, Australia, and prepared plans for a large institutional church, or Y.M.C.A., in Hunan, China.

The principals of the firm, William Gray Purcell (1880-1965) and George Grant Elmslie (1869-1952) both eventually received Fellowships in the College of the American Institute of Architects.

Notable commissions

*Dr. Ward Beebe House (1912), Saint Paul, Minnesota
*Merchants National Bank (1912), Winona, Minnesota
*William Gray Purcell House (1913), Minneapolis, Minnesota
*Woodbury County Courthouse (1918), Sioux City, Iowa

Further reading

* Brooks, H. Allen, "The Prairie School", W.W. Norton, New York 2006; ISBN 039373191X
* Brooks, H. Allen (editor), "Prairie School Architecture: Studies from "The Western Architect", University of Toronto Press, Toronto, Buffalo 1975; ISBN 0802021387
* Brooks, H. Allen, "The Prairie School: Frank Lloyd Wright and his Midwest Contemporaries", University of Toronto Press, Toronto 1972; ISBN 0802052517
* Gebhard, David (edited by Patricia Gebhard), "Purcell & Elmslie: Prairie Progressive Architects", Gibbs Smith, Salt Lake City 2006, ISBN 1423600053