Résumé

Draftsman, Charles C. Haight, Architect, New York, NY, c. 1879.

Draftsman, Bruce Price, Architect, New York, NY, c. 1880.

Partner, [Cass] Gilbert and Taylor, Architects, Minneapolis, MN, 1882-1893.

Partner, [Amos J.] Boyden and Taylor, Architects, Philadelphia, PA, 1893-1895.

Senior Draftsman, Office of the Supervising Architect of the Department of Treasury, Washington, D.C., 1895-1897.

Supervising Architect, Department of the Treasury, Washington, D.C., 1897-1912; an article appeared in the San Francisco Call announcing Taylor's resignation: "James Knox Taylor, supervising architect of the treasury department, today tendered his resignation to the secretary of the treasury, to take effect June 15. Taylor has been in the government service since 1895. He announced his intention of engaging in private business." (See "U.S. Architect Resigns to Take up Own Work," San Francisco Call, 1912-06-06, p. 6.)

Teaching

Professor of Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 1913-1914.

High School/College

Taylor was educated at secondary schools in MN. B.S. Architecture, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, two-year course, 1877-1879.

Relocation

Born in Knoxville, IL, Taylor spent his childhood in Saint Paul, MN; he attended college in Cambridge, MA, and lived subsequently in New York, NY, Minneapolis, MN, and Philadelphia, PA, his wife's childhood home. As soon as the Taylors arrived in Philadelphia, the city faced a financial disaster. On 02/23/1893, the Philadelphia and Reading Railroad became insolvent, triggering a national chain of railroad and bank bankruptcies. Due to the bleak financial picture in the city, the architect began to search for work within and outside the city, tapping all of his professional contacts. From his student days at MIT, he knew William Martin Aiken, who worked in the Office of the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury in Washington, DC. (Aiken would become the Supervising Architect between 1895-1897.) By 09/03/1893, he was applying for a draftsman's job in that office and secured full-time employment in 1895. (Technically, he seems to have continued his Philadelphia partnership with Amos Boyden until about 1897.) Taylor was elevated to become Supervising Architect himself in 10/1897, a job that he held until 1912. In 1900, he and his wife lived at 164 Vermont Avenue in Washington, DC; in 1910, they lived at 274 Connecticut Avenue, (The Highlands), Washington, DC. He became a Professor at his alma mater in 1913, teaching for one year before returning to Philadelphia. He subsequently moved to Tampa, FL, where lived until his death. (Much of the information here is derived from Sandra L. Tatman's biography published by the Philadelphia Architects and Buildings Database,Accessed 06/08/2010.)

Parents

His parents were H. Knox and Mary (Young) Taylor; his parents were both from NY. In 1860, his parents lived in Knoxville, IL; the U.S. Census of 1860 indicated that H.K. Taylor, a clerk, had real estate worth $3,500 and a personal estate of $2,500.

Spouse

He married Adele Chambers Taylor, (born c. 02/1864 in PA) who grew up in Philadelphia, PA. They married c. 1886. Her father came from PA, her mother, NJ.

Children

The U.S. Census of 1900 indicated that James K. Taylor and Adele Chambers Taylor had had one child, who was not alive in that year.

• Knoxville, IL (Architect's Birth)
  Knoxville, IL

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• Tampa, FL (Architect's Death)
  Tampa, FL

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