Robert Lincoln Young was born in Belfast, Ireland, on January 30, 1862, his birthplace and his name courtesy of his prominent father’s association with President Abraham Lincoln. Robert’s father, John, was a native of Ireland. He’d worked as a pastor in Mason County, Kentucky, and a teacher (and president) at North Western Christian University (later Butler University) in Indianapolis before moving to Ladoga, Indiana (likely teaching at the Ladoga Old Normal School), where he married his wife, Clarissa, in 1860. In 1861, President Lincoln appointed him consul to Belfast, sending the Youngs across the Atlantic for the duration of the Civil War. John held that position until 1866 when the family, now including Robert, moved back to the United States. Robert attended Indianapolis schools, including Butler, and graduated from the University of Illinois in 1883.

By the 1890s, Robert (also going by R. L.) was working as an architect in Kokomo with the firm Armstrong-Landon & Co. During this time, he designed many buildings in Kokomo including Palmer School (1895), Willard School (1896), Grace United Methodist Church (1896), and the second Kokomo High School (1898). Robert met Clara Kitchen, a widow with two daughters, and the couple was married in 1897. After a few years living in Newton, Massachusetts, they were back in Kokomo by 1903. In 1908 the family lived on East Jefferson Street but had yet to build their house at 1223 E. Jefferson. The year 1908 also saw a new architectural firm comprised of H. A. Butz and R. L. Young.

Robert was prolific in his work up until around 1918. An advertisement by Robert in the Kokomo Tribune in 1921 announced his return from “approximately three years” spent at several engineering and architectural firms in Chicago. One source reports that the Youngs retired in 1922 and headed to Florida, but were back in Kokomo by 1928. The Depression hit hard and Robert and Clara suffered, eventually losing their house on Jefferson Street. Clara died in 1935, and Robert ended up in the care of his son J. Russell in Indianapolis. Robert was admitted to Central State Hospital a few months before his death on November 17, 1944, of several physical and mental ailments.

Robert was a versatile architect and his buildings include Italianate, Gothic, Queen Anne, Richardsonian Romanesque Revival, Prairie, Craftsman, and even Egyptian Revival styles. His larger works include the former Y.M.C.A. building (1910), the Russiaville train depot (1912), the Elwood Haynes house (and possibly the gardener’s house and lab house across the street) (1916), the Johnson mansion on North Washington (early 1900s), the “Waiting House” at Crown Point Cemetery (1905), Citizens National Bank, and the Isis Theater just to name a few. He was involved in several housing developments including the Miller Highlands neighborhood (1916) and the planned Lafayette Place neighborhood (1917). He designed a number of residences in Kokomo, many of which are still standing today. Robert certainly made his mark on Kokomo and Howard County, a legacy that remains visible if you know where to look.