Henry Bacon

Henry Bacon, FAIA, a distinguished practitioner of the Beaux-Arts style of architecture, is best known for his design of the Lincoln Memorial. Bacon earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana in 1885 and later studied at the École des Beaux-Arts. He was also a recipient of the Rotch Traveling Scholarship, which funded his study in Europe from 1889 to 1891. He worked briefly at McKim, Mead & White, but by 1903 had formed his own practice in New York City. During his career he developed a varied portfolio of projects including libraries, academic buildings, banks, and mansions. In addition to the Lincoln Memorial, Bacon collaborated with sculptor Daniel Chester French on the Dupont Circle fountain and numerous other memorials around the country. Bacon also worked with other well-known sculptors of the day such as Augustus Saint-Gaudens and James E. Fraser. His professional affiliations included the National Academy of Design, and he was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1923, President Warren G. Harding presented him with the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in a ceremony at the Lincoln Memorial.