Gridley James Fox Bryant (August 29, 1816 – June 8, 1899), often referred to as G. J. F. Bryant, was a
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
architect
An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
,
builder
Builder may refer to:
* Construction worker, who specializes in building work
* Carpenter, a skilled craftsman who works with wood
* General contractor, that specializes in building work
** Subcontractor
* Builder (detergent), a component of moder ...
, and
industrial engineer
Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information a ...
whose designs "dominated the profession of architecture in
ostonand New England." One of the most influential architects in New England, he designed custom-made houses, government buildings, churches, schoolhouses, and private residences across the United States, and was popular among the Boston elite. His most notable designs are foundational buildings on numerous campuses across the northeastern United States, including
Tufts College
Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...
,
Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the Campus of Bates College, campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of th ...
, and
Harvard College
Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...
.
[James F. O'Gorman, ''On the Boards: Drawings by Nineteenth-Century Boston Architects'' (Univ. of Penn. Press, 2004), p.57.] He has been credited as one of the first modern architects in America, and at the height of his career he was the most commissioned architect in New England. He is also the most commissioned architect in Boston history.
A native of
, his early life was heavily influenced by his father's work in construction engineering. His father,
Gridley Bryant, built the
Granite Railway, the first publicly chartered railway in the U.S. The younger Bryant received no formal training in architecture but taught himself
industrial engineering
Industrial engineering is an engineering profession that is concerned with the optimization of complex processes, systems, or organizations by developing, improving and implementing integrated systems of people, money, knowledge, information an ...
and construction analysis as well as building design. Bryant's first informal mentor was
Alexander Parris, who introduced him to
neoclassical design
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
and
Second Empire architectural templates. His self-started firm, Bryant & Associates, was one of the most selective and popular architectural firms in New England. Bryant designed institutions providing high personal or societal value, or when sufficient payment was made to him personally, oftentimes described as "ludicrously expensive". He was the first architect to be featured on London's ''The Builder.'' A record three of his designs were featured. Such publicity propelled him into the public eye and earned him expensive and large commissions.
Early life and education
Bryant was born to Maria Winship Fox and
Gridley Bryant, noted railway pioneer, in
Scituate, Massachusetts
Scituate () is a seacoast town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States, on the South Shore, midway between Boston and Plymouth. The population was 19,063 at the 2020 census.
History
The Wampanoag and their neighbors have inhabited ...
. In his youth the younger Bryant moved to
Gardiner, Maine
Gardiner is a city in Kennebec County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,961 at the 2020 census. Popular with tourists, Gardiner is noted for its culture and old architecture. Gardiner is a nationally accrediteMain StreetAmerica commun ...
and attended the
Gardiner Lyceum Gardiner may refer to:
Places
Settlements
;Canada
* Gardiner, Ontario
;United States
* Gardiner, Maine
* Gardiner, Montana
* Gardiner (town), New York
** Gardiner (CDP), New York
* Gardiner, Oregon
* Gardiner, Washington
* West Gardiner, Maine ...
for his secondary education. He studied mathematics and engineering there before leaving joining his father's engineering office. Outside his secondary schools studies, he interned at local
lithographers and artists to experiment with design and artistic manipulation.
Life and architectural career
Early career
Bryant's career started at a time when few architects gained prominence in his hometown of
Boston, Massachusetts, and he struggled to find commercial success in the profession. Accordingly, formal training and education in architecture was not available to him so his passion of building soon moved to him learn
building design
Building design refers to the broadly based architectural, engineering and technical applications to the design of buildings. All building projects require the services of a building designer, typically a licensed architect. Smaller, less complica ...
, and
construction analysis at an early age all self-taught. Although 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 ...
was beginning to establish itself it prompted aspiring architects to practice regulated construction and proper licensing, practices rejected by the young Bryant. Although never traveling abroad, Bryant read extensively on the architectural practices of Europe, specifically in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
and
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
. The
Second Empire architectural design, as seen in the
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace (french: Palais de l'Élysée; ) is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. Completed in 1722, it was built for nobleman and army officer Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, who had been appointed Gove ...
, played a key role in his later designs. He began informal training with fellow Boston architect
Alexander Parris, who introduced him to
neoclassical design
Neoclassical architecture is an architectural style produced by the Neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century in Italy and France. It became one of the most prominent architectural styles in the Western world. The prevailing style ...
and the use of
Second Empire architectural templates. His training under Parris, grounded in neoclassicism, played an important role in his first building drafts. Working primarily as a student in his early days, he quickly a member of Parris' newly opened architectural firm at the corner of
Court
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and carry out the administration of justice in Civil law (common law), civil, C ...
and
Washington Streets. His first achievement was the design for the Broadway Savings Bank, South Boston, in the early 1830s.
Bryant flourished in an era of what Roger B. Reed calls "unregulated building," when "traditions of craftsmanship were being replaced by products of the machine age." He created a new template for the construction of buildings in New England. Early in his career, he faced competition from larger firms that sought to monopolize the design and construction of buildings in the greater Boston area. As a draftsman, he drew up minor additions and renovations to already established buildings in that city, and he struggled initially to find footing in the competitive field. At age twenty-one, amid an economic depression, he established his own architectural firm called Bryant and Associates.
Rise to prominence
Bryant & Associates
A common fault ascribed to Bryant is that he valued the art form of architecture over the commercial validity of his designs which proved to be counterproductive for his budding practice. With an understanding that a client's wishes should always come first when constructing and designing for them he, "frequently persuaded a client to spend more than he might have planned, in the interests of erecting a structure with greater aesthetic value to the community." Although his firm was relatively new and had start-up funds he worked and often collaborated with hundreds of draftsmen around the city. A notable trait of Bryant was due to the low level of economic validity to hire countless draftsmen to draw up buildings and their specification he wrote length and thoroughly detailed written specifications to describe how a building should be built. His firm utilized thousands of un-retained draftsmen throughout its life and contributed to the unprecedented amount of building being constructed throughout the United States. However, his designs specifically were reserved for high-value projects, meaning those with high personal value, societal value, or sufficiently large remuneration. Due to his firm being largely
un-retained, he was able to provide guidance to his firm's operations while in other areas of the country, which contributed to increased financial success. He used the lithography he learned in secondary school to promote his firms and their projects to attract clients and donors. He was one of the first people in the city of Boston to use colored advertisements to promote his work, which contributed to even more financial success.
Collaborations
Bryant's firm attracted as partners noted architects such as
Alexander Rice Esty,
Edward H. Kendall,
Albert Currier,
Wilfred E. Mansur,
Arthur Gilman
Arthur Delevan Gilman (November 5, 1821, Newburyport, Massachusetts – July 11, 1882, Syracuse, New York) was an American architect, designer of many Boston neighborhoods, and member of the American Institute of Architects.
Life and career
G ...
and Louis P. Rogers. He worked with
Albert Currier to construct the
Adroscoggin County Courthouse and Jail, the largest courthouse-jail building in Maine at the time. He worked with Mansur to construct
Aroostook County Courthouse and Jail
The Aroostook County Courthouse and Jail is located on Court Street in the center of Houlton, Maine. The building was built in 1859 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 26, 1990. Its oldest portion dates to 1859, ...
, the largest courthouse complex in Maine, in 1859. In 1862 he worked with Gilman to design and eventually build Boston's
Old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to:
Asia
In Hong Kong
* Old City Hall (Hong Kong)
Europe
In Croatia
*Old City Hall (Zagreb)
In Denmark
* Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (Aalborg)
...
, one of the first to be built in the French
Second Empire style in the United States. In 1869 he collaborated with Rogers to construct
Gloucester City Hall
Gloucester City Hall is located at 9 Dale Avenue in Gloucester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1870 and dedicated the following year, and has served as the main location for the city's offices since then. Built to a design by Bryant and Rogers, ...
. He also did a few luxury private residences with
John Hubbard Sturgis.
Commissions
Early commissions
Bryant's only known commission in the American South is Thornbury, a plantation house built in the 1840s for
Henry King Burgwyn
Henry King Burgwyn, Jr. (October 3, 1841 – July 1, 1863) was a Confederate colonel in the American Civil War killed at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Early life
Burgwyn was born in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, to Henry King Burgwyn, Sr. and A ...
in
Northampton County, North Carolina
Northampton County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,471. Its county seat is Jackson.
Northampton County is part of the Roanoke Rapids, NC Micropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...
.
Together with
Arthur Gilman
Arthur Delevan Gilman (November 5, 1821, Newburyport, Massachusetts – July 11, 1882, Syracuse, New York) was an American architect, designer of many Boston neighborhoods, and member of the American Institute of Architects.
Life and career
G ...
, Bryant's firm devised the gridiron street pattern of Boston's
Back Bay
Back Bay is an officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, built on reclaimed land in the Charles River basin. Construction began in 1859, as the demand for luxury housing exceeded the availability in the city at the time, and ...
, laid out starting in the late 1850s.
Bryant designed so many buildings that his practice in Boston was called the "Bryant Commission." His largest commissions were from municipal and state governments, in which he worked frequently with
John Hubbard Sturgis, most notably on upscale projects in the 1860s. At this time Bryant was the most commissioned architect in New England. He is also the most commissioned architect in the history of Boston.
He received many commercial commissions in Boston including the
Massachusetts State House
The Massachusetts State House, also known as the Massachusetts Statehouse or the New State House, is the state capitol and seat of government for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston. The buildin ...
, and other projects in the city's commercial district. Although his projects demanded large commissions and incurred high construction costs, he traveled often to rural areas for promotional work, and designed many lower-priced buildings providing "high societal value." Most notable was
Hathorn Hall at
Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the Campus of Bates College, campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of th ...
, Maine, which he designed and which he constructed in part by himself, resulting in a net loss to him. On the other hand, larger, wealthier educational institutions like Harvard College paid him top dollar for their administration buildings—for which he was often asked to give input in their construction as well.
Boston fire of 1872
During the
Great Boston Fire of 1872
The Great Boston Fire of 1872 was Boston's largest fire, and still ranks as one of the most costly fire-related property losses in American history. The conflagration began at 7:20 p.m. on Saturday, November 9, 1872, in the basement of a com ...
, 152 of the 776 buildings destroyed had been designed by Bryant. As a measure of his reputation, he was commissioned to rebuild 110 of them.
Style and design
Although brick predominated in construction in Boston at the height of Bryant's work, he often used granite for increased stability. Accordingly, Bryant was a leading proponent of the Boston "Granite Style."
Many of Bryant's buildings showcase neoclassical entrances, for example Boston's
Old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to:
Asia
In Hong Kong
* Old City Hall (Hong Kong)
Europe
In Croatia
*Old City Hall (Zagreb)
In Denmark
* Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (Aalborg)
...
. As an industrial engineer and architect in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian province ...
, Bryant participated in the
Colonial Revival architecture movement. Consequently, his buildings include such features as
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, around the top edge of a ...
-embellished moldings and multi-plane windows. White pillars, a staple of neoclassical design, can be found in the entrances of many of his buildings, including residential.
[Thomas Stuan, ''The Architecture of Bates College'' (about? pub. by? Ladd Library, Bates) (Lewiston, Maine: Bates College, 2006), p.23. Copied from ill-formed ref. in ''Wikipedia'', ]Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the Campus of Bates College, campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of th ...
. Nature & whereabouts of source unknown.
Many of his collegiate buildings feature a mint-green bell tower, and building caps and tips. This practice can be traced to 18th-century
Independence Hall
Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers. The structure forms the center ...
,
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. Many of his college buildings are in the
Georgian style, constructed with wood and clapboards, their columns made of timber, framed up and turned on an oversized lathe. Bryant also designed many campus buildings featuring a red brick exterior, designed in the Georgian style, showcasing red print doors and darkened ridge sides. Moreover, in all academic buildings Bryant produced, Gothic influence can be seen as well.
Death
Bryant died on June 8, 1899, in his townhouse in
Boston, Massachusetts. He was survived by his wife, Louisa Bryant, whom he married on September 9, 1839. Upon his death his wife assembled all his books and drawings in his home study and burned down his house, as stipulated in his will.
Notable buildings
Image:State Street block, Boston, Mass, by Soule, John P., 1827-1904.jpg, State Street Block, Boston (part still extant)
Image:Old City Hall (Boston).jpg, Old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to:
Asia
In Hong Kong
* Old City Hall (Hong Kong)
Europe
In Croatia
*Old City Hall (Zagreb)
In Denmark
* Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (Aalborg)
...
, Boston
Image:Old city hall boston up.JPG, Old City Hall Old City Hall may refer to:
Asia
In Hong Kong
* Old City Hall (Hong Kong)
Europe
In Croatia
*Old City Hall (Zagreb)
In Denmark
* Old City Hall (1479–1728), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (1728–1795), in Copenhagen
* Old City Hall (Aalborg)
...
, Boston
Image:Bigelow Chapel, Mount Auburn Cemetery.jpg, Bigelow Chapel, Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brahmi ...
, Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge beca ...
and Watertown, Mass.
Image:1882 Boston CityHospital.png, Boston City Hospital
The Boston City Hospital (1864–1996), in Boston, Massachusetts, was a public hospital, located in the South End. It was "intended for the use and comfort of poor patients, to whom medical care will be provided at the expense of the city, and . ...
Image:Horticultural Hall Tremont St., Boston, Mass, by Soule, John P.jpg, 2nd Horticultural Hall, Tremont St., Boston (defunct)
Image:2010 city hall Gloucester Massachusetts.png, Gloucester (Mass.) City Hall
Image:HathornHall2.jpg, Hathorn Hall, Bates College
Bates College () is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the Campus of Bates College, campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of th ...
Image:Massachusetts State House Front Gate.jpg, Mass. State House, Boston
Buildings designed or influenced by Bryant
* Bryant principal architect or architect, except where noted.
* ''Italics'' = Building defunct.
* NRHP = U.S.
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 artist ...
.
For a full listing of Bryant's projects see Reed, pp. 177–198.
Drawings
* In progress:
References
Bibliography
* Bailey, Henry Turner. “An Architect of the Old School.” ''New England Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly''. New series, vol. 25, Nov. 1901. pp. 326–349. Full view
''Internet Archive''.About Bryant.
* Reed, Roger G. ''Building Victorian Boston: The Architecture of Gridley J. F. Bryant''. Univ. of Massachusetts Press, 2007.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bryant, Gridley James Fox
1816 births
1899 deaths
Architects from Boston
19th-century American people
19th-century American architects
People from Scituate, Massachusetts