Elmer William Marx, Architect [1899-1980]
Born in Chicago in 1899, Elmer W. Marx [†] designed a variety of buildings throughout Chicago in the first half of the 20th century. Son of August Marx, owner of the Marx Beer company, Marx graduated from the University of Illinois in 1922. He began his career as an architect with C.W. Lampe & Co., working on designs and renderings. He soon struck out on his own, designing many types of buildings including single family homes, commercial and industrial buildings, and churches. One of Marx's earliest and most notable designs was the 32-room Spanish Revival hotel near the Indiana Dunes State Park. Designed in 1933, the hotel was meant to be the centerpiece of developer Robert Bartlett's Beverly Shores resort and community. In Sauganash, Marx designed 21 homes between 1935 and 1945. Among these was 6100 N. Knox, one of seven "new American" model homes erected in Chicago. The model home project was sponsored by General Electric in cooperation with the City of Chicago, the Federal Housing Administration, and other organizations. After World War II, Marx designed a number of churches, including St. John's Polish National Catholic Church in Chicago, and St. Simon's Episcopal Church in Arlington Heights. He also designed a 200,000 square foot plant for Republic Molding in Niles. Marx died in Evanston in 1980.
† Katie Macica and Stella Ress, Loyola University Chicago, Sauganash Historic District, Cook County, IL, nomination document, 2010, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.