Henry Van Brunt
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-member ...
(September 5, 1832 – April 8, 1903) was a 19th-century
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
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 ...
and architectural writer.
Life and work
Van Brunt was born in Boston in 1832 to
Gershom Jacques Van Brunt Commodore Gershom Jacques Van Brunt (August 28, 1798 – December 17, 1863) was a United States Naval Officer during the American Civil War.
US Navy
In the spring of 1861, he was assigned to the command of the steam frigate Minnesota. There he was ...
and Elizabeth Price Bradlee.
Van Brunt attended
Boston Latin School
The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...
, and graduated from
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 lea ...
in 1854. From 1854 to 1857, he apprenticed with architect
George Snell, then worked with
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance faà ...
, in New York City.
During the Civil War, Van Brunt served as Secretary to the Admiral of the
North Atlantic Squadron
The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...
,
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
.
He resigned on February 15, 1864.
In the 1860s Van Brunt and fellow Harvard graduate
William Robert Ware
William Robert Ware (May 27, 1832 – June 9, 1915), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts into a family of the Unitarian clergy, was an American architect, author, and founder of two important American architectural schools.
He received his o ...
established the architectural firm of Ware & Van Brunt. The firm produced designs for many buildings in the Boston area, including Harvard University's
Memorial Hall
A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''.
History of the Memorial Hall
In the aft ...
, "said to be one of the greatest examples of Ruskinian Gothic architecture outside of England".
In 1869, he married Alice S. Osborn; together they had 6 children. In 1874 Van Brunt published a translation of
Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...
's ''Discourses on architecture'', and he remained a prolific writer through his career.
His partnership with Ware dissolved in 1881. The same year, Van Brunt and former employee
Frank M. Howe
Frank M. Howe (20 July 1849 – 4 January 1909) was an architect in Kansas City, Missouri, and Boston, Massachusetts. He was a partner with Henry Van Brunt in the prominent firm of Van Brunt and Howe. He later partnered with Henry F. Hoit as How ...
established the firm of Van Brunt & Howe, and about six years after took the dramatic step of moving his office from Boston to
Kansas City
The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...
, partly for multiple commissions for the
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...
for grand stations in western cities like
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...
(1889; burned down 1923),
Denver, Colorado
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
(1895; rebuilt 1912),
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 ...
and
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...
(1899; replaced 1931). Many Kansas City civic landmarks of the time were Van Brunt's designs. Stylistically, most of his later work is comfortably consistent with
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesque ...
; in at least one case, the
Hoyt Library
The Hoyt Library is a historic library in downtown Saginaw, Michigan, United States. Built in the late 19th century by Eric Pinchet, the Richardson Romanesque library is home to numerous genealogical records of the Mid-Michigan area.
History
In ...
, he adapted and finished a rejected Richardson design.
In 1884 he was elected an officer 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 ...
. In 1899 he became president of the AIA for a one-year term.
Van Brunt returned to Massachusetts around 1902, and died in
Milton, Massachusetts
Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...
, in 1903.
[ His headstone in Cambridge Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts, gives his date of death as April 7, 1903.
]
Ware & Van Brunt
* 1867 - Ether Monument
The Ether Monument, also known as The Good Samaritan, is a statue and fountain near the northwest corner of Boston's Public Garden, near the intersection of Arlington Street and Marlborough Street.
It commemorates the use of ether in anesthesi ...
, in the Boston Public Garden
The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the Downtown Boston, heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks, and is bounded by Charles Street (Bosto ...
, with sculptor J.Q.A. Ward
* 1867 - First Church, Boston, Massachusetts
* 1868 - St. John's Memorial Chapel at the Episcopal Divinity School
The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
* 1869 - Adams Academy
Adams Academy was a school that opened in 1872 in Quincy, Massachusetts, United States. John Adams, the second President of the United States, had many years before established the Adams Temple and School Fund. This fund gave of land to the peop ...
, now the Quincy Historical Society, Quincy, Massachusetts
* 1870 - Memorial Hall (Harvard University)
Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War"a symbol of Boston's commitment ...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts, continuously redesigned through 1897
* 1870 - Addition to Harvard Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts
* 1870 - Weld Hall
This is a list of dormitories at Harvard College. Only freshmen live in these dormitories, which are located in and around Harvard Yard. Sophomores, juniors and seniors live in the Harvard College#House system, House system.
Apley Court
South of ...
, Harvard University
* 1872 - Charles Freeland tomb, Mount Auburn Cemetery
Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...
, Cambridge
* 1873 - Lawrence Hall, Episcopal Divinity School
The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...
, Cambridge, expanded 1880
* 1875 - Addition to Gore Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (demolished)
* 1875 - Walter Hunnewell house, Hunnewell estate, Wellesley, Massachusetts
Wellesley () is a New England town, town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson Col ...
(then West Needham)
* 1881 - Yorktown Memorial, Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Cou ...
, with sculptor J.Q.A. Ward
* 1881 - Music Hall, Wellesley College
Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...
, Massachusetts
Van Brunt & Howe
* 1881-1883 - Library at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
(redesigned in 1920 by Albert Kahn)
* 1883 - 167 Brattle Street (his residence), Cambridge, Massachusetts
* 1883 - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (demolished)
* 1883 - William Washington Gordon Monument
The William Washington Gordon Monument is a public monument in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in Wright Square, the monument honors politician and businessman William Washington Gordon and was designed by Henry Van Brunt and Frank ...
, Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
* 1884 - First National Bank, Portland, Maine
* 1885 - Cheyenne Union Depot, now the Wyoming Transportation Museum
The Cheyenne Depot Museum is a railroad museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is located inside the historic Union Pacific Railroad depot, built in the 1880s. The depot, a National Historic Landmark, was the railroad's largest station west of Council B ...
, 15th Street and Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming
*1887 - Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Arlington, Massachusetts
* 1887 - Hoyt Library
The Hoyt Library is a historic library in downtown Saginaw, Michigan, United States. Built in the late 19th century by Eric Pinchet, the Richardson Romanesque library is home to numerous genealogical records of the Mid-Michigan area.
History
In ...
, Saginaw, Michigan
Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greater ...
* 1888 - Cambridge Public Library
The Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts is part of the Minuteman Library Network. It consists of a main library and six branches, located throughout the city. Having developed from the Cambridge Athenaeum, the main library buildin ...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...
* 1888 - Gibraltar Building, Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the 36th most-populous city in the United States. It is the central ...
(razed)
* 1889 - Union Pacific Railroad Depot, North 2nd Street, Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...
* 1889-1890 - Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods Company
Emery, Bird, Thayer & Company was a department store in Downtown Kansas City that traced its history nearly to the city's origins as Westport Landing.
The store, known as EBT, closed in 1968, and its building, which was on the National Register ...
, Kansas City (razed in 1973)
* 1890-1896 - Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, foot of Northwest 6th Avenue, Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...
* 1893 - Electricity Building and the Wyoming Building, World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordi ...
, Chicago (demolished)
* 1894 - Spooner Hall
Spooner Hall was built in 1893-94 as the University of Kansas' first library building. The Richardsonian Romanesque structure was designed by architect Henry Van Brunt and built with funds bequeathed by William B. Spooner, a Massachusetts leather m ...
, University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
, Lawrence, Kansas
Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...
* 1895 - Union Station
A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...
, Denver, Colorado (largely razed in 1912)
* 1896-1898 - Hurst Hall, the first structure at the American University
The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was charte ...
, Washington, DC
* 1904 - Palace of Varied Industries, Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...
, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
(razed)[Official guide to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at the city of St. Louis, by Major J. Lowenstein, full text available on GoogleBooks]
* 1904 - Pipe Organ Case of the 10,000 pipe instrument exhibited by the Los Angeles Art Organ Co., Festival Hall, Louisiana Purchase Exposition
The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...
, St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
(a temporary construction)
Writing
* Translator of: Eugène Viollet-le-Duc
Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...
. Discourses on architecture. Boston : J.R. Osgood, 1875.
* On the Present Condition and Prospects of Architecture. Atlantic Monthly 57, no. 341 (March 1886).
* Henry Hobson Richardson, Architect. Atlantic Monthly 58:349 (November 1886).
* Architecture in the West, Atlantic Monthly 64:386 (December 1889).
* Greek Lines and Other Architectural Essays. Houghton, Mifflin. 1893
Image gallery
File:Memorial Hall (Harvard University) - general view.JPG, Memorial Hall, Harvard University
File:Yorktown-monument.jpg, Yorktown Memorial, 1881, Yorktown, Virginia
File:Mount Auburn Cemetery - Freeland tomb.jpg, Freeland Tomb, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge
File:Spooner Hall, University of Kansas.jpg, Spooner Hall, University of Kansas
File:Union Pacific Passenger Station, 121 West Fifteenth Street, Cheyenne (Laramie County, Wyoming).jpg, Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot
File:StLouisWorldFairPalaceVairedIndustriesGondolas.jpg, Palace of Varied Industries, St. Louis World's Fair
File:Ware&VanBrunt Walter Hunnewell House.JPG, Walter Hunnewell house, Wellesley, MA (1875), Ware and Van Brunt
File:Electricity Building And Columbian Fountain — Official Views Of The World's Columbian Exposition — 28.jpg, alt=The Electricity Building on the Court of Honor, 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago. Designed by Henry Van Brunt, The Electricity Building on the Court of Honor, 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago. Designed by Henry Van Brunt
File:Civil War Memorial - Arlington, MA - DSC03253.jpg, Civil War Memorial Soldiers and Sailors Memorial 1887 Arlington, Massachusetts
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Brunt, Henry
1832 births
1903 deaths
19th-century American architects
American railway architects
Architects from Boston
Architects from Missouri
Harvard College alumni
Boston Latin School alumni
Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
Presidents of the American Institute of Architects