Goodhue Livingston (February 23, 1867 – June 3, 1951) was an American architect who co-founded the firm of
Trowbridge & Livingston
Trowbridge & Livingston was an architectural practice based in New York City in the early 20th-century. The firm's partners were Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston.
Often commissioned by well-heeled clients, much of the fir ...
.
He designed the
St. Regis Hotel, the
Hayden Planetarium
The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the n ...
, and numerous buildings 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 ...
.
[National Register Information System]
. ''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 ...
''. National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...
. July 9, 2010.
Early life
Livingston was born in New York City.
He was the son of Susan Maria Clarkson de Peyster (1823 – 1910) and Robert Edward Livingston (1820 – 1889), who inherited wealth and did not work.
His paternal grandfather was
Edward Philip Livingston
Edward Philip Livingston (November 24, 1779 in Kingston, Jamaica – November 3, 1843 in Clermont, New York) was an American politician.
Early life
He was the son of Philip Philip Livingston (1741–1787, son of Philip Livingston) and Sara (J ...
, the 11th
Lieutenant Governor of New York
The lieutenant governor of New York is a constitutional office in the executive branch of the Government of the State of New York. It is the second highest-ranking official in state government. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket wit ...
.
His paternal great-grandfather,
Philip R. Livingston, was a signatory of the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence or declaration of statehood or proclamation of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the ...
and member of the first
Continental Congress
The Continental Congress was a series of legislative bodies, with some executive function, for thirteen of Britain's colonies in North America, and the newly declared United States just before, during, and after the American Revolutionary War. ...
.
Livingston attended
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, receiving an
A.B.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...
in 1888, a
Ph.B. in architecture 1892, and an
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
in 1914.
While there, he joined the Fraternity of Delta Psi (
St. Anthony Hall
St. Anthony Hall or the Fraternity of Delta Psi is an American fraternity and literary society. Its first chapter was founded at Columbia University on , the Calendar of saints, feast day of Anthony the Great, Saint Anthony the Great. The frater ...
).
[Meyer, H. L. G]
Catalog of the Members of the Fraternity of Delta Psi Revised and Corrected to July 1906
New York: Fraternity of Delta Psi, 1906 ''via'' Google Books He also participated in Columbia's Dramatic Club.
Career
![Palace Hotel, Garden Court Restaurant 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Palace_Hotel%2C_Garden_Court_Restaurant_2.jpg)
In 1894, Livingston co-founded Trowbridge, Livingston & Colt in
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 ...
along with
Stockton B. Colt and
Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge.
Colt and Livingston were fraternity brothers, and all three attended
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
together.
When Colt left the firm in 1897, its name changed to
Trowbridge & Livingston
Trowbridge & Livingston was an architectural practice based in New York City in the early 20th-century. The firm's partners were Samuel Beck Parkman Trowbridge and Goodhue Livingston.
Often commissioned by well-heeled clients, much of the fir ...
.
Trowbridge & Livingston became known for its commercial, institutional, and public buildings, many in
Beaux Arts or
Neoclassical architectural styles.
Often commissioned by well-heeled clients, the firm's work was especially prevalent in the
Upper East Side
The Upper East Side, sometimes abbreviated UES, is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 96th Street to the north, the East River to the east, 59th Street to the south, and Central Park/Fifth Avenue to the wes ...
and
Wall Street
Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...
precincts of New York City.
One of Livingston's early commissions was the
Ardsley Club (1896), designed for its founding members including
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan Sr. (April 17, 1837 – March 31, 1913) was an American financier and investment banker who dominated corporate finance on Wall Street throughout the Gilded Age. As the head of the banking firm that ultimately became known ...
,
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...
,
William Rockefeller Jr.
William Avery Rockefeller Jr. (May 31, 1841 – June 24, 1922) was an American businessman and financier. Rockefeller was a co-founder of Standard Oil along with his elder brother John Davison Rockefeller. He was also part owner of the Anaconda ...
, and
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius "Corneil" Vanderbilt II (November 27, 1843 – September 12, 1899) was an American socialite
and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family.
Noted forebears
He was the favorite grandson of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbil ...
.
In
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 ...
, Livingston designed the
Renaissance Revival
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
style
B. Altman and Company Building (1905), the
Neo-Classical style
Bankers Trust Company Building (1912), the
Chemical National Bank Building (1907),
Rikers Island Penitentiary, and the
Baroque
The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
style
St. Regis Hotel (1904).
[''White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. .''] The firm acquired the contract for the St. Regis from
John Jacob Astor IV
John Jacob Astor IV (July 13, 1864 – April 15, 1912) was an American business magnate, real estate developer, investor, writer, lieutenant colonel in the Spanish–American War, and a prominent member of the Astor family. He died in the sink ...
through a design contest.
The hotel was "hailed in the press not just for its architectural and technological brilliance, but for what one columnist characterized as its role in shaping the face and style of New York.”
He also designed the interior of
The Knickerbocker Hotel
The Knickerbocker Hotel is a hotel at Times Square, on the southeastern corner of Broadway and 42nd Street, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built by John Jacob Astor IV, the hostelry was designed in 1901 and opened in ...
in 1906 and an addition for the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
in 1923.
In 1935, Livingston designed the
Hayden Planetarium
The Rose Center for Earth and Space is a part of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Center's complete name is The Frederick Phineas and Sandra Priest Rose Center for Earth and Space. The main entrance is located on the n ...
for the
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (abbreviated as AMNH) is a natural history museum on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. In Theodore Roosevelt Park, across the street from Central Park, the museum complex comprises 26 inter ...
in New York City.
In
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
, he designed the United States Post Office & Courthouse (aka the
Joseph F. Weis, Jr. U.S. Courthouse) in 1931 and the Gulf Building or
Gulf Tower
The Gulf Tower is a 44-story, Art Deco skyscraper in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tower is one of the major distinctive and recognizable features of the city and is named for the Gulf Oil Corporation, one of the leading multinational ...
in 1932; the latter with the architect
Edward Mellon He was the architect for the
Mitsui Bank and Trust Company of Tokyo and the
Palace Hotel in San Francisco (1909).
He also designed the
Oregon State Capital (1938) in
Salem with architect
Francis Keally
Francis J. Keally (1889 - 1978) was an American architect and pioneering preservationist, based in New York City. Keally's design credits include the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Oregon in 1938, in a one-time association with Trowbridge & L ...
.
He retired in 1946.
Professional affiliations
Livingston was a member of the
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines".
The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...
, and the
National Institute of Social Sciences
The National Institute of Social Sciences (NISS) is one of the oldest honorary societies in the United States. The stated mission of NISS is to promote the study of the social sciences, to support social science research and discussion, and to h ...
.
He was a fellow of the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...
.
Livingston received the Medal of Honor from the
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines".
The league dates from 1881, when Cass Gilbert organized meetings at the Salmagundi Club for ...
.
Personal
![Mr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Mr._%26_Mrs._Goodhue_Livingston_and_Mrs._Alfred_Gwynne_Vanderbilt.JPG)
Livingston married
Louisa Robb (1877 – 1960) on April 8, 1896, at
St. George’s Episcopal Church in New York City.
She was the daughter of Cornelia Van Rensselaer (
née
A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Thayer) and
James Hampden Robb, a banker, cotton merchant,
New York City Parks Commissioner
The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also called the Parks Department or NYC Parks, is the department of the government of New York City responsible for maintaining the city's parks system, preserving and maintaining the ecolog ...
, and
New York State Senator
The New York State Senate is the upper house of the New York State Legislature; the New York State Assembly is its lower house. Its members are elected to two-year terms; there are no term limits. There are 63 seats in the Senate.
Partisan compo ...
.
Together, they were the parents of
Goodhue Livingston Jr. (born 1897) and Cornelia Thayer Livingston (born 1903).
In 1912, Livingston was charged with mismanagement of his children's trust funds of $120,000 each.
It was claimed that Livingston had invested some of the funds in stock rather than securities as required by law.
The family lived at 38 East 65th Street in New York City.
They also had a summer home in
Southampton, Long Island, New York that was designed by Livingston.
The Southampton property was located on ten acres beside The Dolphins, Louisa's childhood summer home.
Livingston designed their
Georgian Revival
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, Georg ...
mansion "Old Trees" with gardens, stables, and service buildings. The name was derived from the landscaped ground's many trees.
At Old Trees, the family had a butler, gardeners, maids, and other servants to allow them to entertain high society and maintain the large estate.
Louisa noted, "Southampton has footmen, but we’ve never had footmen in knee britches.”
However, the era of the footmen ended with World War II, when just their butler remained.
In 1922, burglars stole $20,000 in jewelry from Oak Trees while the Livingstons were entertaining there; most of the stolen jewelry was an heirloom.
Livingston was a trustee of the
New York Dispensary.
He was a founder of the
National Golf Links of America
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
and was also a president and member of the Meadow Club, a president and member of the
Southampton Golf Club, and member of the
Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
He served on the board of governors of
The Brook Club and was a member of the
Century Association
The Century Association is a private social, arts, and dining club in New York City, founded in 1847. Its clubhouse is located at 7 West 43rd Street near Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. It is primarily a club for men and women with distinction ...
, the
Knickerbocker Club
The Knickerbocker Club (known informally as The Knick) is a gentlemen's club in New York City that was founded in 1871. It is considered to be the most exclusive club in the United States and one of the most aristocratic gentlemen's clubs in th ...
, the
Masons, the
Racquet and Tennis Club
The Racquet and Tennis Club, familiarly known as the R&T, is a private social and athletic club at 370 Park Avenue, between East 52nd and 53rd Streets in Midtown Manhattan, New York City.
History
The Racquet Court Club opened in 1876 at 55 We ...
, and the St. Anthony Club of New York.
In 1951, Livingston died of a heart ailment at the
Southampton Hospital
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, centrally located in the Village of Southampton, New York, is a 125-bed hospital accredited by the Joint Commission. A location of Stony Brook Medicine, Stony Brook Southampton Hospital is a New York State-desig ...
in
Southampton, New York
Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stret ...
.
At the time, his residence was 720 Park Avenue in New York City.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Livingston, Goodhue
1867 births
1951 deaths
Goodhue
De Peyster family
People from New York City
Columbia University alumni
Columbia Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation alumni
St. Anthony Hall
19th-century American architects
20th-century American architects
Architects from New York City
American Freemasons