Notes for George Washington Repp: Notes from Pop... I've edited them to save space...
1888 My folks went to California and returned to Johnstown, Pa the same year.
1889 May 30- The Johnstown flood occurred and my folks were left homeless and penniless. They came to Chicago but went back to Johnstown the same year living there until 1896.
1896 Came back to Chicago and lived at 34th Street and Ashland Ave.
1898 Moved to 3123 Princeton Ave.
1901 I attended the Webster School at 33rd and Wentworth Ave. graduating on Feb 1. Attended Old South Division High School until June. I went to work for W. A. Otis Architects at 105 S. Dearborn St. as a office boy, running errands, etc. One job in particular, there being no gas or electric lights in the building,was to clean the oil lamps, trim the wicks, fill the lamps and in the evening light them and distribute them to the various drafting tables and desks. In the mornings I would go over to the grocery store on Madison Street where now stands the Morrison Hotel, and buy a gallon of kerosene.
Each evening the letters of the day would have to be copied in the copy book by placing a sheet of oiled paper with a damp cloth under the page and the letter on top and the book placed in a press until an imprint was made in the book. In my spare time I was given small drawings to copy for practice. At the end of the year I was promoted to junior draftsman.
1908 I became chief draftsman. However, from 1902-1910 I attended the Art Institute and YMCA evening school studying architecture and math. In the summer for 2 weeks I would go camping with friends on the beach at Saugatuck, MI. In 1908 my younger brother went with us and drowned.
1909 In February, I went to New Orleans to see the Marti Gras and stayed there alone for three weeks.
1910 I took the state examination for Architecture passing 6th from the top and received my licence to practice architecture. In the spring we moved to 6338 Maryland Ave where we lived until the spring of 1912 when we took a room with some people by the name of Hennig on Prospect Ave. south of 99th Street opposite of where I was building my first home. Saturday August 6th, I took a trip alone to Elmira, Niagara Falls, Albany, New York (where I was met by Carver?) Atlantic City, Washington, Altoona, and Johnstown. Home Sept 5th.
1911 Saturday August 5th with Evan Claar?, left Chicago for Detroit and took a boat to Buffalo and Niagara Falls, boat to Toronto, train to Kingston, boat to Montreal, train to Boston, boat to New York City, boat to Albany and train home August 20th. At the time of this trip mother and I were engaged. She had left a week previous for a months stay in Colorado with her folks and the Pegen's?. The fall of 1911 I formed a partnership with George W. Herlin? who had passed the state exams with me. We also became instructors in architecture drawing at Chicago Technical College at 26th and Van Buren Streets. Later moving with the school to the Lake View Building opposite the Art Institute.
1912 In February I purchased as 25 foot lot on Prospect Ave for $325. When the party just south of this lot heard that there was to be a building there she wanted to buy the lot. We arranged things, however, by my securing 25 feet from the party on the north for the same price, I then sold my lot to her foe $425 which after the expenses of the sale game me a few dollars to boot. August Dorothy went to Kelly Lake with the Klines.
September 12, 1912 Dorothy and I were married. We had during the summer built a six room stucco house at 9915 Prospect Avenue. The wedding was held in the house. We had no honeymoon for we were broke and in debt.
1913 August 11th Jim was born.
1914 In the spring, my partnership was dissolved and I went back to Work for Mr. Otis at $28 per week. Occasionally, I made a fee by designing a building for friends.
1915 Friday, April 23rd, we finally took our honeymoon and went to Kansas City, Hutchinson, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver visiting the two fairs on the coast and arriving home May 16th.
1916 In the spring of 1916 we bought the Little Saxon Car from Mr. Clark (then a partner of Mr. Otis). In the simmer we spent two weeks vacation at Kelly Lake with the Kline's, Preston's and Fuller's. In October we had an accident that resulted on breaking mothers leg. She was of course laid up for weeks. In the meantime we sold the house and in December moved to the Brentwood, 67th and Perry Ave., with the folks.
1917 January I got a job with Walter Ahlschlager Architect at $40 per week. In February, we moved to 7421 Harvard Ave. and April 15th Tom was born. Later in the year I changed positions again working for Frank Chase engineer and architect.
1918 January I went to work for the Western Electric Company at Hawthorne at $34 per week which was raised to $40 before I left there.
1919 In the summer I went to Kelly Lake with James in the Kline car. The next day mother and Tom came up on the train. In the summer, I left Western Electric and took a position with the American Face Birch Association.
1920 Grandma Talcott and mother took Tom and went to Hutchinson for a visit. Grandma and Grandpa Repp were living at 75th and Princeton around the corner from us. James was going to the Harvard School. In the winter and spring, we built our home at 1743 W. 100th Place, moving in on Memorial Day.
1921 In March, Mr. Clark, (who had purchased an old house at 8 E. Huron St.) asked me to go with him as his chief draftsman which I did. We remodeled the building and by May were occupying it. He soon took on a partner (Chester H. Wolcott) which changed the organization somewhat with the result that I had to drop out. In the meanwhile I had placed my friend Rex Fuller in my old position with the Association but he did not fill the job right so was dropped and I was taken back into my old job with the Association where I worked until January 1, 1928, when I set up in private practice. In August, mother and I took a trip to New York and Washington on my two weeks vacation stopping at York, Akron, and Cleveland.
1922 In the spring, we purchased our first Chevrolet and in June with James, Tom, and Grandma Repp, motored to Crab Orchard, Kentucky. In September, we took James, Tom and Mrs. Bonlter? to Minneapolis.
1923 In April we adopted our little Marion who was 9 months old. On July 10th, we took James and Tom on a three weeks trip by motor coach to New England leaving Marion with Grandma Repp. In December I attended the annual convention of the A.F.B.A. in West Baden.
1924 In May mother and I took a trip through Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In October I made a trip for the A.F.B.A. to Texas, New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville. In December I attended the convention at Hot Springs, Virginia.
1925 In the summer James spent two weeks at Camp Highlands. In December Dorothy and I attended the convention in Atlanta, Georga.
1926 James went to Camp McDonald in July. Then in August we took all the kids in our second Chevrolet for a four week vacation in Colorado. In September I went to Columbus and Atlanta and in December to the convention in French Lick, Indiana.
1927 In March mother and I went to Chattanooga and Knoxville. Then in December, Dorothy and I took a trip to Johnstown, Baltimore, Annapolis and Washington.
1928 In July the boys went to Camp Roosevelt. We built the apartment building on Artesian Avenue moving there the 1st of October. We bought the Chrysler in July.
1929 In February and March Dorothy went to Florida with her mother. She came home by way of Charleston, South Carolina visiting Mrs. Rex G. Fuller. In August , mother and Tom went to Petosky.
1930 Tom went to Camp McDonald. In August, Dorothy spent 6 weeks at the Stevens Hotel and I purchased the Pontiac.
1931 In March Tom, James, Dorothy and grandma Talcott went to Florida for two weeks. In April we took Marian and mother Repp to visit at Elynia?, Johnstown, Latrobe, Pittsburgh, and Dennison. In August we took Tom and Marion on a camping trip to Northern Michigan. In the meantime Byron and Nita had arrived and were at our house when the folks got home. Grandma Talcott died a week later.
1936 In October we moved back to 1743 West 100th Place.
More About George Washington Repp: Retirement 1: Moved to Tryon, NC in 1949. Retirement 2: Moved to Bellevue, WA in 1956-1962. Social Security Number: 358-14-2837.
More About George Washington Repp and Dorothy June Talcott: Marriage: 1911
Children of George Washington Repp and Dorothy June Talcott are:
+James Louis Repp, b. August 11, 1913, Chicago, IL, d. January 01, 1991, Reno, NV.
George Washington Repp (b. December 23, 1887, d. April 1965)
Notes for George Washington Repp: