Despite the financial ruin that the 1890s brought for George
Evans, the flourish with which he handled his finances also brought about his
desire to spend monies on embellishment in his architectural creations. Evans first
partnered with French born stone carver John DeLeeuwe while constructing the
Fort Worth post office in 1893. DeLeeuwe had had a varied artistic background.
While he learned his stone carving trade at his father’s art school in
Brussels, Belgium, he also performed as an opera singer prior to his arrival in
America. DeLeeuwe’s first work for Evans at the post office at Fort Worth was
primarily limited to gingerbread features. He became one of Evans’ “go to” men
for services, and during their working relationship DeLeeuwe created a lifelike
bust of Evans which Evans displayed in his office. DeLeeuwe’s next project with
Evans gave him an opportunity to further showcase his clever and artistic
talents on the Shawnee County (KS) courthouse in 1896.
 |
| Shawnee County Courthouse |
DeLeeuwe was an advocate for making public buildings not
only functional, but beautiful: “There is no reason in the world why we don’t
have more decorations on the public buildings.” In preparation for the
courthouse work, DeLeeuwe built plaster of paris models in a small artist shed outside
of his residence. DeLeeuwe was assisted by craftsman George Ward and their
creations for the courthouse included dragons, lions, and floral designs. The
main courthouse building was constructed of stone from Colorado quarries, but
the trim was done in Bedford, Indiana stone.
 |
| One of DeLeeuwe's dragons from the courthouse |
With the collapse of Evans’ empire, DeLeeuwe moved west. In
the late 1890s, he was chosen as one of the artists for the new Thomas Melton
Stanford library construction at Stanford University. DeLeeuwe’s part was to create
a sandstone likeness of Benjamin Franklin for display on the front of the
building. Sadly, the library was considerably damaged in the 1906 California
earthquake and replaced with the current building. DeLeeuwe’s last documented
employment was at a monument company in San Luis Obispo, but he had started to
drink heavily and deplete his personal funds. He left town abruptly after
forging checks under his employer’s name.
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| San Francisco Chronicle July 1899 |
Evans’ Shawnee County Courthouse was razed in 1965, but examples
of DeLeeuwe’s work can still be seen in a pocket park called the Chandler
Library Pavillion adjacent to the Topeka Shawnee County Public Library. The
park was created in 2004 by local architect Raymond Sherwood “Bud” Smith II.
 | |
| Gateway of the Chandler Pavilion featuring DeLeeuwe's work |
References
San
Francisco Chronicle
1899 “Statue of Benjamin Franklin For the
Stanford Library.” San Francisco
Chronicle (newspaper), San Francisco, CA. July 14, 1899. Page 3.
San
Luis Obispo Daily Telegram
1909 “Sculptor’s Clever Work. Mr. DeLeeuw is
Completing a Massive Figure of Art for Mr. Troy’s Office.” San Luis Obispo Daily Telegram (newspaper), San Luis Obispo, CA.
February 24, 1909.
Topeka
Mail
1894 “The New Court House.” Topeka Mail (newspaper), Topeka, KS. May 18, 1894. Page 3.
Topeka State Journal
1894a “De
Leeuw Will Do It.” Topeka State Journal (newspaper) Topeka, KS. June 23, 1894. Page 8.
1894b “Snap
Shots at Home News.” Topeka State Journal
(newspaper) Topeka, KS. July 18, 1894. Page 5.
1894c Topeka State Journal (newspaper) Topeka,
KS. July 23, 1894. Page 5.
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