Johnston, Clarence H. (Clarence Howard), 1859-1936

Clarence Johnston was born in Waseca County MN. After apprenticeship training in architecture in the St. Paul offices of A. Radcliffe and E.P. Bassford, Johnston studied architecture at MIT and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Johnston worked for Herter Brothers, and C.B. Atwood in New York City, where he also helped found the New York Sketch Club (later known as the Architectural League of New York). In 1883, Johnston opened an office in St. Paul, and had a partnership for a time with William H. Willcox. Johnston became a Fellow of the AIA in 1889, and in 1901 becaue an Architect to the State Board of Control, in which capacity he designed dozens of state-owned buildings. Johnston was also appointed architect to the Board of Regents of the Univ. of Minn. and was responsible for many buildings erected between 1904 and 1936.

Clarence Howard Johnston, Jr. succeeded his father in the firm and maintained it until his death in 1960. Many designs executed after about 1930 are by Johnston, Jr.

Clarence Johnston was born in Waseca County, MN, on August 28, 1859. He was educated in the public schools of St. Paul and received an apprenticeship training in architecture in the offices of Abraham Radcliffe and Edward P. Bassford in St. Paul after completing high school. He attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he received formal architectural education, but left after one year because of financial stringencies. He returned to St. Paul for a brief time, then moved to New York City and worked for Herter Brothers and C.B. Atwood. Johnston helped found the New York Sketch Club, which later became the Architectural League of New York. He came back to St. Paul in 1882 and opened his own office.

In 1885 Johnston entered partnership with William H. Willcox (1832-1929) until 1889. The firm produced many notable buildings, including Summit Terrace (St. Paul), the residence of F. Scott Fitzgerald; First Baptist Church (Chicago); the main building of Macalester College (St. Paul); the Mercantile Library (Peoria, IL); Shattuck School and St. Mary's Hall (Faribault, MN); and residences for W.R. Merriam, F. Driscoll, C.W. Griggs, and A.G. Foster, all in St. Paul. He was elected a fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1889. In 1901, Johnston was retained as architect to the State Board of Control and later by the Commission of Administration & Finance of Minnesota, in which capacity he designed literally dozens of state-owned office buildings, schools and institutional facilities, and the state prison. He also was appointed architect to the Board of Regents of the University of Minnesota at about the same time, and many of the buildings on the Twin Cities campuses dating from the period between 1904 and 1936 are from his firm. In addition to this enormous volume of business, Johnston carried on a lucrative private practice in the course of which he designed many commercial structures, institutional buildings, and residences. He died in St. Paul on December 31, 1936.