Frank C. Osborn and Kenneth H. Osborn

Frank C. Osborn: Class of 1880
Stadium Architects And Engineers
1857-1922

Kenneth H. Osborn: Class of 1908
Stadium Architects And Engineers
1886-1949

This father and son combination directed a firm that remains one of Ohio’s and America’s great engineering companies. Frank Osborn founded Osborn Engineering in Cleveland in 1892. The company pioneered in the use of reinforced concrete and built municipal and industrial facilities throughout the country. When Kenneth joined the firm in 1911, he became the company’s key person in stadium design. Under Kenneth’s leadership the firm became the nation’s foremost designer of major-league, municipal, and collegiate stadiums and ballparks. The firm has designed more than 100 sports stadiums, including such famous parks as Fenway Park in Boston, Yankee Stadium in New York, and Tiger Stadium in Detroit. The firm also designed facilities for colleges and universities, including Michigan, Purdue, West Point, and Notre Dame. As public interest in sports grew, the Osborns’ experience in structural steel and concrete enabled major cities and colleges alike to provide modern, safe stadiums for a new era of professional and collegiate athletics.