William Ellsworth Fisher

Who was William Ellsworth Fisher?

William Ellsworth Fisher was an architect who founded the Denver, Colorado firm that became Fisher & Fisher.

Fisher's father, Allen S. Fisher, moved to Denver from Clinton, Ontario, Canada, with his family in 1885. William became a draftsman for Balcomb & Rice in Denver in 1890 and then studied briefly with C. Powell Karr in New York. In 1892 he went into business in Denver as William Fisher, Architect. After ten years in solo practise, mainly designing starter homes, he partnered from 1901 to 1905 with Daniel Riggs Huntington, who had also worked for Balcomb & Rice. During this time the firm designed increasingly expensive residences and also commercial buildings. After returning to solo practice for a couple of years, he then partnered with his younger brother Arthur Addison Fisher from 1907 until his death in 1937. His son Alan B. Fisher also worked for the firm and became a partner after William's death.

The Fisher firm was extremely prestigious and has left a unique legacy in Colorado; 50 of 67 remaining buildings in Denver are either eligible for listing by the National Register of Historic Places or are listed either individually or as part of historic districts.