Akron-based architect William P. Ginther (1858–1933) designed sixty-three Roman Catholic churches, primarily in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Dedication is the first book to document his architectural designs. By combining historical images with twenty-first-century photographs, author Anthony J. Valleriano presents the most comprehensive overview of Ginther’s architectural career available today.
The son of German immigrants, Ginther demonstrated considerable drawing skills at an early age. In grade school, he was known for illustrating pictures of the school building and grounds. As his skills advanced, Ginther was encouraged to study architecture at Buchtel College (now the University of Akron). Frank Wheary, a leading Akron architect of the time, spotted Ginther’s drawing talents and promptly put him to work. Under Wheary’s guidance, Ginther learned the craft of architectural drafting and engineering and helped design and supervise the construction of his first building, McKinley Church, in Canton, Ohio.
Ginther became one of the most influential ecclesiastical architects in Ohio during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The designer of churches in Cleveland, Akron, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Erie, Toledo, and many other communities, he defined the sense of sacred space for countless worshipers and enriched the aesthetic and religious lives of the region’s residents.
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