Henry Janeway Hardenbergh (February 6, 1847 – March 13, 1918) was an American architect, best known for his hotels and apartment buildings, and as a "master of a new building form — the skyscraper."

Life and career

Hardenbergh was born in

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

family, and attended the Hasbrouck Institute in

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Detlef Lienau Detlef Lienau (17 February 1818 – 29 August 1887) was a German architect born in Holstein. He is credited with having introduced the Rococo, French style to American building construction, notably the mansard roof and all its decorative flourish ...

, and, in 1870, opened his own practice there.Pierson, Majorie (ed.) et al
"Ladies' Mile Historic District Designation Report v.2"

New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

(May 2, 1989) He obtained his first contracts for three buildings at

Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Geology Hall Geology Hall (also Geological Hall) is a historic building on the Queens Campus of Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was built from April 1871 to June 1872 to house various science classes and the Rutgers Geology Museum. The ...

(1872) and the

Kirkpatrick Chapel The Sophia Astley Kirkpatrick Memorial Chapel, known as Kirkpatrick Chapel, is the chapel to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and located on the university's main campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey in the United States. Kirkpatrick ...

(1873)—through family connections. Hardenbergh's great-great grandfather, the Reverend

Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh Jacob Rutsen Hardenbergh (22 February 1735/6 – 30 October 1790) was an American Dutch Reformed clergyman, colonial and state legislator, and educator. Hardenbergh was a founder of Queen's College—now Rutgers, The State University of New J ...

, had been the first president of Rutgers College from 1785 to 1790, when it was still called "Queen's College". He then got the contract to design the "Vancorlear" on West 55th Street, the first apartment hotel in New York City, in 1879. The following year he was commissioned by Edward S. Clark, then head of the

Singer Sewing Machine Company Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, to build a housing development. As part of this work, he designed the pioneering Dakota Apartments in

Central Park West Eighth Avenue is a major north–south avenue on the west side of Manhattan in New York City, carrying northbound traffic below 59th Street. It is one of the original avenues of the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 to run the length of Manhattan, ...

, novel in its location, very far north of the center of the city. Subsequently, Hardenbergh received commissions to build the Waldorf (1893) and the adjoining Astoria (1897) hotels for

William Waldorf Astor William Waldorf "Willy" Astor, 1st Viscount Astor (31 March 1848 – 18 October 1919) was an American-British attorney, politician, businessman (hotels and newspapers), and philanthropist. Astor was a scion of the very wealthy Astor family of ...

and

Mrs. Astor Caroline Webster "Lina" Schermerhorn Astor (September 22, 1830 – October 30, 1908) was a prominent American socialite of the second half of the 19th century who led the The Four Hundred (1892), Four Hundred. Famous for being referred to later ...

, respectively. The two competing hotels were later joined together as the

Waldorf-Astoria The Waldorf Astoria New York is a luxury hotel and condominium residence in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, at 301 Park Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, is a 47-story Art Deco landmark designed by architects Schultz ...

, which was demolished in 1929 for the construction of the

Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...

. Hardenbergh lived for some time in

Bernardsville, New Jersey Bernardsville () is a borough in Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The borough is nestled in the heart of the Raritan Valley region. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was 7,707,

the town in which he designed the building for the school house built with funds donated by

Frederic P. Olcott Frederic Pepoon Olcott (February 23, 1841, in Albany, Albany County, New York – April 15, 1909, in Bernardsville, Somerset County, New Jersey) was an American banker and politician. Early life Olcott was born on February 23, 1841, in Alban ...

. The school house is in Hardenberghs architectural style and is a landmark in the town. Hardenbergh died at his home in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

, New York City on March 13, 1918.Staff. (March 14, 1918
"H.J. Hardenbergh, Architect, Is Dead"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' He is buried in Woodland Cemetery, in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

Organizations

Hardenbergh was elected to 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 ...

in 1867, and was made a Fellow in 1877. He was president 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 ...

from 1901 to 1902, and was an associate of 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 ...

. Hardenbergh was one of the founders of the

American Fine Arts Society The Art Students League of New York Building (also the American Fine Arts Society and 215 West 57th Street) is a building on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. The structure, designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh in the French ...

as well as the

Municipal Art Society The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city. The organization was ...

. He was also a member of the Sculpture Society and the

Century A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

, Riding,

Grolier Grolier was one of the largest American publishers of general encyclopedias, including ''The Book of Knowledge'' (1910), ''The New Book of Knowledge'' (1966), ''The New Book of Popular Science'' (1972), ''Encyclopedia Americana'' (1945), ''Acade ...

and

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

Clubs.

Buildings

* 1870: Addition to the Rutgers Preparatory School building (now

Alexander Johnston Hall Alexander Johnston Hall is a historic building located on the corner of Somerset Street and College Avenue, New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Brunswick in Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, New Jersey and is the second oldest building on ...

) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. * 1871–1872: library, chapel and

Geology Hall Geology Hall (also Geological Hall) is a historic building on the Queens Campus of Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was built from April 1871 to June 1872 to house various science classes and the Rutgers Geology Museum. The ...

, at

(now university), in New Brunswick, New Jersey. * 1873: Sophia Astley Kirkpatrick Memorial Chapel at

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat, seat of government of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

(renovated 1916) * 1873: Suydam Hall at

New Brunswick Theological Seminary New Brunswick Theological Seminary is a Reformed Christian seminary with its main campus in New Brunswick, New Jersey. It was founded in 1784 and is one of the oldest seminaries in the United States. It is a seminary of the Reformed Church in Ame ...

in New Brunswick, New Jersey (razed 1966) * 1876: Kingfisher Tower near

Cooperstown, New York Cooperstown is a village in and county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the C ...

* 1878: Windsor Hotel in Montreal (demolished except for North Annex, 1975 * 1879: The Vancolear, West 55th Street and Seventh Avenue, the city's first apartment hotel * 1879: Loch Ada, 590 Proctor Road, Glen Spey, Lumberland,

Sullivan County, New York Sullivan County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 78,624. The county seat is Monticello. The county's name honors Major General John Sullivan, who was labeled at the time as a hero in the Am ...

(razed 1996) * 1879–1880: two row houses at 101 and 103 West 73rd Street in Manhattan, New York City * 1880–1884:

The Dakota The Dakota, also known as the Dakota Apartments, is a Housing cooperative, cooperative apartment building at 1 West 72nd Street (Manhattan), 72nd Street on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The Dakota was construc ...

Apartments located on Manhattan's Upper West Side, in New York City ( NYC landmark) * 1882–1884: Western Union Telegraph Building, located at 186

Fifth Avenue Fifth Avenue is a major and prominent thoroughfare in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It stretches north from Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village to West 143rd Street in Harlem. It is one of the most expensive shopping stre ...

at 23rd Street in Manhattan, New York City * 1882–1885: Several Row houses at 15A-19 and 41-65 West 73rd Street on Manhattan's Upper West Side, New York City * 1883: Hotel Albert (now the Albert Apartments) in Manhattan, New York City * 1883-84: 1845 Broadway in Manhattan, New York City * 1886–1887: 337 & 339 East 87th Street, Manhattan, New York City * 1888:

Schermerhorn Building The Schermerhorn Building at 376–380 Lafayette Street on the corner of Great Jones Street in the NoHo neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, was built in 1888–1889 by William C. Schermerhorn on the site of the Schermerhorn mansion, and re ...

at 376-380

Lafayette Street Lafayette Street is a major north-south street in New York City's Lower Manhattan. It originates at the intersection of Reade Street and Centre Street, one block north of Chambers Street. The one-way street then successively runs through Chi ...

in Manhattan, New York City * 1888–1889: Apartment building at 121 East 89th Street part of the Hardenbergh/Rhinelander Historic District * 1888–1889: Row houses at 1340, 1342, 1344, 1346, 1348 and 1350

Lexington Avenue Lexington Avenue, often colloquially abbreviated as "Lex", is an avenue on the East Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that carries southbound one-way traffic from East 131st Street to Gramercy Park at East 21st Street. Along it ...

part of the Hardenbergh/Rhinelander Historic District * 1891–1892:

building, home of the

Art Students League of New York The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists. Although artists may stu ...

, in Manhattan, New York City ( NYC landmark) * 1893: Waldorf Hotel located at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City (demolished 1929 to build Empire State Building) * 1893:

Hotel Manhattan Hotel Manhattan (also known as Manhattan Hotel) was a "railroad hotel" on the northwest corner of Madison Avenue and 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. History Built in 1895–1896, it was to an 1893 design by Henry Janeway ...

located on the northwest corner of Madison Avenue and 42nd Street in New York City, New York. * 1895: Wolfe Building, at William Street and Maiden Lane, New York City (demolished in 1974) * 1897: Astoria Hotel located at 34th Street and Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City (demolished 1929 to build Empire State Building) * 1897: William Murray Houses, located at 13 and 15 West

54th Street 54th Street is a two-mile-long (3.2 km), one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan. Notable places, west to east Twelfth Avenue *The route begins at Twelfth Avenue (New York Route 9A). Opposite the intersection is the New ...

, Manhattan, New York City ( NYC landmark) * 1897–1900:

Hotel Martinique The Martinique New York on Broadway, Curio Collection by Hilton is a 532-room hotel at 53 West 32nd Street (also known as 1260-1266 Broadway) in Manhattan, New York City. It was designed by Henry Janeway Hardenbergh and built by William R. H. M ...

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

in Manhattan, New York City (enlarged 1907-11) a NYC landmark * 1900–1901: Textile Building on

Leonard Street Leonard or ''Leo'' is a common English masculine given name and a surname. The given name and surname originate from the Old High German ''Leonhard'' containing the prefix ''levon'' ("lion") from the Greek Λέων ("lion") through the Latin '' ...

and Church Street in Manhattan, New York City (penthouse added in 2001) a NYC landmark *1901:

Willard Hotel The Willard InterContinental Washington, commonly known as the Willard Hotel, is a historic luxury Beaux-Arts hotel located at 1401 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Downtown Washington, D.C. It is currently a member oHistoric Hotels of America the off ...

in Washington, D.C. * 1902: Sunnyside Island, in the 1000 Islands, New York * 1902–1904:

Whitehall Building The Whitehall Building is a three-section residential and office building near the southern tip of Manhattan Island in New York City, adjacent to Battery Park in lower Manhattan. The original 20-story structure on Battery Place, between West St ...

in Manhattan, New York City ( NYC landmark) * 1903: Preston B. Moss House, 914 Division St.,

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

* 1904: All Angels' Church – Manhattan, New York City * 1904: Van Norden Trust Company Building, 751 5th Ave., New York City, demolished. * 1905–1907:

Plaza Hotel The Plaza Hotel (also known as The Plaza) is a luxury hotel and condominium apartment building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is located on the western side of Grand Army Plaza, after which it is named, just west of Fifth Avenue, a ...

at corner of Fifth Avenue and Central Park South (West 59th Street) in Midtown Manhattan, New York City a NYC landmark * 1908: Trinity Episcopal Church in

York Harbor, Maine York Harbor is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of York in York County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,033 at the 2010 census. York Harbor is a distinguished former Gilded Age summer colony noted for its resort architect ...

* 1910: Palmer Physical Laboratory, at

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

* 1911: The Raleigh Hotel at 1111 Pennsylvania Avenue, in Washington D.C. (demolished 1965) * 1912:

Copley Plaza The Fairmont Copley Plaza is a Forbes four-star, AAA four-diamond hotel in downtown Boston, Massachusetts managed by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts. It stands on Copley Square, part of an architectural ensemble that includes the John Hancock Tower, ...

Hotel in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, Massachusetts * 1912: Stamford Trust Company Building, 300 Main St.,

* 1914:

Palmer Stadium Palmer Stadium was a stadium in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. It hosted the Princeton University Tigers football team, as well as the track and field team. The stadium held 45,750 people at its peak and was opened in 1914 with a game ag ...

, the football stadium and track arena at

, in

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

(demolished 1998)"Palmer Stadium"
/ref> * 1915:

Consolidated Edison Company Building The Consolidated Edison Building (also known as the Consolidated Gas Building and 4 Irving Place) is a neoclassical skyscraper in Gramercy Park, Manhattan, New York City, United States. The 26-story building was designed by the architectural ...

in Manhattan, New York City (the building only, not the tower) * 1917–1918: New Jersey Zinc Company Headquarters, Maiden Lane, Manhattan, New York City.

Gallery

File:Waldorf-Astoria 1904-1908b.jpg, The

at its original location,

and 34th Street. Drawing by

Joseph Pennell Joseph Pennell (July 4, 1857 – April 23, 1926) was an American draftsman, etcher, lithographer and illustrator for books and magazines. A prolific artist, he spent most of his working life in Europe, and is known for his interest in landmarks, l ...

, c. 1904-08. File:Dakota building New-York USA.jpg, The Dakota Building, so far uptown when it was built that it was said it might as well be in the

Dakota Territory The Territory of Dakota was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 2, 1861, until November 2, 1889, when the final extent of the reduced territory was split and admitted to the Union as the states of No ...

File:376-380-lafayette.jpg,

(1888) File:186 Fifth Ave Western Union Telegraph Bldg.jpg, Western Union Telegraph Building (1882–84) File:Plaza hotel.jpg, The

(1905–07) File:Palmer Physical Laboratory entrance.jpg, Palmer Physical Laboratory (1910) at

References

Notes

External links

Henry J. Hardenbergh Architectural Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardenberg, Henry 1847 births 1918 deaths People from Bernardsville, New Jersey Artists from New Brunswick, New Jersey 19th-century American architects Hardenbergh family * American people of Dutch descent Burials in Connecticut Waldorf Astoria New York Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters