04 Apr survey of exterior terra cotta at st. patrick’s church and st. catherine high school, designed by francis barry byrne and alfonso iannelli
April 4, 2026
in Bldg. 51, Events & Announcements, Featured Posts, Miscellaneous, Travel, Uncategorized
exterior photographic images of francis barry bryne and alfonso iannelli’s st. patrick’s roman catholic church (1924) and st. catherine’s high school (1923), located in racine, wisc.
the iannelli studios-designed terra cotta ornament was fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company, chicago, il.
francis barry bryne:
francis barry byrne (december 19, 1883 – december 18, 1967) was part of the group of architects known as the prairie school. when the prairie school declined around 1914–1916, byrne continued his architectural career by developing a unique style.
byrne grew up in chicago. inspired by a chicago architectural club exhibit in 1902, he pursued work with frank lloyd wright, landing an apprentice position despite lacking formal training. according to wright’s son, john:
william drummond, francis barry byrne, walter burley griffin, albert mcarthur (albert chase mcarthur), marion mahony, isabel roberts, and george willis were the draftsmen—five men and two women. they wore flowing ties and smocks fitting their roles. most men styled their hair like “papa” (wright), except albert, who had little hair. they admired “papa” greatly, and he appreciated them. each contributed significantly to the evolution of modern american architecture for which frank lloyd wright is credited today.
between 1902 and 1907, byrne worked at wright’s oak park, illinois studio before joining other firms in chicago. in winter 1908–1909, he moved to seattle to join andrew willatzen, another wright associate. together, they founded willatzen & byrne, creating several residential designs in the prairie school style.
after their partnership ended in 1913, willatzen stayed in seattle, but byrne relocated to southern california, briefly living with wright’s sons lloyd wright and john lloyd wright. in 1914, byrne returned to chicago to manage and later take over walter burley griffin’s practice after griffin moved to australia to plan its new capital city, canberra.
by 1917, byrne practiced under his own name. after serving briefly in world war i, he resumed work in chicago. his style evolved independently from wright and the prairie school, favoring greater simplicity in form. in 1926, annette cremin became byrne’s wife, and they had three children: ann, cathleen, and patrick. as an artist, annette influenced byrne’s architectural renderings and sometimes contributed interior colors and decorations for his buildings and churches. during the depression, when demand for byrne’s services waned, she supported the family.
during the 1920s, byrne’s works embraced elements of expressionism. he gained recognition designing ecclesiastical and educational buildings for the roman catholic church, including three notable works: church of christ the king in turners cross, cork, ireland (1931); church of st. francis xavier in kansas city, missouri (1949); and st. benedict’s abbey in atchison, kansas (1951–1957).
in the 1930s, byrne moved to new york, but after 1945, he returned to chicago. partially retiring around 1953, he still accepted commissions until his passing.
on the eve of his 84th birthday, byrne died after being struck by a car driven by retired american league president will harridge while crossing the street to attend mass with his wife. he was buried at calvary cemetery in evanston, illinois. annette cremin byrne passed away in 1990 at age 92.
alfonso iannelli:
alfonso iannelli (february 17, 1888 – march 23, 1965) was an italian-american sculptor, artist, and industrial designer.
iannelli spent most of his life in chicago, having been born in andretta, italy on february 17, 1888, and immigrating to the united states in 1898. he received his training in sculpture under gutzon borglum, who later became renowned for mount rushmore.
between 1910 and 1915, iannelli produced posters for vaudeville performances at the orpheum theatre in los angeles. his work attracted the attention of architect john lloyd wright, leading to an introduction to frank lloyd wright. subsequently, iannelli contributed to the midway gardens project in 1914, creating several sprite sculptures for wright. however, disagreements over artistic credit resulted in the dissolution of their partnership.
iannelli collaborated with chicago architect ernest a. grunsfeld iii from 1929 to 1930, designing art déco-style plaques for the adler planetarium, including depictions of zodiac signs and mythological representations of planets. during this period, he also designed an exterior fountain for riverside studio in tulsa, oklahoma. the studio, completed by architect bruce goff in 1929 for patti adams shriner, was listed on the u.s. national register of historic places in 2001.
following these projects, iannelli worked with chicago area prairie school architects purcell and elmslie, notably on the woodbury county courthouse, and collaborated with architect barry byrne on various church projects in the american midwest and ireland. he also participated in exhibitions at the 1933 century of progress (chicago world’s fair), contributing to the design of the radio flyer and havoline thermometer buildings.
iannelli later established iannelli studios in park ridge, illinois, partnering with his wife margaret, herself an accomplished illustrator and artist. the studio gained prominence as one of chicago’s leading art studios, expanding into commercial design, advertising, product development, and architectural interiors.
among iannelli’s notable industrial designs are the streamline moderne-inspired c-20 “coffeemaster” vacuum coffeemaker and t-9 electric toaster for sunbeam products, released as flagship modern appliances at the 1939 new york world’s fair
additionally, iannelli designed interiors for churches and theaters, including the enduring pickwick theater in park ridge and the catlow theater in barrington, illinois. notably, he created the prominent rock of gibraltar relief on the facade of the prudential building (now one prudential plaza) in chicago.
he was the father of photo-journalist fons iannelli and grandfather to kim iannelli, known as kim king of lothar and the hand people. alfonso iannelli passed away in chicago on march 23, 1965.