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John Desmond

John Jacob Desmond (April 5, 1922, in Denver, Colorado – March 27, 2008, in Zachary, Louisiana) was an architect from Hammond and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.[1][2]

Early life

John Desmond was the third child of Timothy Joseph Desmond (Cork City, Ireland) and Rose Isabelle Dvorak Desmond. After living for some time in New York, the family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where Desmond graduated from Jesuit High School. After moving with his family to Hammond, Louisiana, he became a recipient of a legislative scholarship for his first year at Tulane University. By working in the cafeteria he was able to complete a bachelor's degree in architecture. He subsequently received a master's of Architecture from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he studied under William Wurster and Alvar Aalto.[2] He was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Navy during World War II aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Madison in the Pacific theater and also saw action at the Battle of Anzio.[1]

Career

After returning from WWII but before practicing architecture in Hammond, Desmond worked for Skidmore Owings & Merrill, in New York City; A. Hays Town in Baton Rouge; and the Tennessee Valley Authority, in Knoxville.

Some of the buildings he designed include the Southeastern Louisiana University cafeteria in Hammond, LSU Union, the Louisiana State Library, the Cane's River Center (originally named the Riverside Centroplex and later the Baton Rouge River Center), the Pennington Bio-Medical Research Center, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, the Louisiana State Archives, the Louisiana Naval Museum as well as his own residence, all in Baton Rouge.[1][3] With François Emilio (Milo) Puiz, art director, he realized the second remodeling of the interior of St. Joseph Cathedral according to the directives of Vatican Council II.[4] In New Orleans, he designed the Rogers Memorial Chapel, as well as the Lindy Boggs Center, both on the Campus of his alma mater, Tulane University.

References

  1. ^ a b c "John Jacob Desmond". The Times-Picayune. March 20, 2008. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Desmond, J. Michael. "John Jacob Desmond - Know Louisiana Cultural Vistas". 64 Parishes. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hammond honors work of architect John Desmond". The Advocate. April 25, 2018. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  4. ^ "St. Joseph Cathedral, Baton Rouge". Roman Catholic Diocese of Baton Rouge. Retrieved October 26, 2023.


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