Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index

David Adler

David Adler (born 1882 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, died September 27, 1949 in Libertyville, Illinois) was a prolific architect, designing over 200 buildings. He was the son of Therese and Issac Adler and had one sister, Francis Adler Elkins, who became one of the mid 20th-century's great interior decorators and often worked with her brother on residential projects.

After graduating from Princeton in 1904, he travelled extensively, mostly studying and observing the architecture of Europe. After returning to the United States in 1911, he began working for Howard Shaw in Chicago, Illinois. After a short period, he opened a new office with a friend from Paris, Henry Dangler. David married Katherine Keith, an Illinois socialite and writer, in 1916 and they moved to Libertyville one year later. He became a widower in 1930 after his wife was involved in a car accident in Europe.

Due to his association with Henry Dangler, Adler didn't register as an architect in Illinois until 1929, which was after he had already been elected to the American Institute of Architects.

He was a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago for 25 years.

David Adler is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago.