Abbott, Merkt and Company.

Founded in 1923 in New York City by Hunley Abbott and Oswald L. Merkt as an engineering and construction service for industrial plants, Abbott, Merkt and Company became one of the leading architecture and engineering firms on the East Coast after World War II, acquiring major commissions for commercial and industrial and commercial buildings and civil infrastructure in the United States and internationally. Richard H. Tatlow, III was president from 1945 to 1985, later joined on the Board of Directors by J. Stanley Nants Jr. and Richard H. Tatlow, IV. Among Abbott Merkt's most prominent commissions were major terminal and support facilities for Pan American World Airways at John F. Kennedy Airport and for Terminal B at Newark International Airport; department stores and merchandise warehouses across the country for such clients as Bamberger's, B. Altman, Hecht's, J.C. Penney, Macy's, Saks and Company, and Sears, Roebuck; major materials handling facilities for United Parcel Service and the United States Post Office; schools and commercial centers in France, Mexico, The Netherlands, Syria and Saudi Arabia; and parking structures across the East Coast. Ceasing operations in 1985, Abbott Merkt Architects, Inc. was acquired in 1987 by a subsidiary of the Los Angeles-based architecture and engineering firm Daniel Mann Johnson and Mendenhall (DMJM).

Richard H. Tatlow III was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1906 and received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado in 1927 and his master's degree in engineering in 1933. In 1927, Tatlow was hired by the United States Bureau of Public Roads to assist in designing bridges and roads throughout the United States. Joining the Kansas City, Missouri, engineering firm of Harrington and Cortelyou in 1929, Tatlow was named partner with John Lyle Harrington in 1935. In 1940, Tatlow was commissioned to the United States War Department as a Lieutenant Colonel, serving on the department's Construction Advisory Board. He was eventually named Colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for the supervision of new facilities and the implementation of statistical quality control. In 1945, Tatlow joined Abbott Merkt and Company as president and member of the board of directors, eventually becoming chairman of the board. Throughout his career, Tatlow authored numerous articles and reports on a variety of engineering and management topics, including merchandise distribution, bridge engineering, shopping center design, and transportation planning. He was an active member of the Construction Industry Advisory Council of the United States Chamber of Commerce; the Engineering Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences; and the National Academy of Engineering. Tatlow was also president of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1968. Tatlow retired from Abbott, Merkt and Company in 1985, and died in Scarsdale, New York, in 1993.

From the description of Abbott, Merkt and Company records, 1906-1994. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 269255915

Abbott, Merkt and Company

Founded in 1923 in New York City by Hunley Abbott and Oswald L. Merkt as an engineering and construction service for industrial plants. The firm was expanded to include architectural services in 1929 and Abbott, Merkt and Company grew to become one of the leading architecture and engineering firms on the East Coast after World War II, acquiring major commissions for commercial and industrial and commercial buildings and civil infrastructure in the United States and internationally. Richard H. Tatlow, III was president from 1945 to 1985, later joined on the Board of Directors by J. Stanley Nants Jr. and Richard H. Tatlow, IV. Among Abbott Merkt’s most prominent commissions were major terminal and support facilities for Pan American World Airways at John F. Kennedy Airport and for American Airlines at Newark International Airport; department stores and merchandise warehouses across the country for such clients as Macy’s, Saks and Company, Hecht’s, Bambergers, B. Altman, and J.C. Penny and Company; major bulk materials handling facilities for United Parcel Service and the United States Post Office; schools and commercial centers in France, Mexico, The Netherlands, Syria and Saudi Arabia; and for parking structures across the East Coast. Abbott, Merkt, beginning, in 1951, was also partnered with the New York architectural firm Kahn & Jacobs, later bought by the St. Louis-based architecture firm HOK, on variety of airport-related projects. Ceasing operations in 1985, Abbott Merkt Architects, Inc. was acquired in 1987 by a subsidiary of the Los Angeles-based architecture and engineering firm Daniel Mann Johnson and Mendenhall (DMJM).

Richard H. Tatlow, III (1906-1993)

Tatlow was born in Denver, Colorado, in 1906 and received his bachelor of science degree in civil engineering from the University of Colorado in 1927 and his master’s degree in engineering in 1933. In 1927, Tatlow was hired by the United States Bureau of Public Roads to assist in designing bridges and roads throughout the United States. Joining the Kansas City, Missouri, engineering firm of Harrington and Cortelyou in 1929, Tatlow was named partner with John Lyle Harrington in 1935. In 1940, Tatlow was commission to the United States War Department as a Lieutenant Colonel, serving on the department’s Construction Advisory Board. He was eventually named Colonel in the Army Corps of Engineers, responsible for the supervision of new facilities and the implementation o statistical quality control. In 1945, Tatlow joined Abbott Merkt & Company as president and member of the Board of Directors, eventually becoming chairman of the board. Throughout his career, Tatlow authored numerous articles and reports on a variety of engineering and management topics, including merchandise distribution, bridge engineering, shopping center design, and transportation planning. He was an active member of the Construction Industry Advisory Council of the United States Chamber of Commerce; the Engineering Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences; and the National Academy of Engineering. Tatlow was also president of the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1968. Tatlow retired from Abbott, Merkt and Company in 1985, and died in Scarsdale, New York, in 1993.

From the guide to the Abbott, Merkt and Company records, 1906-1994, (Columbia University, Avery Architectural & Fine Arts Library, Department of Drawings & Archives, 300 Avery, 1172 Amsterdam Ave. New York, NY 10027.)