Chris Meister served as curator of:

Albert Kahn at the Crossroads: The "Lost" Belle Isle Aquarium & Horticultural Building Blueprints

—a gallery exhibit held February 17 through March 10, 2017 at Lawrence Technological University's Detroit Center for Design & Technology, 4219 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, Michigan.

Chris curated and wrote the catalogue for this exhibit featuring eight of 14 blueprints from the original 1901 Mason & Kahn architectural drawings for the Belle Isle Aquarium & Horticultural Building. Until recently, the original drawings and all but four blueprints were believed to be lost. Through his research, Chris discovered these 14 blueprints in a private collection.

It is hoped the information preserved with these blueprints will be utilized in future restoration efforts for the building.

This was part of Albert Kahn: From the Archives, an Albert Kahn Research Coalition event involving a lecture, symposium and exhibits at Lawrence Technological University, February-March 2017.

Chris Meister presented a paper titled, "Complexity on the Marine Parade: Touring the Brighton Aquarium as a Transcendental Journey," at Architecture and Experience in the Nineteenth Century, an international symposium held at St. John's College, University of Oxford, March 17-18, 2016.

The theme of this symposium was an exploration of how 19th century audiences experienced their architecture when their buildings were new.

Chris Meister's contribution focused on the Brighton Aquarium, which opened in 1872. It's business model relied on paid admissions and its promoters tread a fine line between offering an educational, scientifically relevant and a source of popular entertainment. The architectural program played an intentional and significant role in their success. Chris's study included an examination of how management adapted to a shifting cultural scene. The fact that the Brighton Aquarium is still in operation (as SeaLife Brighton) as the world's oldest is a reflection on the success of those Victorian-era efforts.

Chris Meister is the author of a book and articles on architectural history. He has also presented papers and held many public speaking events on the subject. While discussing the practical considerations of architecture–the functionality and aesthetics of the work–Chris also considers how the backstory affected the end result. Here are two examples that delve into the business and legal aspects of architecture.

“Albert Kahn’s Partners in Industrial Architecture,” Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, 73 (March 2013), 78-95.

Detroit architect Albert Kahn rose from poverty to international fame as a designer of industrial buildings. Kahn usually attributed his astounding success to hard work and happenstance. While these were factors, he neglected to mention his shrewd leveraging of business associations. While totally on the up-and-up and never hidden, placing a spotlight on these relationships could compromise the key players’ ability to strike other business deals. By uncovering these associations, Chris presents a more accurate basis for understanding Kahn’s success.

“Alfred Giles vs. El Paso County: an Architect Defends his Reputation on the Texas Frontier.” Southwestern Historical Quarterly 108 (October 2004): 181-209.

Alfred Giles was one of the most prominent architects working in Texas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1885 Giles was accused of defrauding the people of El Paso County and temporarily jailed—creating a black mark on his otherwise exemplary career. As the adage goes, history is written by the victors and folklore surrounding the incident often hails county attorneys and officials for defending the people’s purses. In truth, they had ulterior motives and few qualms about leveling false charges. Through his research into this incident, Chris discovered the architect’s successful (but previously forgotten) battle through the court system to restore his reputation. With the historical record set straight, future scholarship can better access the roles of politics and publicity in the business of architecture.

James Riely Gordon: His Courthouses and Other Public Architecture (Lubbock, Texas: Texas Tech University Press, 2011).

This book has been very well received as a long overdue scholarly study of an architect whose work spans over 50 years and most of the United States. He likely designed more county courthouses than any other architect. It has been noted that Chris Meister has identified the first American architect of national standing to establish his reputation west of the Mississippi. The research involved cross-referencing official records, newspaper accounts and archival material such as personal letters.

In order to fully tell the story, an understanding of local economies, resources and politics as well as professional issues was needed. These are areas of concern for many businesses today.

A challenge in telling James Riely Gordon’s story was sorting through this material and accurately packaging the relevant information for a broad audience.

Positive reviews, on Amazon and elsewhere, attest to Chris’s success in this endeavor. The book has received the San Antonio Conservation Society’s 2013 Publication Award and the Victorian Society of America’s 2012 Ruth Emery Award.