Born in Clinton Michigan in 1857, Eames moved to St. Louis with his parents in 1863. He graduated from the St. Louis School of Fine Arts in 1878. He worked as a draftsman for St. Louis architects until a trip to study in Europe in 1881. When he returned to St. Louis, he was appointed deputy commissioner of public buildings and completed plans for several structures, including the City’s landmark "Red Water Tower" in Hyde Park. He resigned from the position in 1885 to form Eames and Young. Some of his designs include the Frisco Building, the Bissell Street (Red) Water Tower, and the Romanesque Revival Intake Tower #1 in the channel of the Mississippi River. Other designs he was affiliated with include the Marquette Building, Mississippi Valley Trust Building, Lammert Building, Post Office Annex, Union Station, and Lincoln Trust Building.

In 1890, the St. Louis Chapter of the American Institue of Architects was begun with Eames as its first president. In 1904, he was elected national president of the Institute and was the first member of the profession from St. Louis to hold the office.

Eames returned to Europe in 1904 and 1906 as a U.S. delegate to the International Congress of Architects meetings. In 1909, he was appointed a member of the National Council of Fine Arts. Eames died in 1915. In 1934, the Eames & Young firm´s research library of books on the history of architecture and 8 volumes of black & white photographs of the firm´s work were donated to Ranken Technical Institute. In 1977, the collection was purchased by the Art and architecture Library at Washington University where it awaits study for a much-deserved publication on Eames & Young.