Thillman P. J. Fabry Wood and Plaster Sculptor

THE FRIENDS OF MOUNT HOPE CEMEI'ERY 28 THILLMAN P. J. FABRY even more glaring. Thillman Peter Jacob Union Telegraph Company fame, com (1851-1926) Fabry, almost forgotten tOday, was such a missioned Fabry to provide the architec craftsman, who also, in his day, was recog tural details in St. Paul's Church without WOOD AND PLASTER nized nationally as a fine artist. the involvement of an architect. Sibley SCULPTOR said to Fabry, "You are architect enough Fabry was responsible for the grand for me." That gave Fabry the freedom and By Richard 0. Reisem main staircase and decora initiative to create all of the charming and tive plaster ceilings in the interesting carvings in the church. (1 was assisted in preparing George Eastman House. this article with information pro The architect who designed In the Baptist Temple Building, lJided by Thillman Fabry's grand the staircase was Charles downtown at Main and Franklin streets, daughter, Pamela Benham Erwin, McKim of the New York Fabry produced a richly carved choir loft and great granddaughter, Linda City firm of McKim, Mead in Gorhic Revival style that decorates the Bloom Rossie, as well as by Tom & White, but it was Fabry former sanctuary. At Blessed Sacrament Petrillo and Bill Reamy, who live who carved the remarkable Church, Monroe Avenue at Rutgers in Fabry's house at 101 Southern staircase. Fabry also created Street, Fabry carved an elaborate altarpiece Parkway in Rochester. J also the decorative wall elements with five full-size figures in ornately received assistance from Vincent of the main hall in the carved gothic niches. The central figure is Lenti, author of"For the Eastman School ofMusic. Virgin Mary holding her baby Jesus. Enrichment ofCommunity Life: He carved the wooden Mary's left hand and a portion of the The Opening ofthe Eastman Kilbourn Hall ticket office. sculpture are unfinished, because Fabry Theatre 1922".) The carved proscenium died while still working on the altar. The arch and walls in Kilbourn church decided to leave it unfinished as a When we look at Thillman P. j. Fabry, renowned Hall are also Fabry's work. tribute to the artist. Many other churches, beautiful buildings with carver in plaster and wood. including First Methodist and Central Fabry plasterwork in the Monroe County Office Building atrium. handsome and intricate architectural St. Paul's Episcopal Church on East Presbyterian, also contained the highly details, we tend to credit the building's Avenue at Vick Park B contains myriad prized work ofThillman Fabry. architect wirh their creation. But the wood sculptures by Fabry: most notably, architect did nor apply chisels to the the pulpit, the lectern, and the figures on The Monroe County Office wood, trowels to the plaster, and gilding the ends of the hammer beams of the ceil Building, originally the county court to the decorations to fashion those ing. On the hammer beams, seven differ house, was designed by Rochester archi remarkable details. It was the work of a ent angels blow horns, wave palm leaves, tect, J. Foster Warner, and built in 1894 craftsman, whose name is often lost to sniff lilies, press hands in prayer, and 1896. It was the first example ofItalian history. And when the craftsman excels engage in other activities. Hiram W Renaissance Revival style in western New not only in the production of the details, Sibley, son of Hiram Sibley ofWestern York. On the fourth floor of the atrium, but contributes to their design, the loss is 100 feet above the main floor, there is an brick mansion in 1910. It was a couple of mantel also bears Fabry's special carving explosion of Italian Renaissance plaster years before federal income tax, so costs skills. The Jacobean ceiling is constructed work created by Thillman Fabry. It is a were not a problem. The two-year remod of parget work-that is, molded decora tour de force composed of intricate floral eling of the structure was designed by tive hard plaster in bas relief. Fabry creat garlands, scallop shells, shields, lions' Rochester architect Edwin S. Gordon with ed a Tudor rose motif in the ceiling plas heads, and circular grates, all in plaster interior design by Isaac Scrantom, presi- terwork and repeated the design in the and bronze. fireplace mantel. The pipes for an Aeolian organ are hidden behind an elaborately Fabry also created ornamental work carved wooden screen by Fabry. Fabry's in the New York State capitol in Albany, woodcarving skills are also evident in the where his architectural details are especial intricate design of the main staircase. ly fine in the Senate chamber. The Hiram Columns, moldings, mantels, and arches Sibley Building (I925), 311 Alexander in the solarium, dining room, hall, and Street at East Avenue, was designed by the other rooms present handsome architec Boston architectural firm of Shepley, tural details by Fabry. Plasterwork by Thillman Fabry in Rochester Academy ofMedicine living room. Detail ofceiling plaster design incorporating Bulfinch, and Abbot, who engaged Fabry a Tudor rose motif to carve interior architectural details. Some of Fabry's work has been destroyed because of demolition, such as Piccadilly Theater, which became Paramount Theater. And his charming work in the EPITAPH Eastman Dental Dispensary on Main Published quarterly by the Friends of Street is now largely stolen or vandalized. Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, Also gone are his carved-wood and plaster New York 14620, a nonprofit member contributions to Whistle's and Scrantom's organization founded in 1980. retail stores, restaurants, and other com Carved pilaster in wood-paneled living room ofthe © 2008 The Friends of Mount Hope Cemetery mercial establishments. Rochester Academy ofMedicine. Richard 0. Reisem, Editor jan Wyland, Associate Editor In addition to the George Eastman dent of Hayden Furniture Company. The Frank A. Gillespie, Photographer Dan Malczewski, Art Director House, many other residential structures living room was designed after a room at Lucille Malczewski, Editorial Assistant display the genius ofThillman Fabry. One Knole House in Sevenoaks, Kent, Basic annual membership is $20. Call (585) of them is the Edmund Lyon House, now England. (Knole House, one of England's 461-3494for afree pocket guide to Mount the Rochester Academy ofMedicine at great country houses, has 365 rooms and Hope Cemetery and a membership applica 1441 East Avenue. Lyon acquired the 52 staircases.) So there is a definite tion. See our colorful and informative house when his father, Harrison A. Lyon, Jacobean architectural style to Lyon's liv web site: wwwfomh.org died. Edmund decided to rebuild the ing room, which has paneled wood walls existing Italianate frame house, changing of quarter-sawn white oak with detailed it dramatically into a grand, 33-room carving in the pilasters. The fireplace Another house that was decorated by and grapes. Dolphins represent hospitality but not delivered. Eastman felt that light Fabry plaster and wood carving is the because they would greet sailors at sea. fixtures were needed for the grand open Thomas W Finucane House at 20 Grapes, of course, suggest wine and con ing. The contractor quickly turned to Portsmouth Terrace. Finucane was one of viviality. English Tudor roses are carved Thillman Fabry, who bought a pair of the leading building contractors in west into the newel posts. In the long horizon metal washtubs, added some decorative ern New York. He was also a banker, an tal panels below the balustrade are carved metal elements like tin leaves at the upper owner of gold and silver mines, the bundled tobacco leaves, which symbolize rim of the washtubs, metal roping around founder and president of a telephone good fortune. Above the niche on the stair the base of the tubs, and a classical company, the head of a large real estate landing, there is a representation of the pineapple pendant hanging from the mid firm, and a political and religious leader in god of the sea, Neptune. Stained-glass dle of the tub bottom. He then gilded the the community. So when he built the windows show family crests and hobbies, ensemble, creating attractive elegance Colonial Revival style house at 20 among other motifs. In the major rooms, from humble materials. The pair of light Portsmouth Terrace in 1894, money was Fabry created wonderful fireplace mantels fIXtures were fitted with electric bulbs, not a problem. But he did not want the and in the dining room, a large built-in, wired, and hung ftom metal chains, pro exterior of his house to appear ostenta- leaded-glass-fronted, wood-carved cabinet viding the light that Eastman requested. Carved plaster ceiling in the entrance hall 0/20 Portsmouth Terrace. tious, thereby advertising his enormous wealth and lofty position. So the house The carved-wood staircase at 20 Portsmouth Terrace The chandeliers, although considered by has a modest exterior appearance, has a large niche at the first landing. the architects to be temporary, were although it does display considerable bulk attractive enough to everyone else so that in order to provide 8,000 square feet of that looks like a separate piece of furniture the order for the undelivered chandeliers living space inside. But Finucane wanted with legs. was canceled. When the Eastman Theatre to enjoy something entirely different underwent a renovation in the 1970s, the inside and lavished money on an opulent George Eastman built one of the fate of the washtub chandeliers was debat mtenor. most beautiful and largest theaters in the ed, and the designers decided not to U.S. in 1922. It was designed by McKim, replace them with professionally manufac Finucane turned to Fabry to create Mead & White, America's most famous tured pieces, so they still hang proudly in that opulence.

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