page_title: Charles A. Hausler
section_title: City architect
hierarchical_section_title: Charles A. Hausler / City architect
caption_attribution_description: English: St Anthony Park Branch Library, St Paul, Minnesota, USA This is an image of a place or building that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the United States of America. Its reference number is 84001675
context_page_description: Charles Albert Hausler was an American architect. Over his long career he had a major impact on the built environment of Saint Paul, Minnesota. As the first person to hold the office of city architect, he designed many public buildings, including Saint Paul's three Carnegie libraries. He also designed churches, commercial buildings, and homes in a variety of styles, including Neoclassical, Prairie School, and Art Deco.
context_section_description: Saint Paul created the office of the city architect in 1914, and Hausler, who was only twenty-five, was the first person to hold the position. Under his direction the office designed schools, fire stations, police stations, garages, and park buildings. In 1915, Hausler hired Clarence W. Wigington as the office's senior draftsman; this was the beginning of Wigington's career as a municipal architect in Saint Paul.
  One of Hausler's first duties as city architect was overseeing the construction of the Saint Paul Public Library's downtown main building. Electus D. Litchfield of New York designed the building, and it was Hausler's job to make sure it was built according to plan. A few months after he was appointed, Hausler inspected the building site and determined that the contractor was using substandard bricks in the walls. He ordered the contractor to replace them. The contractor went to the mayor to demand that Hausler be fired, claiming that he was "inexperienced and unqualified". The city stood by the young architect, and the contractor agreed to remove the questionable bricks from the building site. Hausler saw the construction of the new library through to its completion.
  Meanwhile, Andrew Carnegie donated money to Saint Paul to build the Arlington Hills, Riverview, and St. Anthony Park Branch Libraries.  Hausler designed each of these in Neoclassical style.  All three were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
  Hausler also designed several Saint Paul Public School buildings in Neoclassical style, including Como Park Elementary School and Randolph Heights Elementary School. He designed Prairie School buildings for the city, including a variety of park structures. One of them—the pavilion in Indian Mounds Park—became a popular picnicking site.
caption: St. Anthony Park Branch Library
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