Contents

Owen Southwell

Owen James Trainor Southwell (1892–1961) was an American architect who practiced in the early 1900s in Atlanta, Georgia; Beaumont, Texas; and New Iberia, Louisiana. His architecture style was a mixture of Southern Greek revival, other revival styles, and antebellum.

Southwell was born September 20, 1892, in New Iberia, Louisiana, to parents Catherine Trainor and William D. Southwell.^[1][2] Southwell's father lived in New York between 1885 and 1888 while studying architecture, returning to New Iberia to open an architecture practice in 1888.^[3] Southwell attended high school in Beaumont, Texas.^[2] Southwell attended Tulane University for two years before transferring to Carnegie Institute of Technology (now known as Carnegie Mellon University), where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1915.^[1][3] At Carnegie Tech he studied with architect Henry Hornbostel.^[3] Between 1914 and 1916, Southwell was hired as an instructor of architecture at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.^[4][5]

During World War I, Southwell served in the Naval Reserve.^[1][3] He was married to Yvonne Arnandez (1895–1993).^[6]

He lived in Atlanta from 1919 to 1931, moving there to manage Henry Hornbostel's local architecture office.^[3] During the early years in Atlanta, Southwell worked on designing early buildings for Emory University.^[3] By 1923, Southwell opened his own private architecture practice in Atlanta.^[3] In 1931, Southwell moved back to New Iberia because of the Great Depression, and moving his private architecture practice with him.^[7][8]

Southwell died in April 1961, at the age of 68, and is buried in Saint Peter's Cemetery in New Iberia.

• 1888–1953 – Old St. Peter's Church in New Iberia, Louisiana (now demolished)^[9]
• 1927 – Sardis United Methodist Church, Atlanta, Georgia^[8]
• 1928 – Caed Mile Failte, the John Henry Phelan mansion and 15.4-acre estate in Beaumont, Texas^[7]
• c.1936 – Buddha House at the Jungle GardensinAvery Island, Louisiana^[7]
• 1937 – Essanee Theater in New Iberia, Louisiana^[10]
• 1953 – St. Peter's Church in New Iberia, Louisiana (same location as the earlier church)^[7]
• 1951 – Sugar Festival Building in New Iberia, Louisiana^[11]

• Southwell, Owen J. (1892-1961) papers, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• Owen SouthwellatFind a Grave