Ermelindo Eduardo Ardolino (November 20, 1883 – April 12, 1945), known as Edward Ardolino was an Italian-born American
stone carver and
architectural sculptor of the early twentieth century. He was the most prominent member of the Ardolino family of stone carvers. He worked with leading architects and sculptors, including architect
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 – April 23, 1924) was an American architect celebrated for his work in Gothic Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for ...
and sculptor
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...
. Ardolino participated in at least nine Goodhue-Lawrie collaborations including the
Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...
and the
Nebraska State Capitol
The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln. Designed by New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, it was constructed of Indiana limestone from 1922 to 193 ...
. His carvings adorn a significant number of important public and private buildings and monuments, including four buildings in the
Federal Triangle
The Federal Triangle is a triangular area in Washington, D.C. formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large city and federal office buildings, all of which are ...
of
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Background
Ardolino was born into a long line of stone carvers on November 20, 1883, in
Torre Le Nocelle
Torre Le Nocelle is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Avellino, Campania, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the ...
,
Province of Avellino
The Province of Avellino ( it, Provincia di Avellino) is a province in the Campania region of Southern Italy. The area is characterized by numerous small towns and villages scattered across the province; only two towns have a population over 20,0 ...
, Italy. On his 1898 immigration, when he was 14, he identified himself as a sculptor.
He was joining his older brother Charles (Clamanzio Celestino) Ardolino, who was a stone carver in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 1900, the two brothers established a company, Ardolino Brothers, documented on their business letterhead. They contracted with others, including cousin Ralph (Angelo Raffaele) Ardolino, to assist in fulfilling their commissions.
In 1907, Edward Ardolino married Nicolina de Cristofaro, and together they had four children. Ardolino moved the family frequently as his early career took him throughout the northeastern United States, the Midwest and Canada. In the 1920s, he settled his family in
Metuchen, New Jersey
Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...
.
From 1914 to 1916, Edward assumed responsibility for the company when Charles went abroad to create fountains for their hometown's first public water system. In 1916, Ardolino Brothers formed a partnership with Giuseppe and
Raffaele Menconi of Menconi Brothers of New York City under the name Menconi and Ardolino Brothers. They maintained offices in New York, Boston, Chicago and Toronto. In 1920, Edward, acting on his own, formed another partnership called
Ricci Ricci () is an Italian surname, derived from the adjective "riccio", meaning curly. Notable Riccis Arts and entertainment
* Antonio Ricci (painter) (c.1565–c.1635), Spanish Baroque painter of Italian origin
* Christina Ricci (born 1980), Americ ...
, Ardolino and Di Lorenzo.
The following year Edward dissolved his business relationship with his brother Charles and founded his own company, Edward Ardolino, Inc., with offices in New York City and Philadelphia. Charles operated under the original company name Ardolino Brothers in conjunction with his son Angelo and his father John until his passing in 1926.
Between 1929 and 1931, Edward Ardolino designed, created and installed a marble and bronze war memorial for his town of birth. The monument incorporates a bronze figure of ''
Winged Victory of Samothrace
The ''Winged Victory of Samothrace'', or the ''Nike of Samothrace'', is a votive monument originally found on the island of Samothrace, north of the Aegean Sea. It is a masterpiece of Greek sculpture from the Hellenistic era, dating from the beg ...
''. In 2013, the war monument was restored with a grant from the Italian government.
Edward Ardolino died on April 12, 1945, in
Metuchen, New Jersey
Metuchen ( ) is a suburban borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. The borough is a commuter town of New York City, located in the heart of the Raritan Valley region within the New York Metropolitan area. The borough, along wit ...
.
Career
Early in his career Ardolino worked with leading American architects and sculptors. He had a number of commissions in conjunction with
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
,
who made their mark in 1911 with their design for the
New York Public Library.
Other early commissions included joint projects of the well-respected architect
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 – April 23, 1924) was an American architect celebrated for his work in Gothic Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for ...
and sculptor
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...
. Ardolino executed carvings for them in styles ranging from
Gothic Revival
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
, such as the
West Point Chapel
The Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy is a place of Protestant denomination worship for many members of the United States Corps of Cadets. The chapel is a late example of gothic revival architecture, Gothic Revival architecture ...
, to what became known as
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
, exemplified by the
Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...
and the
Nebraska State Capitol
The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln. Designed by New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, it was constructed of Indiana limestone from 1922 to 193 ...
.
The latter two are arguably the most innovative works of Goodhue's career
and were ranked in the top 120 architectural sites in a recent study of
America's favorite buildings.
Goodhue publicly advocated for Ardolino to win contracts on his projects, saying he had "proved his ability to grasp and execute in stone the character desired by Mr. Lawrie." After Goodhue's death in 1924, Ardolino continued to work with Lawrie, the recipient of prestigious architectural and sculptural awards. Most of the Goodhue and Lawrie collaborations fulfilled in conjunction with Ardolino were invited into historic registers or achieved landmark status.
Goodhue and Lawrie Projects
*
West Point Chapel
The Cadet Chapel at the United States Military Academy is a place of Protestant denomination worship for many members of the United States Corps of Cadets. The chapel is a late example of gothic revival architecture, Gothic Revival architecture ...
(1906-1910), West Point, NY
*
Saint Thomas Church, (
reredos
A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images.
The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...
, initiated in 1918) (stone cross, completed in 1923) New York, NY
*
Church of St. Vincent Ferrer (1914-1918, interior; 1919, statue, ''Porta Coeli''), New York, NY
* Trinity English Lutheran Church (designed in 1923),
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
*
Los Angeles Public Library
The Los Angeles Public Library system (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million residents in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, it serves the large ...
(1924-1926),
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
*
Rockefeller Chapel
Rockefeller Chapel is a Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival chapel on the campus of the University of Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. A monumental example of Collegiate Gothic architecture, it was meant by patron John D. Rockefeller to be t ...
(1925-1928),
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...
*
Christ Church Cranbrook
The Cranbrook Educational Community is an education, research, and public museum complex in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. This National Historic Landmark was founded in the early 20th century by newspaper mogul George Gough Booth. It consists of Cra ...
(1925-1929),
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Bloomfield Hills is a small city (5.04 sq. miles) in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is a northern suburb of Metro Detroit and is approximately northwest of Downtown Detroit. Except a small southern border with the city of Bir ...
*
Church of the Heavenly Rest
The Church of the Heavenly Rest is an Episcopal church located on the corner of Fifth Avenue and 90th Street, opposite Central Park and the Carnegie Mansion, on the Upper East Side of New York City. The church is noted for the architecture of it ...
, (1926-1929; reredos completed in 1938) New York, NY
*
Nebraska State Capitol
The Nebraska State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Nebraska and is located in downtown Lincoln. Designed by New York architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, it was constructed of Indiana limestone from 1922 to 193 ...
(1922-1934),
Lincoln, Nebraska
Lincoln is the capital city of the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Lancaster County. The city covers with a population of 292,657 in 2021. It is the second-most populous city in Nebraska and the 73rd-largest in the United Sta ...
The Federal Triangle
![National Archives](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/National_Archives_%22Destiny%22_%2831072449%29.jpg)
In the early 1930s when the
Federal Triangle
The Federal Triangle is a triangular area in Washington, D.C. formed by 15th Street NW, Constitution Avenue NW, Pennsylvania Avenue NW, and E Street NW. Federal Triangle is occupied by 10 large city and federal office buildings, all of which are ...
was being developed, Ardolino was on a short list of nationally known stone carvers. In the opinion of highly respected architect
John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeffe ...
, there were only three New York firms whose carvings would be "properly done". They were Edward Ardolino, John Donnelly, and
Piccirilli Brothers
The Piccirilli brothers were an Italian family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved many of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1920) in the ...
. During this period Ardolino was awarded commissions for four federal buildings. All four reside within a designated historical district.
* The
Department of Commerce Building
The Herbert C. Hoover Building is the Washington, D.C. headquarters of the United States Department of Commerce.
The building is located at 1401 Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., on the block bounded by Constitution Avenue NW to ...
, designed by architects
York and Sawyer
York and Sawyer was an American architectural firm active between 1898 and 1949. The firms' work is exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York (July 23, 1863– December 30, 1928) and ...
, was constructed from 1927 to 1932. The modeling firm was Ricci and Zari. Ardolino's carvings include: the eagles along the cornice of the 14th Street façade, the third floor keystones, four panels at each of four driveway entrances, and eight urns.
* The
Department of the Post Office, later called the Federal Building, was designed by
Delano and Aldrich
Delano & Aldrich was an American Beaux-Arts architectural firm based in New York City. Many of its clients were among the wealthiest and most powerful families in the state. Founded in 1903, the firm operated as a partnership until 1935, when Ald ...
and built between 1931 and 1934. Edward Ardolino company carved the metopes (
Adolph Alexander Weinman
Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.
Early life and education
Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...
, sculptor) and keystones (modeled by Ricci Studios). At the height of the Post office carving in 1933, Ardolino employed at least 36 carvers.
* The
Departmental Auditorium, designed by architect
Arthur Brown Jr.
Arthur Brown Jr. (1874–1957) was an American architect, based in San Francisco and designer of many of its landmarks. He is known for his work with John Bakewell Jr. as Bakewell and Brown, along with later works after the partnership dissolved ...
, was constructed from 1931 to 1936. Edward Ardolino company carved the Constitution Avenue pediment "Columbia" (Edgar Walter, sculptor) and also the nearby panels in the upper right and left corners behind the columns (
Léon Hermant, sculptor) and the panel and spandrels above the central arch behind the columns (
Edmond Amateis
Edmond Romulus Amateis (27 February 1897; Rome, Italy – 1 May 1981; Clermont, Florida) was an American sculptor and educator. He is known for garden-figure sculptures, large architectural sculptures for public buildings and portrait busts.
Lif ...
, sculptor).
* The
National Archives Building
The National Archives Building, known informally as Archives I, is the headquarters of the United States National Archives and Records Administration. It is located north of the National Mall at 700 Pennsylvania Avenue (Washington, D.C.), Penns ...
, designed by architect
John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeffe ...
in partnership with
Otto R. Eggers and Daniel Paul Higgins, was erected between 1933 and 1935. Ardolino carved the Pennsylvania Avenue pediment "Destiny", for sculptor
Adolph Alexander Weinman
Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.
Early life and education
Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...
.
The sculptor approved so strongly of Ardolino's role in executing the pedimental sculpture he invited him to add his name to the limestone pediment. Nowhere else in the Federal Triangle does a building bear the name of a carver.
Historic/landmark works
*
Portland City Hall (1908-1912),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architects; 389 Congress St., Portland, ME
*
General Post Office Building of New York (1912; now the James A. Farley Building),
McKim, Mead & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...
, architects; 421 Eighth Ave. bet. 31st and 33rd Sts., New York, NY
*
University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania (1912 addition; carving of sculpted groups),
Cope and Stewardson
Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...
, architect; Philadelphia, PA
*Bank of Montreal (1913, interior),
McKim, Mead & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...
, architect; 335 Main St., Winnipeg, Canada
*
Henry C. Frick Residence (1912-1914; renamed the Frick Collection; two pediments, one modeled by Attillio Piccirilli and the other by Philip Martiny),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architect;
Piccirilli Brothers
The Piccirilli brothers were an Italian family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved many of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1920) in the ...
, sculptor; New York, NY
* First National Bank Building (1912-1914; became First Wisconsin National Bank Building)
D. H. Burnham & Company, architect; 735 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI
*
Continental and Commercial Banking (1914),
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White
Graham, Anderson, Probst & White (GAP&W) was a Chicago architectural firm that was founded in 1912 as Graham, Burnham & Co. This firm was the successor to D. H. Burnham & Co. through Daniel Burnham's surviving partner, Ernest R. Graham, and Burnh ...
,
D. H. Burnham & Company, architects; Chicago, IL
*
Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; french: Banque royale du Canada) is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 17 million clients and has more than 89,000& ...
(1915; modeling and carving of marble work),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architect; 2 King St. East, Toronto, Canada
*
Q Street Bridge or Dumbarton Bridge (1914-1915; also known as Indian Head Bridge),
Glenn Brown (architect)
Glenn Brown (1854–1932) was an American architect and historian.
He wrote a two-volume ''History of the United States Capitol'' (1901 and 1904) and more than 100 articles. In 1927, Brown was elected into the National Academy of Design as an ass ...
; Washington, D.C.
*
Temple of the Scottish Rites of Free Masonry (1911-1915; carvers included Ralph Ardolino),
John Russell Pope
John Russell Pope (April 24, 1874 – August 27, 1937) was an American architect whose firm is widely known for designing major public buildings, including the National Archives and Records Administration building (completed in 1935), the Jeffe ...
, architect;
Adolph Alexander Weinman
Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.
Early life and education
Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...
, sculptor; 1733 16th St., NW, Washington, D.C.
*Notre Dame Church (1915 expansion; statuary),
Cross & Cross
Cross & Cross (1907–1942) was a New York City-based architectural firm founded by brothers John Walter Cross and Eliot Cross.
History
Cross & Cross was known as Old New York City Society's architectural firm of choice. John Cross (1878–1951) ...
, architect; 40 Morningside Dr., New York, NY
*
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the List of state capitols in the United States, state capitol and seat of government for the Massachusetts, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, lo ...
(1917 addition; originally referenced as Boston State House; columns and pilasters of the East and West Wings),
Sturgis, Chapman & Andrews, architect; Boston. MA
*
Durant Building (1919-1921; also known as the General Motors Building and Cadillac Place, carved doorways),
Albert Kahn, architect,
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Anthony Ricci (1888–1960) was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at ...
, sculptor; 3044 West Grand Blvd. Detroit, MI
*
Standard Oil Building (1920-1925; annex; carvers included Ralph and Arthur Ardolino),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architect; associated architects,
Shreve, Lamb and Blake
Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, founded as Shreve & Lamb, was an architectural firm, best known for designing the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the world at the time of its completion in 1931.
History
The firm was founded in 1920 as ...
; 26 Broadway, New York, NY
*
Field Museum
The Field Museum of Natural History (FMNH), also known as The Field Museum, is a natural history museum in Chicago, Illinois, and is one of the largest such museums in the world. The museum is popular for the size and quality of its educational ...
(1921),
D.H. Burnham & Company; associate architect William Pierce Anderson;
Henry Hering
Henry Hering (February 15, 1874 – January 15, 1949) was an American sculptor.
Early career
He was a student of Augustus Saint-Gaudens at Cooper Union and of Philip Martiny at the Art Students League of New York. He then went to Paris where ...
, sculptor; 1400 S. Lake Shore Dr., Chicago, IL
*
Free Church of St. Mary the Virgin (1921; marble spire over the Tabernacle of the High Altar), Ricci, Ardolino and Di Lorenzo; 145 W. 46th St., New York, NY
*
Magnolia Petroleum Building (1921-1922; became the
Magnolia Hotel),
Alfred C. Bossom,
Lang & Witchell
Lang & Witchell was a prominent architectural firm in Dallas, Texas, active from 1905 to 1942.
History
Senior partner Otto H. Lang was born in Freiburg in 1864. He graduated in 1888 with a degree in structural engineering from the University of K ...
, Associated Architects;
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Anthony Ricci (1888–1960) was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at ...
, sculptor; Dallas, TX
*
Trinity Parish, Chapel of the Intercession (1923; became Church of the Intercession, baptismal font),
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 – April 23, 1924) was an American architect celebrated for his work in Gothic Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival design. He also designed notable typefaces, including Cheltenham and Merrymount for ...
of Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson, architect; Broadway and 155th St., New York, NY
*
Insurance Company of North America
Insurance Company of North America (INA) is the oldest stock insurance company in the United States, founded in Philadelphia in 1792. It was one of the largest American insurance companies of the 19th and 20th centuries before merging with Connect ...
(1925; became Phoenix Condominiums), Stewardson & Page, architect; 1600 Arch St., Philadelphia, PA
*
Drexel Building (1925-1927; became a bank in the 1930s),
Charles Z. Klauder, architect; 135-143 S. 15th and Walnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA
*
Boy Scouts of America Philadelphia Council (1926-1929); became the Bruce Marks Scout Resource Center of the Cradle of Liberty Council,
Charles Z. Klauder, architect; Logan Square, 22nd & Winter Sts., Philadelphia, PA
*
New York Telephone Building (1927; became the Barclay-Vesey Building, now the Verizon Building; carvers included Ralph and Arthur Ardolino),
McKenzie, Voorhees and Gmelin
HLW is a design, architecture and planning firm headquartered in New York, NY, with offices in Madison, NJ, Los Angeles, CA, Stamford, CT, London and Shanghai. HLW is one of the oldest design firms in the United States, tracing its beginnings to ...
, architect;
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Anthony Ricci (1888–1960) was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at ...
, sculptor; 140 West St., New York, NY
*
St. Bartholomew's Church Parish House (1927; known as the Community House; tympanum above doorway),
McKim, Mead & White
McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm that came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in fin de siècle New York. The firm's founding partners Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), Wil ...
, architect;
Rene Chambellan
Rene Paul Chambellan (September 15, 1893 – November 29, 1955) was an American sculptor who specialized in architectural sculpture. He was also one of the foremost practitioners of what was then called the "French Modern Style" and has subseque ...
, sculptor; New York, NY
*
Canadian Bank of Commerce
The Canadian Bank of Commerce was a Canadian bank which was founded in 1867, and had hundreds of branches throughout Canada. It merged in 1961 with the Imperial Bank of Canada to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.
History
In 1866 a ...
, (1929-1931; became Commerce Court North),
John A. Pearson
John Andrew Pearson (June 22, 1867 – June 11, 1940) was an early 20th-century British-born Canadian architect and partner to the Toronto-based firm of Pearson and Darling, Darling and Pearson.
Early life and education
Pearson was born in Chest ...
, and
York and Sawyer
York and Sawyer was an American architectural firm active between 1898 and 1949. The firms' work is exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York (July 23, 1863– December 30, 1928) and ...
, architects; 25 King St., W. Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
Knowles Memorial Chapel
Knowles Memorial Chapel, built between 1931 and 1932, is an historic Mediterranean Revival building located on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, in the United States. On December 8, 1997, it was added to the National Register ...
(1931-1932; tympanum above doorway on campanile),
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partner ...
of Cram and Ferguson, architect; Wm. F. Ross, sculptor,
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private college in Winter Park, Florida. It was founded in November 1885 and has about 30 undergraduate majors and several graduate programs. It is Florida's fourth oldest post-secondary institution.
History
Rollins Colle ...
, 1100 Holt Ave., Winter Park FL
*
U.S. Courthouse (1932-1936; carvers included Ralph Ardolino),
Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and We ...
and Cass Gilbert, Jr., architect; 40 Centre St., Foley Sq., New York, NY
*
Cathedral of St. John the Divine (1892-in progress; nave, baptistery and west front; carvers included Ralph and Arthur Ardolino),
Heins & LaFarge
Heins & LaFarge was a New York-based architectural firm composed of the Philadelphia-born architect George Lewis Heins (1860–1907) and Christopher Grant LaFarge (1862–1938), the eldest son of the artist John La Farge. They were respons ...
, and
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partner ...
, architects;
John Angel and
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...
, sculptors; 1047 Amsterdam Ave., between 110th & 113th Sts., New York, NY
*
Cathedral of Learning
The Cathedral of Learning is a 42-story skyscraper that serves as the centerpiece of the University of Pittsburgh's (Pitt) main campus in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Standing at , the 42-story Late Gothic Revival Cath ...
(1926-1937; interior archways leading to first floor rooms),
Charles Z. Klauder, architect; Joseph Gattoni, stonework designer and carver;
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, PA
*
The Stephens Collins Foster Memorial (1937),
Charles Z. Klauder, architect;
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, PA
*
Heinz Memorial Chapel
Heinz Memorial Chapel is a Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmark and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Uni ...
(1935-1938),
Charles Z. Klauder, architect;
Charles J. Connick Studio, stained glass artist, 5th and Bellefield Avenues,
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
, PA
Other works
*
Connecticut State Library
The Connecticut State Library is the state library for the U.S. state of Connecticut and is also an executive branch agency of the state. It is located in Hartford, Connecticut directly across the street from the Connecticut State Capitol. The Sta ...
(1908-1910, four marble figures),
Donn Barber
Donn Barber FAIA (October 19, 1871 – May 29, 1925) was an American architect.
Biography
Barber was born on October 19, 1871 in Washington DC, the son of Charles Gibbs Barber, and the grandson of Hiram Barber.
He studied at Holbrook Mili ...
and E.T. Hapgood, architects; Francois Michael Louis Tonetti, sculptor; 231 Capitol Ave., Hartford, CT
*
Whitney National Bank (1911; became Hancock Bank of Mississippi, purchased in 2019 to become a boutique hotel),
Emile Weil
Emile Weil (January 20, 1878 – January 19, 1945) was a noted architect of New Orleans, Louisiana.
He studied with New Orleans artist William Woodward.
A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Works i ...
in collaboration with
Clinton and Russell
Clinton and Russell was a well-known architectural firm founded in 1894 in New York City, United States. The firm was responsible for several New York City buildings, including some in Lower Manhattan.
Biography
Charles W. Clinton (1838– ...
, architects; 228 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA
*
Bank of Toronto
The Bank of Toronto was a Canadian bank that was founded in 1855 by a group of grain dealers and flour millers. On February 1, 1955, it merged with The Dominion Bank to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank, which is now known as the present-day TD Bank ...
(1913; razed in 1965),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architects, and Eustace B. Bird, Associated Architects; corner of Bay and King Ave., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*Registry Office Building (1915; razed in 1965),
John M. Lyle
John MacIntosh Lyle (13 November 1872 – 20 December 1945) was an Irish Canadians, Irish-Canadian architect, designer, urban planner, and teacher active in the late 19th century and into the first half of the 20th century. He was a leading Cana ...
, architect; Elizabeth and Arthur Sts., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
*
USS ''Maine'' Mast Monument (1915; Ralph Ardolino, carver),
Norcross Brothers Norcross Brothers Contractors and Builders was a nineteenth-century American construction company, especially noted for their work, mostly in stone, for the architectural firms of H.H. Richardson and McKim, Mead & White. The company was founded by J ...
, builders
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...
, Washington, D.C.
*
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
's 1916 Campus (1912-1915; initially referenced as New Technical Building),
William Welles Bosworth
William Welles Bosworth (May 8, 1869 – June 3, 1966) was an American architect whose most famous designs include the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge campus, the original AT&T Building in New York City, and the Theodore N. Vail ...
, architect; 77 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA
*
C. Ledyard Blair
Clinton Ledyard Blair (July 16, 1867 – February 7, 1949) was an American investment banker and yachtsman.
Early years
Blair was born in Belvidere, New Jersey, on July 16, 1867. He was the son of DeWitt Clinton Blair, a philanthropist and ind ...
Residence
A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside.
Residence may more specifically refer to:
* Domicile (law), a legal term for residence
* Habitual residence, a civil law term dealing with the status ...
, (1913-1917; originally referenced as the Philips House; razed in 1931; carvers included Ralph and Arthur Ardolino), Thomas Hastings of
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architect; 2 E. 70th St./884 Fifth Ave., New York, NY
*Dr. John A. Harriss Residence (1918 additions and revisions; now razed; Harriss is credited with bringing traffic lights to Manhattan) J.H. Friedlander, architect; Long Neck Point, Noroton, Connecticut
*
Staten Island Court Building (1912-1919; originally referenced as Richmond County Court House; interior),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architect; Staten Island, NY
* National State Bank (1919; became Wells Fargo; carvings now concealed),
Dennison & Hirons, architect; 68 Broad St., Elizabeth, NJ
*
Arlington Memorial Amphitheater
Memorial Amphitheater is an outdoor amphitheater, exhibit hall, and nonsectarian chapel located in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, in the United States. Designed in 1913 as a replacement for the older, wooden amphitheat ...
(1913-1920; Ralph Ardolino carved amphitheater and urns),
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère ( ; November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (architect), Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was one of the outstanding American Beaux-Arts architecture, Be ...
, architect;
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Anthony Ricci (1888–1960) was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at ...
, sculptor; Arlington, VA
*
Harkness Memorial Tower
Harkness Tower is a masonry tower at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, New Haven, Connecticut. Part of the Collegiate Gothic Memorial Quadrangle complex completed in 1922, it is named for Charles William Harkness, brother of Yale's large ...
* (1917-1921),
James Gamble Rogers
James Gamble Rogers (March 3, 1867 – October 1, 1947) was an American architect. A proponent of what came to be known as Collegiate Gothic architecture, he is best known for his academic commissions at Yale University, Columbia Univer ...
, architect;
Lee Lawrie
Lee Oscar Lawrie (October 16, 1877 – January 23, 1963) was an American architectural sculptor and a key figure in the American art scene preceding World War II. Over his long career of more than 300 commissions Lawrie's style evolved through ...
, sculptor; and
Yale Memorial Quadrangle Buildings (1921), New Haven, CT
* Seaboard National Bank (1919-1921; became JP Morgan Chase),
Alfred C. Bossom, architect; SE corner of Broad and Beaver St., New York, NY
* Guaranty Trust Company (1919-1921; became Morgan Guaranty Trust Company; granite entranceway),
Cross & Cross
Cross & Cross (1907–1942) was a New York City-based architectural firm founded by brothers John Walter Cross and Eliot Cross.
History
Cross & Cross was known as Old New York City Society's architectural firm of choice. John Cross (1878–1951) ...
, architect;
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Anthony Ricci (1888–1960) was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at ...
, sculptor; Corner of Fifth Ave. and 44th St. New York, NY
* Carved Chair Presented to President
Warren G. Harding
Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party, he was one of the most popular sitting U.S. presidents. A ...
(1921), modeled by Ricci, Ardolino and Di Lorenzo
* The
Stanford White
Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in additio ...
Memorial Doors (1922),
Andrew O'Connor,
Philip Martiny
Philip H. Martiny (May 19, 1858 – June 26, 1927) was a French-American sculptor who worked in the Paris atelier of Eugene Dock, where he became foreman before emigrating to New York in 1878—to avoid conscription in the French army, he later ...
,
Herbert Adams,
Adolph Alexander Weinman
Adolph Alexander Weinman (December 11, 1870 – August 8, 1952) was a Germany-born American sculptor and architectural sculptor.
Early life and education
Adolph Alexander Weinman was born December 11, 1870 at Durmersheim, near Karlsruhe, Germ ...
and
Ulysses Ricci
Ulysses Anthony Ricci (1888–1960) was an American sculptor known primarily for his architectural sculpture. Born in New York City, Ricci was an apprentice at the Perth Amboy Terra Cotta Works in New Jersey from 1902 to 1906. He studied at ...
, sculptors; Ricci, Ardolino and Di Lorenzo and
Piccirilli Brothers
The Piccirilli brothers were an Italian family of renowned marble carvers and sculptors who carved many of the most significant marble sculptures in the United States, including Daniel Chester French’s colossal ''Abraham Lincoln'' (1920) in the ...
, ornamentation;
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, New York, NY
* S.W. Straus and Company Building (1921),
Warren and Wetmore
Warren and Wetmore was an architecture firm in New York City which was a partnership between Whitney Warren (1864–1943) and Charles Delevan Wetmore (June 10, 1866 – May 8, 1941), that had one of the most extensive practices of its time and w ...
, architect;
Leo Lentelli
Leo Lentelli (20 October 1879 – 31 December 1961) was an Italian sculptor who immigrated to the United States. During his 52 years in the United States he created works throughout the country, notably in New York and San Francisco. He also taugh ...
, sculptor; 565 Fifth Av., New York, NY
* Fifth Avenue Hospital (1922; became Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center),
York and Sawyer
York and Sawyer was an American architectural firm active between 1898 and 1949. The firms' work is exemplary of Beaux-Arts architecture as it was practiced in the United States. The partners Edward York (July 23, 1863– December 30, 1928) and ...
, architect; 1249 Fifth Ave. at 106th St., New York, NY
*
Princeton University Chapel
The Princeton University Chapel is located on that university's main campus in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It replaces an older chapel that burned down in 1920. Designed in 1921 by Ralph Adams Cram in his signature Collegiate Gothic styl ...
(1925-1928),
Cram and Ferguson
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partne ...
, architect;
John Angel, sculptor; Princeton, NJ
* American Bank & Trust Company (1929; carving of sculptured panels, "American Prudence" and "National Wisdom"), Dunlap Davis and
William Pope Barney, architects;
Leo Friedlander
Leo Friedlander (July 6, 1888 – October 24, 1966) was an American sculpture, sculptor, who has made several prominent works. Friedlander studied at the Art Students League of New York, Art Students League in New York City, the Ecole des Beaux ...
sculptor; NW corner of S. 15th and Sansome Sts., Philadelphia, PA
* Dwight Memorial Chapel (1931 remodel; also referenced as Yale University Chapel),
Charles Z. Klauder, architect;
Henry Austin, original architect, 1842–46; New Haven, CT
*
U.S. Custom House U.S. Customhouse or United States Custom House may refer to:
''(ordered by U.S. state or U.S. territory, and then by city)''
*US Custom House (Nogales, Arizona), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in Santa Cruz County
*United ...
(1933; aluminum
bas-relief
Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...
sculpture and lamps), Ritter and Shay, architect; Bounded by Chestnut, Second and Third Sts., Philadelphia, PA
* Loockerman Street Bridge (1934; modeled the marble consoles on the parapets), Edward William Martin, architect; Dover, Delaware
* Equal Justice and Law and Order (1935-1938; two sculptures on the East and West sides of the front entrance to the U.S. Court & Custom House),
Mauran, Russell, Crowell and Mullgardt, architect; Benjamin Franklin Hawkins, sculptor; St. Louis, MO
Legacy
Throughout his career Ardolino won commissions that ranged widely in geographic location and type – from corporate and university structures, to government buildings, houses of worship and opulent residences. Experts like
Ralph Adams Cram
Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partner ...
, supervising architect of
Princeton University Chapel
The Princeton University Chapel is located on that university's main campus in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It replaces an older chapel that burned down in 1920. Designed in 1921 by Ralph Adams Cram in his signature Collegiate Gothic styl ...
, shared credit for the chapel's quality with Ardolino in particular, saying his stone carving was "the best of its kind".
Ardolino was also credited as the building's sole carver.
Edward Ardolino's papers were not archived upon his death, so his total number of commissions is unknown. Nearly a dozen are attributed to him only through extant copies of his business letterhead. Of his known works, over 60 percent achieved landmark or historic status or reside within an historical district.
See also
*
Pedimental sculptures in the United States
Notes
References
Bibliography
*
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External links
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ardolino, Edward
1883 births
1945 deaths
American architectural sculptors
American male sculptors
American people of Italian descent
Italian emigrants to the United States
People from Metuchen, New Jersey
People from the Province of Avellino
Sculptors from New Jersey