Born: 1/28/1865, Died: 3/25/1929

Henry D. Dagit, the leading competitor of Edwin F. and F. Ferdinand Durang in the field of Catholic church and institution design, was born in Philadelphia and educated in the Philadelphia public schools. By 1886 he was employed in the office of Walter Geissinger and by 1888 had opened his own office. Although during 1890 he practiced under the firm name of Rowe & Dagit with builder George M. Rowe, his was chiefly an individual practice until his sons, Henry D., Jr., and Albert F. formally joined the firm in 1922; the name was then changed to Henry D. Dagit & Sons. Younger son Charles E. Dagit also joined the firm in 1925. While Dagit's early practice was general in nature and included such projects as eight workers' houses in Bloomsburg, PA, for the Bloomsburg Carpet Works, his career in the area of Catholic institutional design was assured when he was appointed architect for the Archdiocese of Trenton, NJ, in 1898. This appointment lasted for 10 years and provided both the work and reputation which would ensure him of success in the Philadelphia area. One of the most notable examples of his work in Philadelphia is the Byzantine-revival St. Francis de Sales Church at 47th Street and Springfield Avenue (1907-1911). Here a dome constructed of Guastavino tile was combined with a polychromatic interior illuminated by D'Ascenzo stained glass. (In the late 1960s, following the changes wrought by Vatican II, Robert Venturi added a new altar, lectern, and chair to the apsidal end. These have since been removed.)

Dagit's work was not confined to the Philadelphia area, however, numerous parochial schools and rectories were also designed by Dagit in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and his architectural firm, enriched by the work of his sons and grandson, continues to operate in Philadelphia today.

Born: 1893, Died: 12/20/1981

Henry D. Dagit, Jr., son of Josephine Conway Dagit and Henry D. Dagit, one of Philadelphia's most successful architects of Catholic churches and institutions, was born in Philadelphia and received his Certificate in Building Construction from Drexel Institute in 1913 and his Certificate of Proficiency in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 1916. He then entered his father's firm and, in 1922, along with his brother Albert Dagit was made a partner, changing the name of the firm to Henry D. Dagit & Sons. This name continued in use following his father's death in 1929, but in 1959 was revised to Henry D. Dagit & Son, when his own son Henry D. Dagit, III entered the firm and Albert Dagit left. Dagit successfully continued the practice which his father had begun in 1888, weathering the period of difficulty when his brothers withdrew from the firm and established rival practices.