George H. Maetzel

George H. Maetzel (July 31, 1837 May 25, 1891) was a German-American architect. He primarily designed buildings in Columbus, Ohio, including the 1887 Franklin County Courthouse. Maetzel also was the architect of Ohio's Allen, Madison, and Shelby county courthouses.

Life George H. Maetzel was born in Zittau in Saxony (part of present-day Germany) in 1837. In his early life, he worked for his parts, who ran a small hotel in Zittau. He left for military service in 1855, to the city of Dresden. After serving, he stayed in the city to study mechanical engineering. He immigrated to the United States in 1863. This was shortly after a golden age of German immigration, between 1830 and 1860. Midwest cities including Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland grew to have large German populations during this time.

Maetzel died on May 25, 1891, at the age of 53, a few hours after the beginning of a heavy cold. He is buried in Green Lawn Cemetery in Columbus.

Works

He designed numerous government and commercial buildings in Columbus, Ohio, including the 1887 Franklin County Courthouse, the Columbus City Prison, and the Schlee and Hoster breweries. He also designed Franklin County's infirmary. Most of his buildings have since been demolished. The oldest extant church building in Columbus, Holy Cross, was also designed by him.

Outside of Columbus, Maetzel designed the Allen, Madison, and Shelby county courthouses, all in Ohio.