I.H. & W.M. Rapp and A.C. Hendrickson (Firm)

In 1889, Isaac Hamilton traveled west to Trinidad, Colorado to set up his first architectural practice with C.W. Bulger, specializing in public buildings. The firm dissolved after a few years. Rapp's brother, William Morris, arrived in 1892 when they established the firm I.H. & W.M. Rapp Co. In 1909, A.C. Hendrickson joined the firm, creating the partnership I.H. & W.M. Rapp and A.C. Hendrickson. The three partners secured a firm foothold in Trinidad, resulting in numerous commissions for Trinidad's major commercial structures, including the Las Animas County Courthouse, and the first National Bank of Trinidad. The commercial success of the firm extended beyond southeastern Colorado to Las Vegas and Santa Fe, New Mexico, and continuing south to the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell. Later, Rapp's architectural aesthetic made a dramatic evolution through a personal interest in New Mexico's southwestern vernacular. In 1913, the impetus for Santa Fe to establish an architectural style directed toward enlivening local culture and generating tourism created recognition for Rapp. Among his prominent Santa Fe buildings are the New Mexico Museum of Fine Art, and the La Fonda Hotel, both exemplifying characteristics of the Spanish Pueblo Revival Style, including warm earthen colors, thick adobe walls, and sculptural, horizontal lines. Rapp's contributions to Santa Fe architecture precede that of John Gaw Meem, who arrived four years after his retirement, and became Rapp's major successor.