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A Guide to the Edward T. Potter Architectural Drawings

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A Guide to the Edward T. Potter Architectural Drawings A Guide to the Edward T. Potter Architectural Drawings Finding aid prepared by John R. Nemmers University of Florida Smathers Libraries - Special and Area Studies Collections December 2005 Descriptive Summary Provenance: Potter, Edward Tuckerman, 1831-1904. Title: Edward T. Potter Architectural Drawings Dates: Circa Early 1870s Abstract: Water color and pen and ink drawings of Potter's design for St. John's Church, Jacksonville, Florida. Extent: 15 Items Identification: Ms Group 186 Items from this collection have been digitized and are available online in the UF Digital Collections. Links are provided within this guide. For more information please see the note below. Biographical/Historical Note Edward Tuckerman Potter was born on September 25, 1831 in Schenectady, New York, the son of Bishop Alonzo Potter. He began his college education in Philadelphia and, in 1851, transferred to Union College in Schenectady, where his father taught as a professor. After his graduation in 1853, he studied architecture under Richard Upjohn, one of the foremost church architects in the United States at the time. He worked for Upjohn from 1854 to 1856, when he opened his own practice in Schenectady. An ecclesiastical specialist, Potter designed churches, particularly Episcopalian churches, in New York, New England, Florida, and other regions of the country. Among his important churches were the First Dutch Reformed Church in Schenectady, the Harvard Street Congregational Church in Boston, the Church of the Good Shepherd in Hartford, and St. John's Church in Yonkers, New York. Other well-known projects include the Union College's Nott Memorial (Graduates' Hall) in Schenectady, the Colt Parish House in Hartford, and Mark Twain's residence in Hartford. Potter retired in 1877, but resumed work in order to design the Colt Parish House. In the early 1870s, Potter designed St. John's Episcopal Church in Jacksonville, Florida. This church was dedicated in 1877 and later burned in Jacksonville's Great Fire of 1901. In 1902 the Vestry of St. John's approved the design drawings for a new church building submitted by the firm Snelling and Potter. The cornerstone for the present Gothic Revival church, St. John's Cathedral, was laid in 1903 and the church was completed in 1906. Potter died on October 24, 1904. Sources: George, Carl, and Robert Uzzo, "Decoding the Nott Memorial," Union College Magazine, Winter 1999: Volume 91, Number 3. Henry F. and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: Hennessey and Ingalls, Inc. 1970). Landau, Sarah Bradford. Edward T. and William A. Potter: American Victorian Architects (New York: Garland, 1979). Wodehouse, Lawrence. "Edward Tuckerman Potter" in American National Biography, v. 17, pp. 744-745 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999). Scope and Content Water color and pen and ink drawings of E.T. Potter's design for St. John's Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, Florida (Circa early 1870s). The fifteen drawings include front, side, and rear elevations; foundation and roof plans; transverse and longitudinal sections; and details of the principle doorway, the porch, windows for the gables, the chimney top and finial, and furniture such as the pews and altar. Each drawing is numbered and labeled. Access or Use Restrictions Access Collection is open for research. Administrative Information Alternate Form of Material Digital reproductions of items in the Potter collection are available online via the University of Florida Digital Collections (UFDC). Please read the Permissions for Use statement for information on copyright, fair use, and use of UFDC digital objects. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], Edward T. Potter Architectural Drawings, Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. Contents List Potter Drawings Folder 1 1. Plan of Foundation View Item 2. Ground Plan View Item 3. Front Elevation View Item 4. Side Elevation View Item 5. Rear Elevation View Item 5A. Roof Plan View Item 6. Transverse Section View Item 7. Longitudinal Section View Item 8. Part of Transverse/Longitudinal Sections View Item 9. Principal Doorway View Item 10. Details of Porch View Item 11. Upper Group of Windows in Gables View Item 12. Windows in Gables (Aisles) View Item 13. Chimney Top and Finial View Item 14. Designs for Furniture View Item Selected Subjects and Access Points The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog: Organizations: St. John's Church (Jacksonville, Fla.) Subject Terms: Church architecture -- Designs and plans. Church architecture -- Florida. Jacksonville (Fla.) -- Churches. For further information, please contact: Special Collections Access Services. .
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