Feick Family Papers

Members of the Johann Philip Feick family first came to Sandusky, Ohio from Steinau, Germany in 1849 with the arrival of eldest son, Johann Philipp Feick, followed in 1852 by his brother Johann Adam, and sister Elizabetha Catharina in 1854. The youngest brother, Johann Georg, emigrated from the family home in 1866 at the age of 17.

Adam, after working several years as a carpenter with his brother Georg, established the firm Adam Feick & Brother in 1872. The business was quite successful and was responsible for several notable buildings, including Zions Lutheran Church, the Erie County Jail, buildings at the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, and the State Capitol at Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The Adam Feick family consisted of two sons and five daughters, the eldest of whom was John Adam. From 1880 to 1891, John attended boarding school at St. Mary's of the Brothers (now the University of Dayton), where he studied architecture and drafting. Married in 1884 to Lizzie Zipfel, his family consisted of a child, Edwin (who died as an infant in 1885), and another son, John Charles, generally referred to as Charles, who was born in 1889.

After the death of Adam Feick in 1893, the family business became George Feick & Company, with John A. Feick joining his uncle. Together, George and John were responsible for several projects, including three buildings at Oberlin College and the Law building at Ohio State University. In the early 1900's, George took his sons into the business, changing the name to George Feick and Sons. At this time John A. Feick started off on his own with his son, John Charles, operating out of his home. His company had contracts which included many buildings on South Bass Island, such at the U.S. Fish Hatchery, the Put-in-Bay School, the Colonial, and the retaining wall at the Perry Memorial. After his father's death in 1930, John C. Feick concentrated more on remodeling and renovation work than on the construction of large buildings.

John Charles had married Mylitta Taubert, daughter of a neighbor, in 1912, and together they had four children, Mary Katherine, John Charles, Jr., Edward Lewis, and Thomas William. After a long career in construction, Charles died in 1960. Both Edward and Thomas continued in the family tradition of construction, while John served in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and later worked for Westinghouse.