American Francis Molther studied architecture and civil engineering at Cornell University from 1913-16. After receiving a scholarship he travelled extensively in Central America and South America. In 1919 he began working for various companies and public institutions in the USA but especially in Honduras, Panama, Chile and Columbia. He started his own company in the 1930s, designing mainly industrial, infrastructure, military and public buildings. In the 1936 Arts Competition Molther submitted his plans for the Municipal Stadium in Barranquilla, Colombia (now Estadio Romelio Martínez), which was inaugurated in 1934. The north grandstand was designed in Art Deco style and built for the 1935 National Sports Games with a capacity of 10,000 spectators. In the 2010s it was renovated and rebuilt. The stadium is considered the cradle of Colombian football and was declared a National Monument in 1995. Molther then worked in Ancon, Panama for 17 years serving in the Engineering Division of the Panama Canal as architect designer and structural engineer. In 1953 Molther was transferred to the Plant Inventory and Appraisal Staff. He retired in 1955 but stayed in Las Cumbres near Panama City. His son also became an architect and worked in Panama.
United States