- “There is no question that Chicago is an architecturally significant city. But before Louis Henry Sullivan, John Wellborn Root, and Frank Lloyd Wright, before modernism, there lived a man whose designs built it from the ground up. Written by his descendant, retired architect Burtram C. Hopkins II, more than a century later, this book traces the incredible mark left on Chicago by architect John Mills Van Osdel-a mark tragically largely wiped out by the Great Fire of 1871.”From the time he arrived in 1837 to his death in 1891, Van Osdel watched the city swell from a village of around a thousand people to a bustling metropolis of hundreds of thousands. Though his name is little known today, he played a crucial role in establishing architecture as a discipline in Chicago, drafting the Chicago Architect’s Code (one of the first of its kind), laying the groundwork for the skyscrapers that would become the hallmark of the First Chicago School of Architecture, and contributing hundreds of architecturally significant structures to the growing urban landscape-as well as countless more (some still surviving) in other parts of Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, and Arkansas.
“Van Osdel’s impact would reverberate in large part through his family, many of whom themselves pursued architectural and artistic careers-including his nephew and business partner, John Mills Van Osdel II. This truly encyclopedic book traces this inheritance, with a section on Van Osdel II, doubling as both an architectural history and a work of family genealogy. Vast in scope and exhaustively detailed, it is sure to make an invaluable addition to the shelves of anyone interested in this powerhouse of American architecture and his influential family, who helped transform Chicago from a frontier town on Lake Michigan to the capital of industry it is today.”
- John Mills Van Osdel, Architect, and his Chicago: The Story of His Life, 1811 to 1891, Burtram Collver Hopkins
- Church of the Holy Family gets big gift: Portrait of city’s first architect, John Mills Van Osdel; Over a career that spanned 60 years, Van Osdel is credited with designing over 800 structures, including the interior of Church of the Holy Family, which survived the 1871 Great Chicago Fire, Janani Jana, Chicago Sun-Times, 7/31/25
- In a Historic Chicago Church, the Story of the City’s First Architect Lives On Through His Family, Marc Vitali, WTTW Chicago, 8/6/25
- Church of the Holy Family honors John Mills Van Osdel, Chicago’s first architect
Ramona Meadors, ABC Chicago 7 News, 8/2/25 - WGN interview regarding Church of the Holy Family to host event honoring architect John Mills Van Osdel, Gabriel Castillo, WGN News, 7/26/25
John Mills Van Osdel, Architect, and his Chicago: The Story of His Life, 1811 to 1891 by Burtram Collver Hopkins
