Karl M. Vitzthum

He was born in Tutzing, near Munich, in Germany and attended Munich's Royal School of Architecture (Technical University of Munich or Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)?). He came to the U.S. in 1902 and to Chicago in 1914. He worked at Burnham & Co., at that firm's successor Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, and at Jarvis Hunt. He also worked with Fredrick J. Teich before partnering with John J. Burns (1886-1956) in 1919 in firm Karl M. Vitzthum & Co. Burns was the junior partner. At some point Vitzthum & Burns became the firm name. After Burns died the firm became Vitzthum & Kill, and specialized in churches, schools, high-rise residential, and penal institutions.

He designed more than 50 bank buildings.

He self-reportedly proposed that Comiskey Park be built with cantilevering, avoiding use of posts and allowing unobstructed views, but Comiskey balked at the extra cost.

He served on the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals from 1958 until his death in 1967.