Frederick Clarke Withers (4 February 1828 – 7 January 1901) was an English architect in America, especially renowned for his

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 ...

ecclesiastical designs. For portions of his professional career, he partnered with fellow immigrant

Calvert Vaux Calvert Vaux (; December 20, 1824 – November 19, 1895) was an English-American architect and landscape designer, best known as the co-designer, along with his protégé and junior partner Frederick Law Olmsted, of what would become New York Ci ...

; both worked in the office of

Andrew Jackson Downing Andrew Jackson Downing (October 31, 1815 – July 28, 1852) was an American landscape designer, horticulturist, and writer, a prominent advocate of the Gothic Revival in the United States, and editor of ''The Horticulturist'' magazine (1846–5 ...

Newburgh, New York Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, a ...

, where they began their careers following Downing's accidental death. Withers greatly participated in the introduction of the

High Victorian Gothic High Victorian Gothic was an eclectic architectural style and movement during the mid-late 19th century. It is seen by architectural historians as either a sub-style of the broader Gothic Revival style, or a separate style in its own right. Prom ...

style to the United States.

Biography

Frederick Clarke Withers was born in

Shepton Mallet Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, some south-west of Bath, south of Bristol and east of Wells. It had an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. Mendip District Council is based t ...

, Somersetshire. He had a brother,

Robert Jewell Withers Robert Jewell Withers (1824–1894) was an English ecclesiastical architect. Early life Robert Jewell Withers was born on 2 February 1824 in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. His father was John Alexander Withers and his mother, Maria Jewell. ...

, who also became an architect. He studied architecture in England for eight years under

Thomas Henry Wyatt Thomas Henry Wyatt (9 May 1807 – 5 August 1880) was an Anglo-Irish architect. He had a prolific and distinguished career, being elected President of the Royal Institute of British Architects 1870–73 and being awarded its Royal Gold Medal for A ...

. He came to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in February 1852 at the invitation of the prominent American horticulturist and burgeoning architect

. Withers and Downing later became family, as they married sisters: Emily Augusta and Caroline Elizabeth DeWindt, respectively. The sisters were great-grandchildren of President

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

, and grandnieces of

John Quincy Adams John Quincy Adams (; July 11, 1767 – February 23, 1848) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, and diarist who served as the sixth president of the United States, from 1825 to 1829. He previously served as the eighth United States S ...

. Downing drowned a few months after Withers joined his office on July 28, 1852, attempting to save his mother-in-law in the explosion of the steamboat ''

Henry Clay Henry Clay Sr. (April 12, 1777June 29, 1852) was an American attorney and statesman who represented Kentucky in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. He was the seventh House speaker as well as the ninth secretary of state, al ...

''.

, Downing's partner, then took Withers in as an assistant and later partner by 1854. Vaux included a design for a bookcase credited to Withers among those in his ''Villas and Cottages'' (1857), which records both designs of the firms Downing & Vaux and Vaux & Withers. A year prior to publication, Vaux dissolved the practice and left for New York City. Withers began plans for his first independent commissions, a series of country houses for clients in adjacent Balmville. His library for the Frederick Deming House, "Morningside" (1859–60) was deemed architecturally significant by the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

in the late 1970s and removed for display. One of Withers's most radical and linear villas of these years was "Tioronda" (1859–60), built for

Joseph Howland Joseph Howland (December 3, 1834 in New York City – March 31, 1886 in Menton, Alpes-Maritimes, France) was a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, politician and philanthropist. Early life Howland was born into a prominent merchant ...

and his wife Eliza Newton Woolsey in present-day

Beacon, New York Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2020 census placed the city total population at 13,769. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as we ...

. Set within a landscape by Henry Winthrop Sargent, Tioronda marked Withers's maturity as an architect and picturesque designer trained in Downing's vision. At the outset of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, Withers volunteered and received a commission as a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 1st New York Volunteer Engineer Regiment. This experience added invaluable engineering experience to his architectural expertise. After 1863, he moved his practice to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

from Newburgh. As an independent architect in New York working largely in the

mode, Withers wrote about architecture and designed in the highly colored

Ruskinian Gothic High Victorian Gothic was an eclectic architectural style and movement during the mid-late 19th century. It is seen by architectural historians as either a sub-style of the broader Gothic Revival style, or a separate style in its own right. Promo ...

manner. His first commission in 1859 for a

building, the Reformed Church of Beacon (1860) was likely secured through the congregation's associations with John Peter DeWindt, his father-in-law. Others in this style, such as the nearby Tioronda School (1865), were recognized by the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

in 1866. When A. J. Bicknell published Withers's ''Church Architecture'' (1873), featuring the school, the architect's reputation was secured. Among his prestigious commissions in New York was the

William Backhouse Astor, Sr. William Backhouse Astor Sr. (September 19, 1792 – November 24, 1875) was an American business magnate who inherited most of his father John Jacob Astor's fortune. He worked as a partner in his father's successful export business. His massive in ...

Memorial Altar and Reredos (1876–77) at Trinity Church. Withers's only cast-iron building stands at 448 Broome Street, Manhattan, but many of his urban designs went unrealized. By the 1880s he had separated from Vaux and worked in partnership with Walter Dickson (1835–1903), originally from

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York City ...

. A number of Withers's works are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

(NRHP) and further honored as

National Historic Landmarks A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

Jefferson Market Courthouse

Under the firm Vaux, Withers & Co., Withers designed his most famous building, the

Jefferson Market Courthouse The Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library, once known as the Jefferson Market Courthouse, is a National Historic Landmark located at 425 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), on the southwest corner of West 10th Street, in Gree ...

, built in 1874 on 10th St. in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

, New York next to the

Jefferson Market Prison The Jefferson Market Prison was a prison in New York City at 10 Greenwich Avenue that opened in 1877, together with the adjacent Third Judicial District Courthouse. Frederick Clarke Withers designed these twin buildings in an ornate American Go ...

. The Courthouse was made for the Third Judicial District and designed in the

style. The building was called "Jefferson Market" because the site chosen, in 1870 was at the time the Jefferson Market, the local produce market.Nevius, Michelle, and James Nevius. 2009. Inside the Apple: a streetwise history of New York City. New York: Free Press. p. 135. The frieze on the outside of the building contains scenes from Shakespeare's ''

Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as a ...

''.

Selected architectural works

Halsey Stevens House,

Newburgh, NY Newburgh is a city in the U.S. state of New York, within Orange County. With a population of 28,856 as of the 2020 census, it is a principal city of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown metropolitan area. Located north of New York City, and ...

(c. 1854), with Vaux * *

Daniel B. St. John Daniel Bennett St. John (October 8, 1808 – February 18, 1890) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from New York from 1847 to 1849. Life Born in Sharon, ...

House, "The Rest," Balmville, NY (1857) Kowsky, 32–39 *David M. Clarkson House, "Glenbrook," Balmville, NY (planned 1856; 1857) *Calvary Presbyterian Church,

(1857–58) *St. Michael's Episcopal Church, Germantown, PA (1858) *Walter S. Vail House, "

Maple Lawn Maple Lawn, also known as the Walter Vail House, is a residence in Balmville, New York, United States built in the Gothic Revival architectural style's Picturesque mode. It was designed by Frederick Clarke Withers, following principles of his la ...

," Balmville, NY (1859–60) * Reformed Church of Beacon,

Beacon, NY Beacon is a city located in Dutchess County, New York, United States. The 2020 census placed the city total population at 13,769. Beacon is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletown, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area as we ...

(planned 1859; 1860) *Joseph Howland House, "Tioronda,"

(1859–60)
Frederick Deming House
"Morningside,"

(1859–60) *St. Mark's Episcopal Church,

Shreveport, LA Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

(1860) *St. Paul's Episcopal Church,

(begun 1864; unfinished) * Eugene A. Brewster House,

(1865) Kowsky, 60–66 *Tioranda School,

(1865) *Charles Kimball House,

Brooklyn, NY Brooklyn () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county i ...

(1865, demolished) *Newburgh Savings Bank,

(1866–68, demolished) *John J. Monell House, " Eustatia,"

(1867) *Chapel Hall,

Gallaudet University Gallaudet University ( ) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. for the education of the deaf and hard of hearing. It was founded in 1864 as a grammar school for both deaf and blind children. It was the first sc ...

Washington, DC ) , 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 ...

(1868–69) *

First Presbyterian Church of Highland Falls The United Methodist Church of the Highlands, originally First Presbyterian Church of Highland Falls, is a historic church located on Main Street in Highland Falls, New York, designed by notable Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival archite ...

Highland Falls, NY Highland Falls, formerly named Buttermilk Falls, is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 3,900 at the 2010 census. The village was founded in 1906. It is part of the Poughkeepsie– Newburgh– Middletow ...

(1868–69) *Administration Building,

Hudson River State Hospital The Hudson River State Hospital is a former New York state psychiatric hospital which operated from 1873 until its closure in the early 2000s. The campus is notable for its main building, known as a "Kirkbride," which has been designated a National ...

Poughkeepsie, NY Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

(1868–71) * President's House, Gallaudet College,

(planned 1867; 1868) * St. Luke's Episcopal Church and rectory,

(1868–70) *Maj. James Goodwin House,

Hartford, CT Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded County (United States), county government in 19 ...

(1870, demolished) *St. Thomas Episcopal Church,

Hanover, NH Hanover is a town located along the Connecticut River in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 11,870. The town is home to the Ivy League university Dartmouth College, the U.S. Army Corps of En ...

(1872) *Stephen L. Thurlow House, Wilkes-Barre, PA (1873–74) *

New York, NY New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

(1874–79) *College Hall,

(1875)

Trinity Episcopal Church - Hartford, Connecticut 01

*Addition, memorial

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 ...

and

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

, Trinity Church, New York, NY (1876–77) *Gymnasium, Gallaudet University, Washington, DC (1880) *Huntington Free Library and Reading Room, Westchester Square,

Bronx, NY The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Yor ...

(1882–83) * Weehawken Water Tower,

Weehawken, NJ Weehawken is a township in the northern part of Hudson County Hudson County is the most densely populated county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It lies west of the lower Hudson River, which was named for Henry Hudson, the sea captain who ...

(1883) *Heppenheimer Mansion,

Van Vorst Park Van Vorst Park is a neighborhood in the Historic Downtown of Jersey City, Hudson County, New Jersey, centered on a park sharing the same name. The neighborhood is located west of Paulus Hook and Marin Boulevard, north of Grand Street, east of t ...

Jersey City, NJ Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.United States Daughters of 1812, National Headquarters,

(1884) *Frank Hasbrouck House,

(1885) *Stable,

James Roosevelt James Roosevelt II (December 23, 1907 – August 13, 1991) was an American businessman, Marine, activist, and Democratic Party politician. The eldest son of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, he served as an official Secret ...

Estate, " Springwood," Hyde Park, NY (1886) * Chapel of the Good Shepherd,

Roosevelt Island Roosevelt Island is an island in New York City's East River, within the borough of Manhattan. It lies between Manhattan Island to the west, and the borough of Queens, on Long Island, to the east. Running from the equivalent of East 46th to 85 ...

(1888–89) *Trinity Episcopal Church,

(1892–93) *Zabriskie Memorial Church of St. John the Evangelist,

Newport, RI Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

(1894) Zabriskie Memorial Church
/ref> * Lynchgate,

Church of the Transfiguration and Rectory The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the Little Church Around the Corner, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal parish church located at 1 29th Street (Manhattan), East 29th Street, between Madison Avenue, Madison and Fif ...

(1896) *

The Tombs ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

(Manhattan House of Detention),

(1902, demolished)

Writings

"A Few Hints on Church Building"
in ''The Horticulturist,'' 1858 *
Church Architecture
'' New York: A. J. Bicknell & Co., 1873

Gallery

File:Daniel B. St. John House.jpg, Daniel B. St. John House, "The Rest" (1856) File:Interior of Calvary Presbyterian Church Newburgh NY.jpg, Nave, Calvary Presbyterian Church (1857–58) File:Gothic Library MET DP252683.jpg, Library from Frederick Deming House, "Morningside" (1859–60) File:GENERAL VIEW OF NORTH FRONT AND EAST SIDE - Newburgh Savings Bank, Smith and Second Streets, Newburgh, Orange County, NY HABS NY,36-NEWB,24-1.tif, Newburgh Savings Bank (1866–68) File:The Chapel Hall building at Gallaudet University, located between 6th and 9th St., NE, Washington, D.C LCCN2010641807.tif, Chapel Hall, Gallaudet University (1868–69) File:St. Luke's Episcopal Rectory Beacon NY 1.jpg, St. Luke's Episcopal Church Rectory (1869) File:Historic American Buildings Survey, Cervin Robinson, Photographer 1960, VIEW FROM SOUTHEAST. - Third Judicial District Courthouse, 425 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York HABS NY,31-NEYO,65-1.tif, Jefferson Market Courthouse (1874–79) File:Astor Reredos, Trinity Church 1877.jpg, Astor Reredos, Trinity Church (1876–77) File:Gallaudet University, NE, Washington, D.C LCCN2010642260.tif, Gymnasium, Gallaudet University (1880) File:Hasbrouck House, Poughkeepsie, NY.jpg, Frank Hasbrouck House (1885) File:GENERAL VIEW OF WEST FRONT AND SOUTH SIDE - Welfare Island, Church, New York, New York County, NY HABS NY,31-WELFI,2-1.tif, Chapel of the Good Shepherd (1888–89) File:The Tombs, New York, November 1907.png, The Tombs (1902)

Bibliography

*Francis R. Kowsky, ''The Architecture of Frederick Clarke Withers and the Progress of the Gothic Revival in America after 1850'' (Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1980) *John Zukowsky and Robbe Pierce Stimson, ''Hudson River Villas'' (New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 1985)

References

;Notes

External links

*
Frederick Clarke Withers architectural drawings and papers, circa 1852-1890, held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Withers, Frederick Clarke 1828 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American architects Architects from Somerset British emigrants to the United States