Charles Boss Clarke

Charles Boss Clarke (1836–1899), commonly known as Charles B. Clarke, was an American architect working in St. Louis.

Career Charles was born in 1836 in Norwich, Connecticut. He came to St. Louis around 1859 and began practicing architecture. The majority of his commissions were in out-state Missouri, where his penchant for designing exotic victorian buildings made him well-known. Characteristics of his work included elaborate rooflines and powerful massing. Within his lifetime, his work received negative evaluation as well, drawing criticism for his abilities as a superintendent and designer on buildings which required enormous repairs within three years of construction. In 2004, his last remaining known work of the 33 known buildings he designed was demolished.

John Pierce Mansion The John Pierce mansion in St. Louis was one of Clarke's most well-known commissions. The structure was characteristic of Clarke's works and featured dramatic massing with a complex roofline.

More recent scholarship has placed the building within the struggle to define the appropriate architecture for the tall office building as an emerging building type. Notable entries include: State Normal School, Cape Girardeau, Missouri Central High School, Chillicothe, 1875 (razed 1923) Third Baptist Church, St. Louis, 1867 St. Luke's Hospital, St. Louis, 1870 Fagin Building, St. Louis, 1888 (Demolished 2004)