Frank Furness

Frank H. Furness
Furness in 1901
Born(1839-11-12)November 12, 1839
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedJune 27, 1912(1912-06-27) (aged 72)
Upper Providence Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Place of burial
AllegianceUnited States
Union
Service / branchUnited States Army
Union Army
Years of service1861–1864
RankCaptain
Unit6th Pennsylvania Cavalry
Battles / warsAmerican Civil War
Battle of Brandy Station
Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Trevilian Station
AwardsMedal of Honor
Other workArchitect

Frank Heyling Furness (November 12, 1839 – June 27, 1912) was an American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his diverse, muscular, often inordinately scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago-based architect Louis Sullivan. Furness also received a Medal of Honor for bravery during the Civil War.

Toward the end of his life, his bold style fell out of fashion, and many of his significant works were demolished in the 20th century. Among his most important surviving buildings are the University of Pennsylvania Library, now the Fisher Fine Arts Library, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, all in Philadelphia, and the Baldwin School Residence Hall in Bryn Mawr.