Philip Brooks Maher FAIA (1894-1981) was an American architect. Born in Kenilworth, Illinois in 1894, he was the son and later the partner of George Washington Maher, , who was an important figure in the Prairie School movement. In 1914, at the age of 20, Philip Brooks Maher began a brief apprenticeship in his father's architectural firm, George W. Maher, in Chicago, gaining initial exposure to professional design and drafting practices.This early involvement was soon interrupted by his enlistment in the United States Navy for service during World War I, where he served as an ensign.In 1914, Following the armistice in 1918, Maher remained in France for an additional six months, during which he sketched notable European buildings in grand architectural styles, honing his observational and illustrative abilities.This period of travel and drawing was inspired by his father's own pre-Philip European sketches, which featured pen-and-ink renderings of influential structures and emphasized meticulous technique, influencing Maher's development of similar skills. Upon returning to the United States, Maher enrolled in the architecture program at the University of Michigan, where he pursued formal education in the field, completing his degree in the early 1920s.  These combined experiences—apprenticeship, military duty, European sketching, and academic studies—provided a foundational blend of practical training, global inspiration, and theoretical knowledge that shaped his emerging architectural perspective

In 1924, the firm, renamed George W. Maher & Son, submitted the “Gateway Improvement Plan” for Gary, Indiana, where they had been designing other projects. After George Maher's death in 1926, his son continued in practice by himself. In 1927 he revised the plan, replacing Prairie School elements with Neoclassical Designs. In 1928 Philip Maher designed the city hall building for Gary.

Elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) in 1940, Maher's career was shaped by his technical training, aesthetic influences from his artist mother, and experiences sketching European architecture after World War I service.Among his notable designs are the Farwell Building at 664 North Michigan Avenue (now a Chicago Landmark and former site of the Terra Museum of American Art), the Glencoe Women's Club, and the Jacques Building, all exemplifying his Parisian-inspired style for the boulevard. In 1938, he created his own residence in Lake Bluff, Illinois, a modern International Style home featuring innovative floor plans.  Maher designed more buildings on North Michigan Avenue than any architect except Holabird & Root, though the era's economic and wartime disruptions limited his later output.  His drawings, including presentation designs for projects like the Thirteen-Fifty Astor Street Apartment Building, are preserved at institutions such as the Art Institute of Chicago.

PLEASE CHECK MY FEEDBACK AND BUY WITH CONFIDENCE. The photos are considered to be part of the description. Please view them carefully. Please read the detailed condition report & write with any questions before buying or bidding.