DOCSLIB.ORG

A Comparative Analysis of the Wood-Framed Steeples of John Mcarthur, Jr

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
A Comparative Analysis of the Wood-Framed Steeples of John Mcarthur, Jr University of Pennsylvania ScholarlyCommons Theses (Historic Preservation) Graduate Program in Historic Preservation 2019 High and Mighty: A Comparative Analysis of the Wood-Framed Steeples of John McArthur, Jr. Holly Boyer Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses Part of the Historic Preservation and Conservation Commons Suggested Citation: Boyer, Holly (2019). High and Mighty: A Comparative Analysis of the Wood-Framed Steeples of John McArthur, Jr. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/hp_theses/686 For more information, please contact [email protected]. High and Mighty: A Comparative Analysis of the Wood-Framed Steeples of John McArthur, Jr. Abstract In order to understand this early period of John McArthur, Jr.’s career, this thesis examines the ideological principles, architectural professionalism and influences, and structural experimentation and performance of two remarkably tall wood-framed steeples designed by McArthur. Understanding these steeple designs perhaps sheds light on what compelled him, later in his career, to repeatedly set out to design structures that would be the highest in their cities or country. John McArthur, Jr.'s designs for the steeples of two Presbyterian churches, while they were stylistically representative of many churches of the Round-Arched style built during that period, they were remarkably high. Their unusual height, particularly Tenth Presbyterian in Philadelphia, rearing up to 248 feet, is the result of a confluence of factors. They represent the result of competition among ambitious church congregations, competition among architects in an emerging profession, and McArthur’s own structural confidence. Through this comparative analysis, a picture of McArthur at this early period of his career emerges. McArthur designed these very tall wood- framed structures by applying his knowledge of materials gained from a decade working in the carpentry trade. Combined with his knowledge of wood and carpentry, McArthur also applied intuition, creating structures that were experimental in multiple ways, ultimately leading him to utilize an internal armature framing system. This system had consequences, both good and bad, for the performance and outcomes of both steeples. This thesis serves to provide a clearer comprehension of McArthur’s wood-framed steeples in the context of mid-nineteenth century steeple design and construction. Keywords spire, Presbyterian church, round arched style, rundbogenstil armature frame Disciplines Historic Preservation and Conservation Comments Suggested Citation: Boyer, Holly (2019). High and Mighty: A Comparative Analysis of the Wood-Framed Steeples of John McArthur, Jr. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. HIGH AND MIGHTY: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE WOOD-FRAMED STEEPLES OF JOHN McARTHUR, JR. Holly Anne Boyer, AIA A THESIS in Historic Preservation Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Design in Historic Preservation 2019 Advisor Co-Advisor Aaron V. Wunsch Michael C. Henry, PE, AIA Associate Professor in Historic Preservation Adjunct Professor of Architecture Program Chair Frank G. Matero Chair, Graduate Program in Historic Preservation To the memory of my dear friends, without whom, I could not have become an architect, Arthur A. Ovaska (1951-2018) and Timothy R. Cronin (1969-2018) ii Acknowledgements In the process of completing this project, I have received the help of many people and organizations. I would not have endured the lengthy process of research and writing if not for my family and some very patient close friends. They were my biggest champions, permitting me to prattle on, seemingly without end, about steeples and architects, and all of the Victorian quirks discovered along the way. I owe special thanks to my dear friend and biggest fan, JLC; to my daughter, Nina, who has kept her chin up and tolerated an entire year of neglect while I had my nose in books; and to my son, Nat, who has patiently and without fail been there for me as an sounding board for my ideas. No teenager should ever have to know as much about mid- nineteenth century Philadelphia as do my children. They have treated my endeavor for a master’s degree as if it were an investment in our family as a whole, and for that, I am forever grateful. My longest-standing debt is to Penelope S. Watson and Michael C. Henry, who first introduced me to the discipline of preservation when I was still a teenager, under their employ during breaks from my undergraduate studies. By observing them in their professional practice I learned the things that have served me best in my professional career: careful problem solving, remembering that much can be learned from builders of the past and present, and, above all else, to treat historic buildings with the care and respect they deserve. I owe a special thank you to my advisors: Aaron Wunsh and Michael C. Henry (who gets double the credit here) for all of their insight and advice, and Frank Matero for overarching guidance along the way. Aaron generously agreed to act as my advisor, understanding that I am an architect with the writing skills that implies, and has carefully guided me in the process of becoming ever-so-slightly more like an historian. iii I owe a special thank you to several authors and educators, who owed me nothing, but yet gave me their time and thoughts generously: Jan Lewandoski and Michael J. Lewis, whose intellectual generosity and kindness served to deepen my understanding of our shared topics; and Daniel Gallagher who tirelessly marked up my drafts, teaching me some basics of writing along the way. This project would never have gotten legs if not for the rich resources provided by the curators, archivists, librarians, historians, and practicing professionals who have helped me. Janet Sheridan, of Down Jersey Heritage Research, LLC; Dorothy Boersma, of the Tenth Presbyterian Church; and Amelia Popovic, of Keast & Hood Structural Engineers were indispensable. I also thank all of the staff at the American Philosophical Society, the Fisher Fine Arts Library, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia City Archives, the Philadelphia Historical Commission, the Presbyterian Historical Society, and the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. I am also grateful to my history professors, from long ago, Mary N. Woods and Mark M. Jarzombek, who both brought architectural history to life for me, and continue to inspire me through their unending enthusiasm for the historic built environment. Finally, a big thank-you to my cat and trusty sidekick, Velcro, who is kindly is allowing me to take credit for all of his hard work. iv Contents Dedication ………………………………………………………………………………………… ii Acknowledgements …………………………………………………………………………… iii List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………………………. vii Introduction ……………………………………………………………………………………… 1 CHAPTER 1 Historical Background ………………………………………………………………………. 9 CHAPTER 2 McArthur’s Steeples: The Highest Structures ……………………………………. 19 First Presbyterian Church of Salem, New Jersey ……………………………….. 21 Tenth Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia ………………………………………… 23 The Ideology of High Steeples …………………………………………………………… 25 The Identity Crisis in Protestant Church Building ………………………………. 27 Competitiveness and Personal Accomplishment ………………………………. 30 The Advantages and Shortcomings of High Steeples …………………………. 32 CHAPTER 3 Design Context …………………………………………………………………………………. 37 The Book of Plans ……………………………………………………………………………… 37 John McArthur Jr. and the American Round-Arched Style …………………. 42 The Background of McArthur’s Steepled Churches …………………………… 46 CHAPTER 4 The Architecture of McArthur’s Steepled Churches ………………………….. 52 A Note on Coloration ………………………………………………………………………… 52 The Architecture of the Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia …… 54 The Architecture of the First Presbyterian Church, Salem, New Jersey 57 The Architectural Commonalities in McArthur’s Steepled Churches …. 59 v CHAPTER 5 McArthur’s Framing System in the Context of Steeple Design …………… 65 Timber-Framing vs. Wood Framing …………………………………………………… 65 The Structural Context of American Steeple Framing ……………………….. 66 McArthur’s Steeple Framing System …………………………………………………. 69 The Real (Or Assumed) Structure of Tenth Presbyterian …………………… 71 The First Presbyterian Steeple: Performance and Longevity ……………… 77 Divergent Outcomes for the Two Steeples ………………………………………… 79 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………………………… 83 Figures ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 85 Bibliography ……………………………………………………………………………………… 119 Appendix A John McArthur, Jr., Contract and Specifications for the Erection of a 130 New Church Building and Its Appurtenances, for the West Spruce Street Presbyterian Congregation (Philadelphia, PA: J. Craig, 1855). Appendix B Watson & Henry Associates, Steeple Restoration: First Presbyterian 147 Church of Salem, New Jersey, 1996, architectural drawings by Holly A. Boyer, retrieved from the Keast & Hood Archives, Philadelphia, PA. Glossary …………………………………………………………………………………………… 155 Index …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 162 vi List of Figures 1 John McArthur, Jr., c. 1860s. (Courtesy of the Fort Delaware Society.) 79 2 John McArthur, Jr.’s steepled churches. 80 Left: West Spruce Street Presbyterian Church (Tenth Presbyterian,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Vallender Building Historic Statement 129-129 State Street, Madison
    Vallender Building Historic Statement 129‐129 State Street, Madison, Wisconsin By Gary Tipler, March 19, 2012. Significance The Vallender Building is a significant example of a rare architectural style in Madison, the Rundbogenstil or American Round Arch Style, a subcategory of the German Romanesque Revival, which was employed by German immigrant architects and builders in the United States. It embodies the characteristics of a German‐built structure, reflecting the culture and history of its immigrant entrepreneurial builders, owners and inhabitants, the Vallender family. It is also significant as an increasingly rare building type of its period in Madison ‐‐ one that housed both business and residence for its owner. Following its completion,“it was considered to be one of Madison’s finest business structures.”1 The Rundbogenstil contrasted the Gothic and Classical styles, popular in the 19th Century. Heinrich Hübsch (1795‐1863), the architect who first developed the style, intended for it to portray a noble simplicity and subdued grandeur of neo‐classicism, while reflecting the rise of industrialism and an emerging German nationalism – in a style that was distinctly German. Hübsch studied at the University at Heidelberg (1813–15), then Friedrich Weinbrenner's school of architecture in Karlsruhe followed by years of study of buildings in Italy and Greece. Hübsch first coined the term Rundbogenstil in 1822, and published it in his book in 1828, “In What Style Should We Build?” It was part of a greater discussion among German architects of the period, analyzing the future of modern architecture. The style was intended to reflect construction simply, honestly and artistically, to reflect its historic origins, though to take modern German architecture forward without the entrapments of Classical or Gothic design.
    [Show full text]
  • A Political Perch: a Historical Analysis and Online Exhibit of the U.S. Senate Clerk's Desk
    Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects Honors College at WKU 2020 A Political Perch: A Historical Analysis and Online Exhibit of the U.S. Senate Clerk's Desk Olivia Bowers Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses Part of the History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Museum Studies Commons, and the Political History Commons Recommended Citation Bowers, Olivia, "A Political Perch: A Historical Analysis and Online Exhibit of the U.S. Senate Clerk's Desk" (2020). Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 838. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/838 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A POLITICAL PERCH: A HISTORICAL ANALYSIS AND ONLINE EXHIBIT OF THE U.S. SENATE CLERK’S DESK A Capstone Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts with Mahurin Honors College Graduate Distinction at Western Kentucky University By Olivia R. Bowers May 2020 ***** CE/T Committee: Dr. Guy Jordan, Chair Prof. Kristina Arnold Dr. Jennifer Walton-Hanley Copyright by Olivia R. Bowers 2020 I dedicate this thesis to my parents, Clinton and Dawn Bowers, for teaching me that pursuing my dreams can help others in the process. I would also like to thank Dr. Guy Jordan, a teacher, mentor, and friend, for believing in me and encouraging me to aim for the seemingly impossible.
    [Show full text]
  • Architect of the Capitol: Evolution and Implementation of the Appointment Procedure
    Architect of the Capitol: Evolution and Implementation of the Appointment Procedure Updated September 1, 2021 Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov R41074 SUMMARY R41074 Architect of the Capitol: Evolution and September 1, 2021 Implementation of the Appointment Ida A. Brudnick Specialist on the Congress Procedure According to its website, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) is responsible “for the operations and care of more than 18.4 million square feet of facilities, 570 acres of grounds and thousands of works of art.” Pursuant to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 1990, the Architect is appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Prior to the enactment of this law, the President appointed the Architect for an unlimited term with no formal role for Congress. The act also established a 10-year term for the Architect as well as a bicameral, bipartisan congressional commission to recommend candidates to the President. As subsequently amended in 1995, this law provides for a commission consisting of 14 Members of Congress, including the Speaker of the House, the President pro tempore of the Senate, the House and Senate majority and minority leaders, and the chair and ranking minority members of the Committee on House Administration, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, and the House and Senate Committees on Appropriations. An Architect may be reappointed. Alan M. Hantman was the first Architect appointed under the revised appointment procedure. He declined to seek reappointment and served from January 30, 1997, to February 4, 2007. Stephen T. Ayers, who served as Acting Architect of the Capitol following Mr.
    [Show full text]
  • Pennsylvania Magazine of HISTORY and BIOGRAPHY
    THE Pennsylvania Magazine OF HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY VOLUME LXV APRIL, 1941 NUMBER TWO Some Qree\T(evival Architects of Philadelphia HILADELPHIA saw alike the birth and the death of Greek Revival architecture in America: its birth in the Bank of Penn- Psylvania, which Latrobe designed in the spring of 17985 its death—or should one say its final swan song?—in the Ridgeway Branch of the Library Company, designed in the 1870's by Addison Hutton, far out on South Broad Street. And, in the years between, several of the most important Greek Revival architects in the coun- try established their homes in Philadelphia, found there a most profitable field for their activity, and designed for it some of the most remarkable of its buildings. Latrobe, Mills, Strickland, Havi- land, and Walter all contributed much to the appearance of the growing city, and in the work of all, whether it was strictly Greek or not, the ideals of the new architectural movement were enshrined. It is not strange that this should have been the case. Philadelphia was, in the early years of the Republic, the undoubted metropolis of the country. It was, in its own characteristic staid way, the center of culture and of art. Boston was still, in architecture, largely under the sway of English late-Georgian inspiration, so beautifully re-created in New England in the domestic work of Bulfinch, the exquisite 121 122 TALBOT HAMLIN April interiors of Mclntire, and the early handbooks of Asher Benjamin. New York, struggling out of the devastation caused by the long British occupation, was still dominated by the transitional work of John McComb, Jr., the Mangins, and such architects as Josiah Brady and the young Martin Thompson; Greek forms were not to become popular there till the later 1820's.
    [Show full text]
  • AUSTRALIAN ROMANESQUE a History of Romanesque-Inspired Architecture in Australia by John W. East 2016
    AUSTRALIAN ROMANESQUE A History of Romanesque-Inspired Architecture in Australia by John W. East 2016 CONTENTS 1. Introduction . 1 2. The Romanesque Style . 4 3. Australian Romanesque: An Overview . 25 4. New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory . 52 5. Victoria . 92 6. Queensland . 122 7. Western Australia . 138 8. South Australia . 156 9. Tasmania . 170 Chapter 1: Introduction In Australia there are four Catholic cathedrals designed in the Romanesque style (Canberra, Newcastle, Port Pirie and Geraldton) and one Anglican cathedral (Parramatta). These buildings are significant in their local communities, but the numbers of people who visit them each year are minuscule when compared with the numbers visiting Australia's most famous Romanesque building, the large Sydney retail complex known as the Queen Victoria Building. God and Mammon, and the Romanesque serves them both. Do those who come to pray in the cathedrals, and those who come to shop in the galleries of the QVB, take much notice of the architecture? Probably not, and yet the Romanesque is a style of considerable character, with a history stretching back to Antiquity. It was never extensively used in Australia, but there are nonetheless hundreds of buildings in the Romanesque style still standing in Australia's towns and cities. Perhaps it is time to start looking more closely at these buildings? They will not disappoint. The heyday of the Australian Romanesque occurred in the fifty years between 1890 and 1940, and it was largely a brick-based style. As it happens, those years also marked the zenith of craft brickwork in Australia, because it was only in the late nineteenth century that Australia began to produce high-quality, durable bricks in a wide range of colours.
    [Show full text]
  • National Historic Landmark Nomination Old San Juan
    NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK NOMINATION NPS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form (Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 OLD SAN JUAN HISTORIC DISTRICT/DISTRITO HISTÓRICO DEL VIEJO SAN JUAN Page 1 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form 1. NAME OF PROPERTY Historic Name: Old San Juan Historic District/Distrito Histórico del Viejo San Juan Other Name/Site Number: Ciudad del Puerto Rico; San Juan de Puerto Rico; Viejo San Juan; Old San Juan; Ciudad Capital; Zona Histórica de San Juan; Casco Histórico de San Juan; Antiguo San Juan; San Juan Historic Zone 2. LOCATION Street & Number: Western corner of San Juan Islet. Roughly bounded by Not for publication: Calle de Norzagaray, Avenidas Muñoz Rivera and Ponce de León, Paseo de Covadonga and Calles J. A. Corretejer, Nilita Vientos Gastón, Recinto Sur, Calle de la Tanca and del Comercio. City/Town: San Juan Vicinity: State: Puerto Rico County: San Juan Code: 127 Zip Code: 00901 3. CLASSIFICATION Ownership of Property Category of Property Private: X Building(s): ___ Public-Local: X District: _X_ Public-State: X_ Site: ___ Public-Federal: _X_ Structure: ___ Object: ___ Number of Resources within Property Contributing Noncontributing 699 128 buildings 16 6 sites 39 0 structures 7 19 objects 798 119 Total Number of Contributing Resources Previously Listed in the National Register: 772 Name of Related Multiple Property Listing: NPS Form 10-900 USDI/NPS NRHP Registration Form ((Rev. 8-86) OMB No. 1024-0018 OLD SAN JUAN HISTORIC DISTRICT/DISTRITO HISTÓRICO DEL VIEJO SAN JUAN Page 2 United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service National Register of Historic Plaaces Registration Form 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Jewish Identities in Synagogue Architecture of Galicia and Bukovina
    Published in Ars Judaica: The Bar-Ilan Journal of Jewish Art, 6 (2010), 81–100 and reprinted at The Routes to Roots Foundation (www.rtrfoundation.org) with permission from the publisher, Ars Judaica: The Bar-Ilan Journal of Jewish Art Jewish Identities in Synagogue Architecture of Galicia and Bukovina Sergey R. Kravtsov The present article discusses how Jewish identities were loyal Habsburg subjects of the Mosaic faith. Many Jews constructed through the synagogue architecture of the played active roles in promoting this move, inspired by easternmost provinces of the Habsburg Empire – Eastern the Enlightenment, as it contributed in their eyes to Galicia (hereafter Galicia) and Bukovina – until World the modernization of Jewish society. However, other – War I. quite numerous – groups of Jews preferred to hold fast to Defining the inferior status of Jewish communities by their traditional beliefs and practices. This split led to means of architecture was an objective of the dominant construction of Progressive, traditionalist, and even more society in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth until its specific identities in Jewish sacred architecture in Galicia partition in 1772. In the urban space, Catholic supremacy and Bukovina. was emphasized by the dominant location, height, and The array of Jewish groups included the adherents of refinement of churches and monasteries. The clergy and the Enlightenment, or maskilim (literally, “educated”), the burghers tried to prevent construction of synagogues in Hasidim, and the mitnagdim, traditionalist opponents of the town centers and on streets on which Christian the Hasidim. The enlightened Jews welcomed Austrian- churches were located and where they held their German culture in the first half of the nineteenth century, processions; they also limited synagogue height and and gradually shifted towards a Jewish-Polish identity tried to ensure that synagogues’ exterior design was in a later period, especially after 1873, when the Polish unpretentious.1 autonomy of Galicia was established.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Write Plausibly About Architecture and Architectural History, According to A
    How to write plausibly about Architecture and architectural History, according to A. Rosengarten (1809-1893) Stefan Muthesius Figures 1 and 2 Kassel Synagoge by A. Rosengarten (official architect Landesbaumeister August Schuchardt) 1832 – 1839, front, Allgemeine Bauzeitung [Vienna], vol. 5, 1840, 205-0207, plates cccl and cccli. Figure 3 Hamburg Synagoge an den Kohlhfen by A. Rosengarten 1857 – 1859 (reconstruction drawing Saskia Rohde). Figure 4 Wohnhaus [dwelling house] in Hamburg, by A. Rosengarten, Zeitschrift für Bauwesen, vol. lll, Nos. III, IV, Bl. 13. On the whole the career of architect A. Rosengarten must be rated as rather a modest one, but it was certainly also a very unusual one. Apart from Albert, Rosengarten used for first names also Albrecht and Abraham. His initial rise to fame lay with the claim of being the first Jewish architect to design a major synagogue, in Kassel, completed in 1839 (figs. 1 & 2). In Hamburg, where he settled after the great fire of 1842, he kept himself busy with diverse secular commissions, as well as with two relatively modest synagogues in the 1850s (figs. 3 & 4). Very few of his buildings made it into the professional journals of the time. His synagogues were Journal of Art Historiography Number 23 December 2020 Stefan Muthesius How to write plausibly about Architecture and architectural History, according to A. Rosengarten (1809-1893) soon to be vastly outdone in other German towns. Their destruction has contributed further to the architect’s oblivion.1 A new tone in architectural writing Figure 5 Die Architektonische Stylarten ‘The architectonic kinds of styles. A short generally understandable presentation of the characteristic differences of the architectural kinds of styles for the correct use in art and crafts/trades, for architects, painters, sculptors, plasterers, building schools, higher schools of building, building tradesmen, modellers, workers in metal etc.
    [Show full text]
  • Leseprobe (PDF)
    Aus: Jürgen Wiener Von der Bebauung der Region Aufsätze zur architekturhistorischen Moderne an Rhein und Ruhr Dezember 2019, 218 S., kart., 40 SW-Abb. 29,99 € (DE), 978-3-8376-4951-2 E-Book: PDF: 26,99 € (DE), ISBN 978-3-8394-4951-6 Mit einem Titelverweis auf Rudolf Schwarz’ umfassende architekturtheoretische Refle- xion »Von der Bebauung der Erde« versammelt der Jubiläumsband Aufsätze von Jür- gen Wiener zur Ausstellungs-, Institutionen- und Sakralbaugeschichte an Rhein und Ruhr. In sechs Beiträgen geht der Kunst- und Architekturhistoriker Fragen der Bau- geschichte in der Region an Rhein und Ruhr vom 19. bis zum 20. Jahrhundert nach. Er legt dabei einen besonderen Fokus auf die Frage, welchen Einfluss die Region, der/ die Architekt*in oder auch der Entstehungskontext auf die Vorstellung davon hatten, was ›modern‹ ist. Die Beiträge erscheinen anlässlich des 60. Geburtstags von Jürgen Wiener als Wieder- abdruck erstmals versammelt in einem Band. Jürgen Wiener (Prof. Dr.), geb. 1959, ist Kunsthistoriker am Institut für Kunstgeschich- te der Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf und im Vorstand des Arbeitskreises zur Erforschung der »Moderne im Rheinland« e.V. Weiteren Informationen und Bestellung unter: www.transcript-verlag.de/978-3-8376-4951-2 © 2019 transcript Verlag, Bielefeld Inhalt Zur kunsthistorischen Stellung von Schloss Mickeln | 7 Das „Erlöschen des Reformgedankens“? Wilhelm Kreis und die Düsseldorfer Kunstgewerbeschule | 45 Utopiefragmente in der Architektur an Rhein und Ruhr zwischen 1918 und 1923 | 89 „genus quoddam modernismi
    [Show full text]
  • Stephen C. Earle's Slater Memorial by Vivian F
    The Muse Newsletter of the Slater Memorial Museum Spring 2012 Stephen C. Earle’s Slater Memorial by Vivian F. Zoë As we commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil Earle, the first floor comprises vestibules, a foyer and an War, it is enlightening to examine the post-war careers of auditorium and the basement level, classrooms. By 1888, people who suspended their lives to serve the cause. One the upper two floors were dedicated as the Peck Library of these is the architect of Slater Memorial hall, Stephen and the Slater Memorial Museum with its inaugural Carpenter Earle. collection of plaster casts of the World’s acknowledged masterpieces of sculpture. Recent research to improve interpretation at the Slater Museum has led to a more complete understanding of the Stephen C. Earle (1839-1913) was born in Leicester, MA architect and architecture of Slater Memorial building. and went to Worcester to study and begin his career. He Built to memorialize 19th century Norwich industrialist, returned to Worcester after serving as an apprentice in businessman and philanthropist John Fox Slater, and New York at the architectural and landscape design firm commissioned by his son, William Albert Slater it was of Calvert Vaux, designer of the Metropolitan Museum of completed in 1886 at a cost of $160,000. Designed by Art, NYC, and one of the most significant and important Worcester, Massachusetts architect Stephen Carpenter American architects and landscape designers of the 19th century. Earle’s professional debut was opportune because the city of Worcester was growing like many industrial centers in the 19th century, requiring new buildings at a rapid pace.
    [Show full text]
  • Josiah Cleaveland Cady's Legacy
    Trinity College Trinity College Digital Repository Watkinson Library (Rare books & Special Watkinson Publications Collections) 1993 A forgotten architect of the Gilded Age: Josiah Cleaveland Cady's legacy Kathleen Curran Trinity College Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/exhibitions Part of the Architectural History and Criticism Commons Recommended Citation Curran, Kathleen, "A forgotten architect of the Gilded Age: Josiah Cleaveland Cady's legacy" (1993). Watkinson Publications. 20. https://digitalrepository.trincoll.edu/exhibitions/20 A Forgotten Architect of the Gilded Age: josiah Cleaveland Cady's Legacy October 1993 -january 1994 Watkinson Library Trinity College N ARCHITECT OF THE GILDED AGE: JOSIAH CLEAVELAND CADY'S LEGACY Kathleen A. Curran WATKINSON LIBRARY and DEPARTMENT OF FINE ARTS Trinity College Hartford, Connecticut 1993 Acknowledgements This catalog and exhibition are the fruit of a seminar taught in the Spring of Trinity College, on the life and work of the once well-known architect and alumnus, Josiah Cleaveland Cady. When Cady died in New York in 1919, he his impressive architecture library to Trinity. It is now housed at the Library. Using his library and scattered archives, it has been possible to the life of this eminent and prolific architect. The research conducted in of the seminar served as the foundation for this catalog. My thanks are to the students for their intense semester's work and involvement. Our was aided by the assistance of Tony P. Wrenn, Rare Books Librarian at the Institute of Architects in Washington, D. C., and Joel Sweimler, Special Manager, American Museum of Natural History. To those many who allowed us access to Cady's buildings, I express my appreciation.
    [Show full text]
  • 1986 Vol. 30 No. 4
    VOL. XXX NO. 4 AUGUST 1986 _ Ufi(JTAS RRmrms UEDUSIBS ~ NEWSLETTER THE SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS SAH NOTICES Wit, Chicago Historical Society. Head­ munication, DePaul University, 2323 1987 Annual Meeting-San Francisco, quarters for the meeting will be The North Seminary Avenue, Chicago, IL California (April 22-26). Richard Betts, Palmer House. 60614-3298 (312/341-8330 or 312/341- University of Illinois, will be general 8663). chairman of the meeting. Dell Upton, 1986 Domestic Tour-Southern Indiana The American Studies Association University of California, Berkeley, will (October 15-19). Thomas Slade and and the Canadian Association for serve as local chairman. Headquarters John Stamper (University of Notre American Studies calls for proposals for for the meeting will be the Sheraton­ Dame) will be co-leaders of this tour. papers, sessions, workshops, panels, etc. Palace Hotel. Announcements have been mailed to for its international convention to be A list of all SAH sessions appeared in the membership, and we urge immedi­ held in New York City Nov. 20-24, the April 1986 Newsletter, with the ate registration for this tour. 1987. The broad theme is "Creating names and addresses of the persons Cultures: Peoples, Objects, Ideas," with who will chair them. Those wishing to 1987 Foreign Tour-Portugal (July 12- emphasis on material culture. Proposals submit papers for the San Francisco 31). Stephanie Maloney, University of incorporating the idea of " New York as meeting are reminded that proposals Louisville, will be the leader of this tour. a gateway to America" are welcome. for papers should be sent directly to The tour will begin in Lisbon, and Deadline for submission: Jan.
    [Show full text]