Robert Alonzo Ritterbush was born October 13, 1891, in Oakes, North Dakota, to William Donald Ritterbush, a contractor, and Elizabeth (Dyer) Ritterbush.[1] He was educated at the Ohio Mechanics Institute, later part of the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 1917. During World War I he served with the navy in France. In 1920 he returned to North Dakota, settling in Bismarck, where he and his brother, Clarence W. Ritterbush (1893–1990), formed a partnership with established architect Arthur Van Horn. When Van Horn died in 1931 the brothers succeeded to the practice, which they renamed Ritterbush Brothers.[2] Clarence retired in 1953, and was replaced as partner by Robert H. Ritterbush, Robert's son.[3][4] The elder Ritterbush retired as partner in 1967, but was retained as a consultant until 1973, when he fully retired.[2]
In 1922 Ritterbush joined the North Dakota Association of Architects, of which Van Horn had been a founding member in 1917.[5] In 1953 the association achieved its long-time goal of affiliating with the American Institute of Architects, and all of its members, including Ritterbush, became members of the AIA. From the time he joined in 1922 until 1965 he was secretary–treasurer of the North Dakota association. In 1966, following his retirement from that office, the association honored him for his "46 years of practice in architecture and outstanding service to the profession." In 1969 he was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, the organization's highest membership honor.[6]
Personal life
Ritterbush was married in 1921 to Ruth Nichols in Minneapolis, and they had two children, including Robert Harrison Ritterbush (1926–2019). Ritterbush died January 18, 1980, in Bismarck.[6]
Legacy
After Ritterbush retired in 1973, his son Robert and his associate, Merlin E. Redrud, continued the practice as Ritterbush Associates. The firm was renamed Ritterbush–Ellig–Hulsing in 1997. Major projects of the successor firm include the judicial wing addition to the North Dakota State Capitol, completed in 1981,[7] and the Bismarck North Dakota Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, completed in 1999. The younger Ritterbush died in 2019, and in 2021 the firm was merged with EAPC Architects Engineers, a large firm from Grand Forks.[8]
In addition to three designed with Van Horn, two buildings designed by Ritterbush have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Others contribute to listed historic districts.