Richard Von Ezdorf (1848-1926)

Richard Von Ezdorf was the Chief draftsman and a designer for the State War and Navy Building. He was raised in Venice and studied engineering, architectural design and history in European schools. He came to the United States about 1873 and joined the Treasury Department's Supervising Architect's office.

He began his work on the State, War and Navy Building in Washington, D.C. initially as a draftsman under Alfred Mullett, the building's architect. He later became the chief designer of the project. During his tenure, he designed light fixtures, sculptural ornamentation and other decorative elements for the building.