Detroit Architects: Joseph Ivan Dise (May 23, 1887–October 23, 1969)

Joseph Ivan Dise (1887–1969) was a University of Pennsylvania trained Detroit architect, builder, and designer who had a big impact on the city of Detroit’s architectural scene during its rapid rise as an industrial giant and the economic expansion that quickly followed. 

After receiving his training from the University of Pennsylvania, Dise went on to take courses within the Beaux-Arts system, which saw him developing his own refined style based on romantic revivalism and classical order. 

From there, Dise worked in New York under the prolific 20th-century architect Cass Gilbert before relocating to Detroit around 1919, Dise which saw him joining forces with fellow Detroit architect Albert Kahn before opening his own practice in the early 1920s, which quickly became a favorite of the city’s rising elite class.

Today, Dise’s work can be found in some of Detroit’s most distinguished historic districts (I.E, Indian Village, Palmer Woods, and Grosse Pointe), with his Tudor, Colonial Revival, and Gothic styling defining the streetscape of many iconic boulevards as well as various hospitals, schools, enduring landmarks, and public buildings all across the state of Michigan. 

For proof of his impressive craftsmanship, look no further than the Dise commission, the John Trost House at 2151 Burns Avenue in the Indian District, a sophisticated brick residence featuring a symmetrical façade, sturdy massing, and an gracious interior plan embody early-twentieth-century ambition—a time period when the city’s leading architects built homes that were as permanent as the families who commissioned them.