Cass Gilbert which now houses the George Gustav Heye Center. Gilbert served on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts from 1910 to 1916. In 1906 he was elected into the National Academy of Design as an Associate member, and became a full Academician in 1908. Gilbert served as President of the Academy from 1926 to 1933. Gilbert was a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel Burnham — and his technique of
Charles Champion Gilbert the brother of Union Brig. Gen. Samuel A. Gilbert and uncle to Samuel's son Cass Gilbert. Charles Champion Gilbert Charles Champion Gilbert (March 1, 1822 – January 17, 1903) was a United States Army officer during the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. Gilbert was born in Zanesville, Ohio. He graduated from West Point in the famed Class of 1846, finishing 21st out of 59 students. His classmates included twenty future Civil War generals, including George B. McClellan, Stonewall Jackson, George Stoneman, Darius N. Couch, and George Pickett. During the Mexican–American War he served in the 3rd U.S. Infantry