George W. Orff (March 3, 1835 – March 11, 1908), was an American architect of Bangor, Maine and Minnesota.Deborah Thompson, Bangor, Maine, 1769-1914: An Architectural History (Orono: University of Maine Press, 1988)
Life and career Orff was born March 3, 1835, in Bangor, Maine to Edward F. Orff and Sarah (Yates) Orff. He was educated in the public schools and trained as a carpenter. However, he had other ambitions and in 1861 went to Boston to train as an architect. He is believed to have studied with Calvin Ryder, a Maine native who designed several buildings in Bangor. In 1870, he returned to Bangor and established himself as an architect, practicing there for eight years. One of his first works, the Adams-Pickering Block in Bangor, is the largest surviving project in Maine. In winter 1878, he left Bangor and moved west, settling in Minneapolis in spring 1879. He was soon joined by his brother, Fremont D. Orff, who worked as a draftsman until they formed a partnership in 1881. In the 1880s and 1890s, they employed several talented designers, including Francis W. Fitzpatrick from 1888 to 1889 and Edgar E. Joralemon. In 1893, the partnership was expanded to include Joralemon. The Orff brothers and Joralemon practiced as Orff & Joralemon until the partnership was dissolved in 1897. Fremont D. Orff succeeded to the practice, with the elder Orff being appointed a superintendent of construction for the Minneapolis public schools. In , Orff left Minneapolis and returned to his native Bangor, where he died in 1908."Death of George W. Orff," Improvement Bulletin 36, no. 15 (March 14, 1908): 15.
Personal life Orff died March 11, 1908, in Bangor, Maine. His wife had died in Minneapolis. He was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor.
Legacy A number of his works are listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.
Architectural works Old Town Town Hall, Old Town, Maine (1870–71, demolished)"Local and Other Matters," Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, February 16, 1871, 3. Adams-Pickering Block, Bangor, Maine (1871, NRHP 1974)Adams-Pickering Block NRHP Registration Form (1974) House for Samuel Kidder Whiting, Ellsworth, Maine (1871, NRHP 1983)Samuel Kidder Whiting House NRHP Registration Form (1983) Holden Town Hall, Holden, Maine (1873, NRHP 2014)Holden Town Hall NRHP Registration Form (2014) Orono Town Hall, Orono, Maine (1873–74, burned 1891)"Local and Other Items," Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, March 4, 1874, 3. Double house for George W. Orff and George J. Poole, Bangor, Maine (1874)"Building in Bangor," Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, January 9, 1875, 3. House for Taylor Durgin, Bangor, Maine (1874) House for Jones P. Veazie, Bangor, Maine (1874–75, NRHP 1988)Jones P. Veazie House NRHP Registration Form (1988) Emerson Block, Bangor, Maine (1875, demolished) Hatch Block, Bangor, Maine (1875, demolished) Bank Block, Dexter, Maine (1876, NRHP 1999)Bank Block NRHP Registration Form (1999) Batchelder-Mitchell Block, Bangor, Maine (1876, demolished) House for James A. Robinson, Bangor, Maine (1878)"Local Matters," Bangor Daily Whig and Courier, November 27, 1878, 3. House for Roscoe Hersey, Stillwater, Minnesota (1879–80, NRHP 1982)Roscoe Hersey House NRHP Registration Form (1982) Pioneer Block, Eau Claire, Wisconsin (1882, NRHP 1980)Pioneer Block NRHP Registration Form (1980) Panama Flats, St. Paul, Minnesota (1886)Larry Millett, AIA Guide to the Twin Cities (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 2007) Mutual Block, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1888 et seq., demolished)Larry Millett, Lost Twin Cities (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 1992) Athletic Park, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1889, demolished 1901) House for George W. Van Dusen, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1891–93, NRHP 1995)George W. and Nancy B. Van Dusen House NRHP Registration Form (1995) House for Edmund G. Walton, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1892, demolished 1959)Larry Millett, Once There Were Castles (St. Paul: Minnesota Historical Society, 2011) North Dakota Soldiers' Home, Lisbon, North Dakota (1892–93, demolished)History of the Red River Valley; Past and Present, vol. 2 (Grand Forks: Herald Printing Company, 1909) House for John E. Lockwood, Minneapolis, Minnesota (1893) Bayfield County Courthouse, Washburn, Wisconsin (1894–96, NRHP 1975)Bayfield County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1975) Waseca County Courthouse, Waseca, Minnesota (1896–97, NRHP 1982)Waseca County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1982)
Gallery of architectural works
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