James Keys Wilson

Who is James Keys Wilson?

James Keys Wilson was a prominent architect in Cincinnati, Ohio. He studied with Charles A. Mountain in Philadelphia and then Martin E. Thompson and James Renwick in New York Renwick designed the Smithsonian Museum, interning at Renwick's firm. He worked with William Walter at the Walter and Wilson firm, before establishing his own practice in Cincinnati where he became the most noted architect in the city. His Old Main Building for Bethany College and Plum Street Temple buildings are National Historic Landmarks. His work includes many Gothic Revival architecture buildings, while the synagogue is considered Moorish Revival and Byzantine Architecture.

Wilson was the first president of the Cincinnati chapter of the American Institute of Architects (1870 to 1871 and again from 1872 to 1873). He is known for his design of the Old Main buildings on the campus of Bethany College; his work on Isaac M. Wise's Plum Creek Temple (now known as Isaac M. Wise Temple), is celebrated both for its design and as a location important as a fount of reform Judaism in the United States.