Henry Martyn Congdon (May 10, 1834 – February 28, 1922) was an American architect and designer. The son of an

Episcopal Episcopal may refer to: *Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church *Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese *Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name ** Episcopal Church (United State ...

priest who was a founder of the

New York Ecclesiological Society New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

, he was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. In 1854, he graduated from Columbia College, where he was a member of

Psi Upsilon Psi Upsilon (), commonly known as Psi U, is a North American fraternity,''Psi Upsilon Tablet'' founded at Union College on November 24, 1833. The fraternity reports 50 chapters at colleges and universities throughout North America, some of which ...

. Congdon was apprenticed to John W. Priest, and following Priest's death, assumed his practice, located at the time in

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 ...

. He moved the practice to Manhattan, cooperating for a time with Emlen T. Littell and J. Cleveland Cady. Together with Cady he designed the Brooklyn Academy of Design in 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 ...

mode."The Illustrations," ''American Architect and Building News'' 1 (Jan. 29, 1876), 40. Congdon later practiced alone, until he was joined by his son, Herbert Wheaton Congdon. He resided in Brooklyn at the time of his death. Specializing in churches, he designed numerous Episcopal churches during his career, mainly in the

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 ...

tradition. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he served as a member of the 7th Regiment. During his career, he was Vice President of the Brooklyn Academy of Arts and Sciences, and Secretary 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 ...

Works

His church designs include: * Episcopal Church of the Holy Communion, St. Peter, Minnesota, 1869. * St. Thomas' Episcopal Church (now Union Baptist), Hartford, Connecticut, 1871. * Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd (now Islamic Awareness Center), Binghamton, New York, 1871 * St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Manhattan, New York, 1872. * Calvary Episcopal Church, Utica, New York, 1872. * Chapel of the Good Shepherd,

Shattuck-Saint Mary's Shattuck-St. Mary's (also known as Shattuck-St. Mary's School, Shattuck, or simply SSM) is a coeducational Episcopal-affiliated boarding school in Faribault, Minnesota, United States. Established in 1858 as an Episcopal mission school and se ...

School, Faribault, Minnesota, 1872. * Grace Episcopal Church, Paducah, Kentucky, 1873. * Trinity Episcopal Church, Lime Rock, Connecticut, 1874. * Christ Episcopal Church,

St. Michaels, Maryland Saint Michaels, also known as St. Michaels, is a town in Talbot County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,029 at the 2010 census. Saint Michaels derives its name from the Episcopal Parish established there in 1677. The church attra ...

, 1878. * St. Lukes Episcopal Church, Lebanon, Pennsylvania, 1880. * St. John's Episcopal Church,

Dubuque Dubuque (, ) is the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. At the time of the 2020 census, the population of Dubuque was 59,667. The city lies at the junction of Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin, a r ...

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

, 1878. * Christ Episcopal Church,

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

, 1883, burned 1963. * St. Mark's Episcopal Church,

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistical ...

, 1886. * St. James Episcopal Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1888. * Christ Episcopal Church,

Westerly, Rhode Island Westerly is a town on the southwestern shoreline of Washington County, Rhode Island, first settled by English colonists in 1661 and incorporated as a municipality in 1669. It is a beachfront community on the south shore of the state with a popula ...

, 1894. * St. Mark's Episcopal Church (Lewistown, PA), 1894. * Christ Episcopal Church,

Ansonia, Connecticut Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Located on the Naugatuck River, it is immediately north of Derby, and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 18,918 at the time of the 2020 census. The ZIP code for ...

, 1896. * Calvary Episcopal Church,

Summit, New Jersey Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...

, 1896 * Church of the Ascension, (Mount Vernon, New York)), 1896. * Trinity Episcopal Church,

Torrington, Connecticut Torrington is the most populated municipality and only city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut and the Northwest Hills (Connecticut), Northwest Hills region. It is also the core city of Greater Torrington, one of the ...

, 1898. * Trinity Episcopal Church, Carbondale, Pennsylvania, 1899. * St. Michael's Episcopal Cathedral, Boise, Idaho, 1900. * All Saints' Episcopal Church, Easton, Maryland, 1900. * St. John's Episcopal Church,

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...

, 1903. * Christ Episcopal Church New Brighton, Staten Island, New York, 1904. * St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, 1911. He also designed a number of baptismal fonts and similar appurtenances for other churches.

Gallery

File:Brooklyn Academy of Design, New York City, circa 1876. Designed by J. Cleaveland Cady and H. M. Congdon.jpg, Brooklyn Academy of Design File:PostcardAnsoniaCTChristChurch1908.jpg, Christ Episcopal Church (1896), Ansonia, Connecticut File:Calvary Episcopal Church, Summit, NJ jeh.jpg, Calvary Episcopal Church (1896), Summit, New Jersey. File:Philipsburg, Pennsylvania (4091859977).jpg, St. Paul's Episcopal Church (1911), Philipsburg, Pennsylvania. File:St. James Church, Cambridge, MA - IMG 9053.JPG, St. James Episcopal Church, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

References

External links

Obituary
''The New York Times'', March 3, 1922.
Obituary
''Journal of the American Institute of Architects'', April 1922. {{DEFAULTSORT:Congdon, Henry 1834 births 1922 deaths 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects Architects from New York City Columbia College (New York) alumni Fellows of the American Institute of Architects