Son of Walter & Electa (Payne) Allen.
Architect responsible for many of the railroad stations, schools, libraries and other industrial buildings throughout Michigan
Peek Through Time
Jackson Citizen Patriot
26 Nov 2014
JACKSON, MI – Say the name Claire Allen and many people may not know who you're talking about.
Yet, if they drive or walk throughout the city of Jackson, they likely witness his vision and creativity in many of the homes and buildings they see.
By his own account, Allen, a prolific turn-of-the-20th century architect who called Jackson home most of his life, said he had created so many buildings he "couldn't begin to remember them all, nor enumerate them."
Born in 1853 in Pontiac, Allen was the eldest of five children of school teachers Walter and Electa Payne Allen. According to his 1949 Citizen Patriot obituary, Allen also reportedly was a descendant of such notable early Americans as Revolutionary War officer Ethan Allen and poet Edgar Allen Poe.
By age 6, it was becoming clear that Allen's had a passion for design when he took wood scraps and built his rendition of Rome on seven hills.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildingsArchitect Claire Allen. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
"I had a great imagination, Allen wrote in his diary. "My Rome seemed very real."
At age 11, Allen's family moved to an Ionia farm. At age 18, he designed and built them a home in nearby Berlin, which is now Marne. From there, he built a school in Dexter and other houses in Belding and Ionia.
Allen construction business went bankrupt in 1885 while he was building the Ionia County Courthouse. That's when his biography, "The Wondrous Works of Claire Allen Architect," by Mary Abbott, says Allen turned strictly to design.
He started with modest buildings in Ionia and branched out to railroad stations in Grand Ledge and Lake Odessa, a Rochester-area school and a Lansing apartment building.
Allen's big break came when he designed four silk mills for Ionia's Belding brothers, which led to another job designing the Portland Peninsular Cement Co. in Cement City near Jackson.
Peek Through Time
If you would like to suggest a notable person, place or event from the past for this weekly feature, please contact reporter Leanne Smith at 262-0720 or [email protected]. To see more of these stories, check out the archive.
Allen arrived in Jackson in 1890 when it was a bustling railroad hub in need of new buildings and had wealthy men wanting to finance them.
This included John G. and George W. Carter and Percy D. Dwight, whose downtown Carter and Dwight buildings were designed by Allen. Allen set up offices in the Dwight building where he started designing houses around 1900. By 1920, homes were his primary business.
You'll find them on the roads that then were on the outskirts of the business district – W. Michigan and Wildwood avenues and Fourth Street.
Allen's homes are known for their varying styles from Colonial and Arts and Crafts to Tudor and Italianate. Other trademarks are ornate detailing inside and out, large and elaborate entryways, plaster and wood trim, built-in cabinets and bookcases, large fireplaces and roofs engineered to support slate.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildings. The former home of William "Cap" Sparks was designed by architect Claire Allen. It was demolished in the 1960s. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
Allen also designed the courthouses in Hillsdale, Gratiot, Shiawassee and Van Buren counties, the Carnegie libraries in Hudson, Mendon and Paw Paw, Kalamazoo's Rickman Hotel and numerous buildings in Chelsea and Ann Arbor.
Allen, who also was a collector of rare books and pieces of art, died at age 89, while still active in his Jackson business that then was being run by his son Russell.
1900 MI Census Jackson Co Jackson
Claire Allen Head M 47 Michigan
May Allen Wife F 41 New York
Carrie May Allen Daughter F 23 Michigan
Earl Allen Son M 19 Michigan
Haviland Allen Son M 17 Michigan
Glenn Allen Son M 15 Michigan
Russell Allen Son M 11 Michigan
Jay Wagner Roomer M Michigan
Death Certificate
Name: Claire Allen
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 22 Dec 1942
Event Place: Jackson, Jackson, Michigan, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 89
Marital Status: Widowed
Birth Date: 29 Jul 1853
Birthplace: Michigan
Birth Year (Estimated): 1853
Father's Name: Allen
GS Film number: 1972767 , Digital Folder Number: 005237607 , Image Number: 00919
Architect responsible for many of the railroad stations, schools, libraries and other industrial buildings throughout Michigan
Peek Through Time
Jackson Citizen Patriot
26 Nov 2014
JACKSON, MI – Say the name Claire Allen and many people may not know who you're talking about.
Yet, if they drive or walk throughout the city of Jackson, they likely witness his vision and creativity in many of the homes and buildings they see.
By his own account, Allen, a prolific turn-of-the-20th century architect who called Jackson home most of his life, said he had created so many buildings he "couldn't begin to remember them all, nor enumerate them."
Born in 1853 in Pontiac, Allen was the eldest of five children of school teachers Walter and Electa Payne Allen. According to his 1949 Citizen Patriot obituary, Allen also reportedly was a descendant of such notable early Americans as Revolutionary War officer Ethan Allen and poet Edgar Allen Poe.
By age 6, it was becoming clear that Allen's had a passion for design when he took wood scraps and built his rendition of Rome on seven hills.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildingsArchitect Claire Allen. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
"I had a great imagination, Allen wrote in his diary. "My Rome seemed very real."
At age 11, Allen's family moved to an Ionia farm. At age 18, he designed and built them a home in nearby Berlin, which is now Marne. From there, he built a school in Dexter and other houses in Belding and Ionia.
Allen construction business went bankrupt in 1885 while he was building the Ionia County Courthouse. That's when his biography, "The Wondrous Works of Claire Allen Architect," by Mary Abbott, says Allen turned strictly to design.
He started with modest buildings in Ionia and branched out to railroad stations in Grand Ledge and Lake Odessa, a Rochester-area school and a Lansing apartment building.
Allen's big break came when he designed four silk mills for Ionia's Belding brothers, which led to another job designing the Portland Peninsular Cement Co. in Cement City near Jackson.
Peek Through Time
If you would like to suggest a notable person, place or event from the past for this weekly feature, please contact reporter Leanne Smith at 262-0720 or [email protected]. To see more of these stories, check out the archive.
Allen arrived in Jackson in 1890 when it was a bustling railroad hub in need of new buildings and had wealthy men wanting to finance them.
This included John G. and George W. Carter and Percy D. Dwight, whose downtown Carter and Dwight buildings were designed by Allen. Allen set up offices in the Dwight building where he started designing houses around 1900. By 1920, homes were his primary business.
You'll find them on the roads that then were on the outskirts of the business district – W. Michigan and Wildwood avenues and Fourth Street.
Allen's homes are known for their varying styles from Colonial and Arts and Crafts to Tudor and Italianate. Other trademarks are ornate detailing inside and out, large and elaborate entryways, plaster and wood trim, built-in cabinets and bookcases, large fireplaces and roofs engineered to support slate.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildings. The former home of William "Cap" Sparks was designed by architect Claire Allen. It was demolished in the 1960s. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
Allen also designed the courthouses in Hillsdale, Gratiot, Shiawassee and Van Buren counties, the Carnegie libraries in Hudson, Mendon and Paw Paw, Kalamazoo's Rickman Hotel and numerous buildings in Chelsea and Ann Arbor.
Allen, who also was a collector of rare books and pieces of art, died at age 89, while still active in his Jackson business that then was being run by his son Russell.
1900 MI Census Jackson Co Jackson
Claire Allen Head M 47 Michigan
May Allen Wife F 41 New York
Carrie May Allen Daughter F 23 Michigan
Earl Allen Son M 19 Michigan
Haviland Allen Son M 17 Michigan
Glenn Allen Son M 15 Michigan
Russell Allen Son M 11 Michigan
Jay Wagner Roomer M Michigan
Death Certificate
Name: Claire Allen
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 22 Dec 1942
Event Place: Jackson, Jackson, Michigan, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 89
Marital Status: Widowed
Birth Date: 29 Jul 1853
Birthplace: Michigan
Birth Year (Estimated): 1853
Father's Name: Allen
GS Film number: 1972767 , Digital Folder Number: 005237607 , Image Number: 00919
Son of Walter & Electa (Payne) Allen.
Architect responsible for many of the railroad stations, schools, libraries and other industrial buildings throughout Michigan
Peek Through Time
Jackson Citizen Patriot
26 Nov 2014
JACKSON, MI – Say the name Claire Allen and many people may not know who you're talking about.
Yet, if they drive or walk throughout the city of Jackson, they likely witness his vision and creativity in many of the homes and buildings they see.
By his own account, Allen, a prolific turn-of-the-20th century architect who called Jackson home most of his life, said he had created so many buildings he "couldn't begin to remember them all, nor enumerate them."
Born in 1853 in Pontiac, Allen was the eldest of five children of school teachers Walter and Electa Payne Allen. According to his 1949 Citizen Patriot obituary, Allen also reportedly was a descendant of such notable early Americans as Revolutionary War officer Ethan Allen and poet Edgar Allen Poe.
By age 6, it was becoming clear that Allen's had a passion for design when he took wood scraps and built his rendition of Rome on seven hills.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildingsArchitect Claire Allen. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
"I had a great imagination, Allen wrote in his diary. "My Rome seemed very real."
At age 11, Allen's family moved to an Ionia farm. At age 18, he designed and built them a home in nearby Berlin, which is now Marne. From there, he built a school in Dexter and other houses in Belding and Ionia.
Allen construction business went bankrupt in 1885 while he was building the Ionia County Courthouse. That's when his biography, "The Wondrous Works of Claire Allen Architect," by Mary Abbott, says Allen turned strictly to design.
He started with modest buildings in Ionia and branched out to railroad stations in Grand Ledge and Lake Odessa, a Rochester-area school and a Lansing apartment building.
Allen's big break came when he designed four silk mills for Ionia's Belding brothers, which led to another job designing the Portland Peninsular Cement Co. in Cement City near Jackson.
Peek Through Time
If you would like to suggest a notable person, place or event from the past for this weekly feature, please contact reporter Leanne Smith at 262-0720 or [email protected]. To see more of these stories, check out the archive.
Allen arrived in Jackson in 1890 when it was a bustling railroad hub in need of new buildings and had wealthy men wanting to finance them.
This included John G. and George W. Carter and Percy D. Dwight, whose downtown Carter and Dwight buildings were designed by Allen. Allen set up offices in the Dwight building where he started designing houses around 1900. By 1920, homes were his primary business.
You'll find them on the roads that then were on the outskirts of the business district – W. Michigan and Wildwood avenues and Fourth Street.
Allen's homes are known for their varying styles from Colonial and Arts and Crafts to Tudor and Italianate. Other trademarks are ornate detailing inside and out, large and elaborate entryways, plaster and wood trim, built-in cabinets and bookcases, large fireplaces and roofs engineered to support slate.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildings. The former home of William "Cap" Sparks was designed by architect Claire Allen. It was demolished in the 1960s. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
Allen also designed the courthouses in Hillsdale, Gratiot, Shiawassee and Van Buren counties, the Carnegie libraries in Hudson, Mendon and Paw Paw, Kalamazoo's Rickman Hotel and numerous buildings in Chelsea and Ann Arbor.
Allen, who also was a collector of rare books and pieces of art, died at age 89, while still active in his Jackson business that then was being run by his son Russell.
1900 MI Census Jackson Co Jackson
Claire Allen Head M 47 Michigan
May Allen Wife F 41 New York
Carrie May Allen Daughter F 23 Michigan
Earl Allen Son M 19 Michigan
Haviland Allen Son M 17 Michigan
Glenn Allen Son M 15 Michigan
Russell Allen Son M 11 Michigan
Jay Wagner Roomer M Michigan
Death Certificate
Name: Claire Allen
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 22 Dec 1942
Event Place: Jackson, Jackson, Michigan, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 89
Marital Status: Widowed
Birth Date: 29 Jul 1853
Birthplace: Michigan
Birth Year (Estimated): 1853
Father's Name: Allen
GS Film number: 1972767 , Digital Folder Number: 005237607 , Image Number: 00919
Architect responsible for many of the railroad stations, schools, libraries and other industrial buildings throughout Michigan
Peek Through Time
Jackson Citizen Patriot
26 Nov 2014
JACKSON, MI – Say the name Claire Allen and many people may not know who you're talking about.
Yet, if they drive or walk throughout the city of Jackson, they likely witness his vision and creativity in many of the homes and buildings they see.
By his own account, Allen, a prolific turn-of-the-20th century architect who called Jackson home most of his life, said he had created so many buildings he "couldn't begin to remember them all, nor enumerate them."
Born in 1853 in Pontiac, Allen was the eldest of five children of school teachers Walter and Electa Payne Allen. According to his 1949 Citizen Patriot obituary, Allen also reportedly was a descendant of such notable early Americans as Revolutionary War officer Ethan Allen and poet Edgar Allen Poe.
By age 6, it was becoming clear that Allen's had a passion for design when he took wood scraps and built his rendition of Rome on seven hills.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildingsArchitect Claire Allen. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
"I had a great imagination, Allen wrote in his diary. "My Rome seemed very real."
At age 11, Allen's family moved to an Ionia farm. At age 18, he designed and built them a home in nearby Berlin, which is now Marne. From there, he built a school in Dexter and other houses in Belding and Ionia.
Allen construction business went bankrupt in 1885 while he was building the Ionia County Courthouse. That's when his biography, "The Wondrous Works of Claire Allen Architect," by Mary Abbott, says Allen turned strictly to design.
He started with modest buildings in Ionia and branched out to railroad stations in Grand Ledge and Lake Odessa, a Rochester-area school and a Lansing apartment building.
Allen's big break came when he designed four silk mills for Ionia's Belding brothers, which led to another job designing the Portland Peninsular Cement Co. in Cement City near Jackson.
Peek Through Time
If you would like to suggest a notable person, place or event from the past for this weekly feature, please contact reporter Leanne Smith at 262-0720 or [email protected]. To see more of these stories, check out the archive.
Allen arrived in Jackson in 1890 when it was a bustling railroad hub in need of new buildings and had wealthy men wanting to finance them.
This included John G. and George W. Carter and Percy D. Dwight, whose downtown Carter and Dwight buildings were designed by Allen. Allen set up offices in the Dwight building where he started designing houses around 1900. By 1920, homes were his primary business.
You'll find them on the roads that then were on the outskirts of the business district – W. Michigan and Wildwood avenues and Fourth Street.
Allen's homes are known for their varying styles from Colonial and Arts and Crafts to Tudor and Italianate. Other trademarks are ornate detailing inside and out, large and elaborate entryways, plaster and wood trim, built-in cabinets and bookcases, large fireplaces and roofs engineered to support slate.
Peek Through Time: Claire Allen designed buildings. The former home of William "Cap" Sparks was designed by architect Claire Allen. It was demolished in the 1960s. J. Scott Park | [email protected]
Allen also designed the courthouses in Hillsdale, Gratiot, Shiawassee and Van Buren counties, the Carnegie libraries in Hudson, Mendon and Paw Paw, Kalamazoo's Rickman Hotel and numerous buildings in Chelsea and Ann Arbor.
Allen, who also was a collector of rare books and pieces of art, died at age 89, while still active in his Jackson business that then was being run by his son Russell.
1900 MI Census Jackson Co Jackson
Claire Allen Head M 47 Michigan
May Allen Wife F 41 New York
Carrie May Allen Daughter F 23 Michigan
Earl Allen Son M 19 Michigan
Haviland Allen Son M 17 Michigan
Glenn Allen Son M 15 Michigan
Russell Allen Son M 11 Michigan
Jay Wagner Roomer M Michigan
Death Certificate
Name: Claire Allen
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 22 Dec 1942
Event Place: Jackson, Jackson, Michigan, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 89
Marital Status: Widowed
Birth Date: 29 Jul 1853
Birthplace: Michigan
Birth Year (Estimated): 1853
Father's Name: Allen
GS Film number: 1972767 , Digital Folder Number: 005237607 , Image Number: 00919
