David Adler (January 3, 1882 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin – September 27, 1949 in Libertyville, Illinois) was a prolific architect, designing over 200 buildings. He was the son of Therese and Issac Adler and had one sister, Frances Adler Elkins, who became one of the mid 20th-century's great interior decorators and often worked with her brother on residential projects.
After graduating from Princeton in 1904, he travelled extensively, mostly studying and observing the architecture of Europe. After returning to the United States in 1911, he began working for Howard Van Doren Shaw in Chicago, Illinois. After a short period, he opened a new office with a friend from Paris, Henry Dangler. David married Katherine Keith, an Illinois socialite and writer, in 1916 and they moved to Libertyville one year later. He became a widower in 1930 after his wife was killed in a car accident in Europe.
Working in association with his partners, first Henry Dangler who died in 1917, and then Robert Work, Adler wasn't registered as an architect in Illinois until 1929, which was after he had already been elected to the American Institute of Architects.
Significant works by Adler include:
- David Adler Estate, 1700 N Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville, IL, NRHP-listed
- Mrs. Isaac D. Adler House, 1480 N. Milwaukee Ave. Libertyville, IL, NRHP-listed
- William McCormick Blair Estate, 982 Sheridan Rd. Lake Bluff, IL, NRHP-listed
- Castle Hill, E of Ipswich on Argilla Rd. Ipswich, MA, NRHP-listed
- Dewey House, Veterans Administration Medical Center North Chicago, IL, NRHP-listed
- Mrs. C. Morse Ely House, 111 Moffett Rd. Lake Bluff, IL, NRHP-listed
- Field Estate, Field Rd. and Camino Real Sarasota, FL, NRHP-listed
- One or more works in Green Bay Road Historic District, Roughly, area surrounding 10 S to 1596 N Green Bay Rd. and Ahwahnee Rd. Lake Forest, IL, NRHP-listed
- Mrs. Kersey Coates Reed House, 1315 N. Lake Rd. Lake Forest, IL, NRHP-listed
- Waverly, S of Middleburg on VA 626 Middleburg, VA, NRHP-listed
Archival materials are held by the Ryerson & Burnham Libraries at the Art Institute of Chicago. The David Adler Collection includes photographs, research files and materials collected and produced by the museum's Department of Architecture for the 2001 exhibition "David Adler, Architect: The Elements of Style." A publication was also produced for this exhibition.
David Adler was a trustee of the Art Institute of Chicago for 25 years.
He is buried in Graceland Cemetery, Chicago.
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—Bible: Hebrew, 1 Samuel 18:8-9.
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—Anonymous Mother. From the Boston Women’s Health Book Collection. Quoted in The Joys of Having a Child, by Bill and Gloria Adler (1993)