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Born: 8/29/1890, Died: 1975

Norman H. MacLeish was born in Glencoe, IL, to Andrew and Martha (Hilliard) MacLeish. His father was a member of Carson, Pirie, Scott & Company in Chicago, IL. He received his early education at the Hill School in Pottstown, PA, and then attended Williams College (1915), eventually graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1918 with his B.S. in Architecture. He then enlisted with the First Troop, Philadelphia City Calvary, and served in World War I, chiefly in France. After discharge in 1919, MacLeish returned to France to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. After received his diploma, he returned to Philadelphia and entered the office of John T. Windrim, and in 1923 he is listed on the Rankin & Kellogg payroll as working on the Buzby Residence. In 1925, however, he became a partner in Webber & Wurster.

During the 1930s MacLeish moved back to the Chicago area where he directed the regional WPA, but in the 1930s and into the 1940s MacLeish gained considerable reputation as a painter.

Written by Sandra L. Tatman.

Clubs and Membership Organizations

  • Philadelphia Art Alliance
  • Merion Cricket Club
  • American Institute of Architects (AIA)
  • Philadelphia Chapter, AIA
  • American Legion

School Affiliations

  • University of Pennsylvania
  • Ecole des Beaux-Arts
  • Williams College

 

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