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(See Obituary) An inquest is planned in the death of Samuel Sanner, 52, of 2040 Alby St., who was found shot to death Thursday in the bedroom of his home. Sanner, a prominent architect with offices at 2514 Merchant St., was found lying on a bed by a daughter. There was a shotgun, with one cartridge fired, lying across his body. Deputy Coroner Les Bowles said it appeared that Mr. Lan ner had placed the barrel of an automatic 12 gauge automatic shotgun in his mouth and pull ed the trigger. The body was found at about 1 p.m. Friday by a daughter, Linda, 19. Mrs. Marjorie Sanner, who told the Telegraph today that she and her estranged husband had been near a reconciliation, said that Mr. Sanner had been despondent recently. Sanner had been arrested in 1955 after Mrs. Sanner was shot apparently during a domestic squabble at the family home on Christmas Day, 1955. Mrs. Sanner later told police that she did not want to press charges against her husband and he was released. In 1966 he appeared in magis trate’s court after he fired a shot at a group of teenagers plaster ing tissue in trees and shrubs in his yard. Sanner was the architect for the long-awaited Madison Coun ty Juvenile Detention Home now under construction on the Sani torium grounds at Edwards ville. He also designed the Mad ison County Dog Pound now completed on Rte. 143 east of Edwardsville. Sanner was designer of the multi-million dollar building project now under way at the Illinois State Penitentiary in Vienna. He has been the design er for 16 buildings at the prison complex. He also was the designer of the Logan Hall Dormitory now under construction at the Bever ly Farms in Godfrey. Lanner had designed numerous other projects at Beverly Farms. He was the designer of the Cahokia Downs Race Track in East St. Louis and the Civic Memorial Airport Administra tion Building in Bethalto and prepared plans for many other smaller projects at Civic Memo rial including the kitchen area and power facilities. Sanner supervised layout of the golf course at Lockhaven Country club and was the arch itect for the pro shop, swimming pool and buildings. Projects he designed in the Alton area included the Chil dren’s Clinic on Brown Street and the First National Bank in Wood River in addition to numerous other smaller projects through the state. Lanner designed and supervis ed construction of the $344 mil lion medical - surgery building at Alton State Hospital and the Medical Clinic in Jerseyville. He was the designer of the fi nancially-troubled Washington Square Shopping Center and sev eral years ago drew the plans for the remodeling of Alton City Hall and the Alton Post Office. Before opening his office in Alton in 1948, Lanner was chief architect for the Ilinois division of Parks and Memorials, a post he had held since 1940. Prior to that he was employed for 214 years by the U.S. De partment of the Interior. He designed and supervised ,construction of virtually all the buildings at Pere Marquette Park as well as lodges, hotel, bridges and roads in other state parks. In 1948 he designed the new Congregational Church in Bun ker Hill which had been demol ished by a tornado on March 19 of that year. Sanner also designed additions to the Washington and Lincoln schools, Alton. In June of 1966, Sanner was widely praised when he offered to conduct a survey of the com munity center building in the de pressed Lincoln Gardens area and give a free estimate of the costs of renovating the struc ture.
Newspaper Details
Alton Evening Telegraph
Alton, Illinois, US
Fri, Oct 18, 1968
Page 2
Full Page
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