Henry T. Brush was an American architect who practiced in Detroit, Michigan in the latter part of the 19th century. Brush was born in Detroit, the son of Amanda Brush. Henry's father was from Canada and died by the time he was 11. Amanda remarried William Cicero Grant, who was instrumental in the early education of Henry and his older brother James. William was a mathematical instrument maker.
Education and career
Henry started working in 1868 at the age of 18 as an architect/draughtsman in Detroit. In 1872, Henry obtained a job at the Detroit architect office of J.V. Smith & Co. The next year, he moved to the firm of Porter & Watkins for a short time before he and Hugh Smith formed their own company. In the second half of 1875, Hugh and Henry split and formed separate firms. George D. Mason originally started his architectural career with Smith’s new firm in an effort to learn to design cornices from him, but that only lasted a summer. By fall, Mason had moved to Henry’s firm as he thought opportunities were better there. Henry’s firm must have initially struggled, either from the split with Smith, or the ongoing economic depression, seeing that Mason worked for nine months there without pay. In 1878, Mason left Henry's firm. That same year, Henry formed a new partnership with John M. Donaldson. Brush and Donaldson remained partners until Henry's death in 1879.
In 1872, Henry married Jeanie Flora Campbell. In 1874, their first and only child, Annie Frances, was born. Jeanie soon succumbed to complications of the birth, dying on September 18, 1874. In 1876, Henry married Charlotte M. Grosvernor. The next year, their first and only child, Frederick F. Brush, was born. During the late 1870s, Henry suffered from chronic bouts of depression due to the loss of his first wife, Jeanie, and business failures due to the economic upheavals in the country resulting from the Panic of 1873. On July 15, 1879, at about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, after lunch with his family, he proceeded up to his workroom in his house on 157 Wayne Street in downtown Detroit. A while later his wife checked on him and he seemed fine consulting some books and working on some drawings. Upon her leaving, Henry removed two revolvers from the desk drawer and slowly positioned himself on the floor of his workroom. He placed the two revolvers in his mouth, one belonging to himself and one to Charlotte's father, and discharged them both simultaneously. Charlotte married Henry's last business partner John M. Donaldson in 1882 and the two raised Fredrick as well as two children of their own, Alexander and Bruce. Annie Frances, the daughter from Henry's first marriage to Jeanie Flora Campbell, was raised by the Campbell family in Orchard Lake, Michigan.
Selected commissions
Methodist Church of Canada, located on East Park near Queen, Chatham, Ont., Canada
