{{short description|American architect}} '''Artemus Roberts''' (October 28, 1841 – May 8, 1944) was an architect based in Lincoln, Nebraska.<ref name=ref1/> He is perhaps best known as the architect of Fairview House, which was the home of presidential candidate (1896, 1900, 1908) William Jennings Bryan.<ref name=ref1/>
== Early life == Artemus Roberts was born on October 28, 1841, in Richmond, Indiana. His parents moved the family to Pendleton, Indiana in 1852, where he lived until attending University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, in 1863.<ref name=ref1/>
==Career== After graduating from the University of Michigan, Roberts worked as an architect with his brother, Thomas Roberts, a contractor in Richmond, Indiana. In the fall of 1869 he took a position at a Chicago firm.<ref name=ref2/> Due to work being scarce he travelled west to Lincoln, Nebraska with two acquaintances that happened to be from Pendleton, Indiana. He worked with his partner Alfred W. Woods from 1890 to 1903. His first commissioned work in Lincoln was to design some furniture for the executive offices at the State Capitol. At the time however he was informed that he would not be paid for the work until legislature met in the following winter to have an appropriation made. Falling on hard times, Roberts searched for other work in the area. This search eventually led him to a cornfield in the now downtown Lincoln area. At first he was laughed at for his approach as his “hands were too white,”<ref name=ref2/> but he proved himself on the first day. The owner then offered him a vacant house on his property and the next day he was officially on the job.<ref name=ref2/>
After working as a farm hand and carpenter he finally had the opportunity to work on the original Lincoln High School.<ref name=ref2/> He was later involved in the repair of the foundations of the State University building, the first building on Lincoln's campus.<ref name=ref2/> Perhaps his most well known project is the Fairview House.<ref name=ref1/> Even though this is his most known project, it may be one that he was least proud of. It incorporated many different ideas and styles that Mrs. Bryan insisted on having, which he then deemed to have no style.<ref name=ref1/>
== Projects == {|class = "wikitable" ! Name !! Year !! Location !! Present status |- |Sawyer House || 1887 || Lincoln || Torn down<ref name=ref5/> |- |Fairview House || 1902 || 50th and Sumner, Lincoln, NE || Standing<ref name=ref5/> |- |Herpolsheimer Building || 1880s || Lincoln || Torn down<ref name=ref5/> |- |William H. Charlton House || 1872 || Roca, Nebraska || Standing<ref name=ref5/> |- |Commercial Block High School Building<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |State Normal School Building <ref name=ref1/> || || Peru || |- |High School Building <ref name=ref1/> || || Seward || |- |School Buildings <ref name=ref1/> || || {{ubl|Harvard|Inland|Kenesaw|Sutton|Bennet}} || |- |Smith Bros. Bank <ref name=ref1/> || || Beatrice || |- |Capitol Block<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |Lancaster Co. Bank Building<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |Davis & Alexander Block<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |Davis Bros. Building<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |Haas and Winger Block || || || |- |Kingman Block<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |Zehrung's Block<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |City Block<ref name=ref1/> || || || |- |Odd Fellows’ Building<ref name=ref1/> || || || |}
==Personal life== Roberts had seven sons, including J. R. Roberts who founded Roberts Dairy Company that was later purchased by Prairie Farms Dairy. Later his grandson J. Gordon Roberts became the president of Roberts Dairy.<ref name=ref4/>
Artemus Roberts himself had been involved in agricultural practices for most of his life. In 1924 he designed the exterior for the Roberts Dairy building in Lincoln, and later purchased the Roberts farm on East A Street.<ref name=ref3/> While still practicing architecture with Alfred Woods, he also served as city engineer for two years and was interested in prohibition.<ref name=ref3/> He published a prohibition paper in the 1880s when he was serving as president of the New Republic Publishing Company.<ref name=ref3/> When he finally left Lincoln he moved to Dade City, Florida where he purchased a fruit ranch and was president of the Farmers club for 40 years.<ref name=ref3/>
== Death == Artemus Roberts died at his home May 8, 1944 in Dade City, Florida at the age of 102. His last visit in Lincoln was in the summer of 1940.<ref name=ref3/>
==References== <references>
<ref name=ref1>{{cite book|last=Andreas|first=T.|title=History of Nebraska|location=Chicago, Illinois|publisher=The Western Historical Company|year=1882}}</ref> <ref name=ref2>{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=Artemus|title=Memoirs of A. Roberts|year=1930}}</ref> <ref name=ref3>{{cite news|title=Artemus Roberts, 102, Early Lincoln Architect, Is Dead|location=Lincoln, Nebraska|date=May 8, 1944|work=Lincoln Journal Star}}</ref> <ref name=ref4>Dawson, T., Fred. Letter. Lincoln, Nebraska. May 31, 1968{{full citation needed|date=November 2015}}</ref> <ref name=ref5>"Nebraska National Register Sites in Lancaster County." Nebraska National Register Sites. September 20, 2012. Accessed October 29, 2015.{{full citation needed|date=November 2015}}</ref>
</references>
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Artemus}} Category:1841 births Category:1944 deaths Category:People from Lincoln, Nebraska Category:Architects from Nebraska Category:University of Michigan alumni Category:People from Richmond, Indiana Category:American men centenarians Category:People from Pendleton, Indiana Category:19th-century American architects Category:20th-century American architects