Résumé

Principal, Edgar M. Lazarus, Architect, Portland, OR, c. 1905. Lazarus had an office in the Bank of California Building in Portland in 1928.

Professional Activities

Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Portland Chapter.

Lazarus presented the paper, “Ethics Governing The Professional Practice of Architects,” at the second annual convention of the Architectural League of the Pacific Coast, held at Los Angeles, CA, 04/10/1912. (See “Ethics Governing The Professional Practice of Architects,” Pacific Coast Architect, vol. 3, no. 1, 04/1912, p. 311.)

Member, Architectural League of the Pacific Coast, 1913. Lazarus was one of the attendees at the league's annual conference in Portland, OR, on 06/09/1913. (See "League to Lead in City Planning," Oregon Daily Journal, 06/10/1913, p. 11.)

Professional Honors

Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA).

Relocation

A Baltimore, MD, City Directory of 1890, indicated that Lazarus lived (or worked) at 1214 John Street and worked as an architect.

Lazarus was also noted to have worked as a Draftsman and Architect in Washington DC, c. 1890.

According to the US Census of 1920, Lazarus lived in a rented house at 100 North 18th Street in Portland, with his sister Phoebe (born c. 1879 in MD) and Edith F. Young (born c. 1861 in MI), his mother-in-law. In 1930, Edgar and Fanny Lazarus rented a dwelling on Davis Street in Portland, OR, for $150 per month. (The address was reported in 1933 as 705 Davis Street.) Edgar and Fanny Lazarus were buried in Oheb Shalom Cemetery, Baltimore, MD.

Parents

His father was Edgar M. Lazarus, Sr., (1836-1884), born in SC. Edgar, Sr., a Confederate soldier, applied for and received a Presidential Pardon on 09/07/1865. His mother was also from SC. Edgar, Sr.'s parents were Joshua and Thebe Lazarus, who lived in Charleston, SC, in 1860. They were well-to-do, possessing a $60,000 in real estate and a personal estate of $16,000, large sums at the time.

Spouse

His wife was Fanny H. Lazarus (born 08/12/1883 in Long Branch, NJ-died 02/28/1966), a woman about 16 years younger than he. (Records disagree regarding the date of her birth; a US Customs passenger lists from 1928 and 1931 listed it as 08/12/1883; another of 1933, listed it as 10/10/1884.) Her parents were both born in NY. Edgar and Fanny married c. 1920, when he was 52. It appears that he married previously a woman named Young who died before 1920.

Biographical Notes

Edgar Lazarus was a relatively early Jewish settler in Portland, OR. PCAD erroneously stated the following: "Lazarus's sister was Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), poet, who composed the notable verse on the Statue of Liberty, 'The New Colossus.'" Edgar Lazarus was not the brother of Emma. This was pointed out to me by Edward H. Teague, Head, Architecture and Allied Arts Library, University of Oregon in an email of 04/29/2010. Thank you for the correction.

Lazarus returned (unaccompanied) to New York, NY, aboard the Cunard Liner, Campania, on 06/01/1910, following time spent in England and perhaps elsewhere in Europe. He and his wife, Fanny, returned to New York, NY, from Cherbourg, France, aboard the S.S. George Washington between 05/07/1928-05/15/1928. They sailed aboard the United States Lines' S.S. Leviathan from Southampton, England, and New York between 11/17/1931-11/23/1931. Fanny and Edgar returned to Portland, OR, from Kobe, Japan, between 06/10/1933-06/29/1933 aboard the S.S. General Pershing.