Harold Spitznagel

Life

Early life and education Spitznagel was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on December 7, 1896, to Mary and Charles Spitznagel. He graduated from Washington High School in 1916. For two years he attended the Art Institute of Chicago, and earned his Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1925. His first work was residential and small retail, and in 1936 the city commissioned him to design the Sioux Falls City Hall. This Moderne building included limestone plaques, granite carvings, frescoes and—controversially—no cornice.

In the late 1930s, Senator Peter Norbeck asked Frank Lloyd Wright to submit a design for a new Custer State Park lodge. Wright toured the site but declined to participate. The park board then chose Spitznagel's firm to design the lodge, which included rustic and Deco elements. During World War II, Spitznagel was Director of Housing for Sioux Falls Army Air Field. Mount Rushmore visitor center was finished in 1957 in a collaboration with Cecil Doty, and featured in the 1959 Alfred Hitchcock film North by Northwest. Augustana College occasionally

Work

Buildings

1930s

Sioux Falls City Hall Peter Norbeck Visitor Center and Sylvan Lake Lodge, Custer State Park Carpenter Hotel, Sioux Falls

1960s

Sioux Falls Arena, Sioux Falls Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church edifice, dedicated November 3, A.D. 1968 - Sanctuary/Nave/Narthex/Undercroft; 64 nave paintings of historical Christian leaders by Cyrus B. Running (1913-1976), Mankato, Minnesota

1970s South Dakota State Library, Pierre 1962, 1970, 1975: Northwest Architect magazine feature 1975: four-city, four-month posthumous exhibition 2006: South Dakota Hall of Fame inductee, posthumously