Plum street temple at the beginning of the 20yh century-1

James Keys Wilson (April 11, 1828 – October 21, 1894) was a prominent architect in

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

.James Key Wilson
Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati He studied with Charles A. Mountain in Philadelphia and then

Martin E. Thompson Martin Euclid Thompson (1786–1877) was an American architect and artist prolific in nineteenth-century New York City, and a co-founder of the National Academy of Design. Landmarks Preservation Commission (New York City)br>LP-0312 October 12 ...

and James Renwick in New York (Renwick designed the

Smithsonian Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

), interning at Renwick's firm. Wilson worked with William Walter at the Walter and Wilson firm, before establishing his own practice in Cincinnati. He became the most noted architect in the city. His Old Main Building for Bethany College and Plum Street Temple buildings are

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

s. His work includes many

Gothic Revival architecture 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 ...

buildings, while the synagogue is considered

Moorish Revival Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centur ...

and

Byzantine Architecture Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire, or Eastern Roman Empire. The Byzantine era is usually dated from 330 AD, when Constantine the Great moved the Roman capital to Byzantium, which became Constantinople, until th ...

. Wilson was the first president of the Cincinnati chapter 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 ...

(1870 to 1871 and again from 1872 to 1873). He is known for his design of the Old Main buildings on the campus of Bethany College; his work on Isaac M. Wise's Plum Street Temple (now known as

Isaac M. Wise Temple The Isaac M. Wise Temple (formerly the Plum Street Temple) is the historic synagogue erected for Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise and his congregation in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wise was among the founders of American Reform Judaism. The temple building was de ...

), is celebrated both for its design and as a location important as a fount of

reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

in the United States. His son, H nryNeill Wilson, worked in his father's firm (and is credited with the design of the

Rookwood Pottery Rookwood Pottery is an American ceramics company that was founded in 1880 and closed in 1967, before being revived in 2004. It was initially located in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati, Ohio, and has now returned there. In its heyday ...

building 891–1892at 1077 Celestial in Mount Adamsand); he then established his own practice in

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, before moving to

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield� ...

Background and training

Wilson began his studies with Charles A. Mountain in Philadelphia and continued them with

and James Renwick in New York. In 1847, he traveled in Europe, returning to set up his practice at the age of 20. Wilson partnered with William Walter from 1851 to 1863. He also partnered with William Stewart and with whom he designed many Cincinnati buildings including Mother of God in Covington, Kentucky (1871) and Covenant First Presbyterian Church (1875). James McLaughlin and

Charles Crapsey Charles C. Crapsey (November 25, 1849 – July 26, 1909) was an American architect known for his church designs. He trained under James K. Wilson from 1865 to 1873, worked on his own between 1873 and 1888, and then with Wilson again from 1895 to 19 ...

studied with Wilson before starting their own practices.

Old Main

Wilson's

Old Main (Bethany College) Old Main, Bethany College is a historic building group on the Bethany College campus in Bethany, West Virginia. History It was constructed from 1858–1871 on a design by architect James Keys Wilson with the firm of Walter & Wilson (with William ...

building on the Bethany College campus in

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

is an important surviving example of 19th century

Old Main
Historic Campus Architecture Project, Council of Independent Colleges and a

. Wilson's design was influenced by James Renwick, whose office he studied in, and may have been modeled after Renwick's design of the

(1845–1847). Wilson was in partnership with William Walter, an older architect, at the time of Old Main's construction, but the design was most likely Wilson's "because his training had occurred during the increasing vogue of the Gothic style".

William Kimbrough Pendleton William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

, a member of the faculty and vice-president of Bethany College, also had a role and contributed his practical knowledge of architecture with the supervision of construction and has been credited with responsibility for its placement on the crest of the hill as well as suggesting the

arcade (architecture) An arcade is a succession of contiguous arches, with each arch supported by a colonnade of columns or piers. Exterior arcades are designed to provide a sheltered walkway for pedestrians. The walkway may be lined with retail stores. An arcade ma ...

on the back of the building. He may also have been responsible for the installation of firewalls, which permitted it to survive the 1879 fire that destroyed Society Hall. The building was constructed from 1858 to 1871 and "represents" the college's "pivotal historical role as the headquarters of Alexander Campbell (1788–1866), a principal founder of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)." The college "is the fountainhead institution of more than a hundred colleges and universities established in the United States by the church." It is "intimately linked to the Scots-Irish ethnic settlement of the American frontier," and "Old Main is one of the country's earliest intact large-scale examples of collegiate Gothic architecture."Old Main
National Landmark Tour National Park Service

Cincinnati

Wilson was a "central figure" in Cincinnati architecture and "the leading architect of the city between 1850–1870".Glenn Patton (Ohio State University
"James Keys Wilson (1828–1894): Architect of the Gothic Revival in Cincinnati", ''The Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'', Vol. 26, No. 4 (Dec., 1967), pp. 285–293 (article consists of 9 pages) 1967
/ref> In an otherwise snarky 1867 account of Cincinnati in the ''

Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

'', Wilson comes in for plaudits as "one of the best architects in the West", and his work on the Plum Street Temple, courthouse, and post office in Cincinnati are noted. Other architects in Cincinnati at the time included Isaiah Rogers (1800–1896) who came to Cincinnati to help rebuild Burnett House hotel after a fire, and William Tinsley, who was in Cincinnati beginning in 1851. Local architects included James W. McLaughlin (1834–1923), Samuel Hannaford (1835–1910), and

(1840–1909). Together they established one of the earliest chapters of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Cincinnati was the 2nd Chapter of the AIA. Although Cincinnati's spectacular growth slowed after 1870, the work that continued included several buildings by Wilson.

Plum Street Temple

The Plum Street Temple commission was one of the first of many American

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

s and is a

. Similar buildings in Germany were destroyed by

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

, although examples survive in other parts of Europe. The building was designed in a 19th-century Germanic architectural style is said to blend

Neo-Byzantine architecture Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine style associated with Eastern and Or ...

and

styles derived from the architecture of

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

Spain. The synagogue includes a tripartite twin-domed facade copied from the

Leopoldstädter Tempel The Leopoldstädter Tempel was the largest synagogue of Vienna, in the district (Bezirk) of Leopoldstadt. It was also known as the Israelitische Bethaus in der Wiener Vorstadt Leopoldstadt. It was built in 1858 in a Moorish Revival style by the ...

in Vienna, Austria, that was built in 1853. The U.S. building has a

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

and

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...

style arch, similar to a Gothic Cathedral, but its

Islamic Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the mai ...

influences are visible in its

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

s and other details. Plum Street Temple

The synagogue was designed in an architectural style that had emerged in Germany in the nineteenth century, combining Byzantine and Moorish styles, hearkening back to the Golden Age of Jewish history in Spain. There is a Moorish theme in the motifs decorating the entrances are repeated in the rose window and on the Torah Ark and the 14 bands of Hebrew texts surrounding the interior are said to have been selected by Rabbi Wise primarily from the Book of Psalms. The building has been carefully preserved and maintains the original flooring,

pew A pew () is a long bench (furniture), bench seat or enclosed box, used for seating Member (local church), members of a Church (congregation), congregation or choir in a Church (building), church, synagogue or sometimes a courtroom. Overview ...

s, and

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

furnishings. The

chandelier A chandelier (; also known as girandole, candelabra lamp, or least commonly suspended lights) is a branched ornamental light fixture designed to be mounted on ceilings or walls. Chandeliers are often ornate, and normally use incandescent li ...

s and

candelabra A candelabra (plural candelabras) or candelabrum (plural candelabra or candelabrums) is a candle holder with multiple arms. Although electricity has relegated candleholders to decorative use, interior designers continue to model light fixtures ...

, formerly gaslight, are electrical but use the original fixtures, and the pipe organ, built by the Cincinnati firm of Koehnken and Company is still in place (although in need of restoration). The building was placed on the Department of the Interior'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 artistic v ...

in 1975. A restoration in 1994 and 1995 "renewed a sense of vitality and sparkle to a building which looks much the same now as when it was built 137 years ago".

Personal life

Wilson eventually lived in Glendale and was one of Glendale's incorporators in 1851. John Baker was Wilson's father-in-law and lived nearby in the John Baker House. His wife's brother Samuel also lived nearby, and Wilson designed his home. It is speculated that Wilson adopted his wife's family name for business reasons. Wilson died on October 21, 1894, and is buried in the family cemetery plot in Spring Grove Cemetery: Section 49; Lot 1, Space 6 (no tombstone apparent) where his daughter has a marker.

Projects

John S. Baker House The John S. Baker House is a historic house in the East Walnut Hills, Cincinnati, East Walnut Hills neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built in 1854 according to a design by Cincinnati architect James Keys Wilson, it was the home ...

, "Woodburn", (1854) a Gothic Revival style residence at 1887 Madison Road in

that was listed in the National Register on June 6, 1979. * Suire Pharmacy Building (1857) (also known as the Herschede Building) William Walter and James Keys Wilson, Fourth Street in Cincinnati * Herschede Building (1857) 4th Street in Cincinnati * Samuel Allen House, Glendale, Ohio (1859) * Spring Grove Cemetery 4521 Spring Grove Avenue including: **Gatehouse and Office (1863) ** Dexter Mausoleum (1869) *

, originally the Plum Street Temple, (1866), built for Rabbi

Isaac Mayer Wise Isaac Mayer Wise (29 March 1819, Lomnička – 26 March 1900, Cincinnati) was an American Reform rabbi, editor, and author. At his death he was called "the foremost rabbi in America". Early life Wise was born on 29 March 1819 in Steingrub in B ...

who is credited with being the founder of American

Reform Judaism Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous searc ...

, at 720 Plum Street (8th & Plum Streets) in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. It is one of the oldest remaining

s in the United States. It was listed on the

in 1972 and is across from the Saint Peter In Chains Cathedral and next to the site of the former St. Paul Episcopal Cathedral which was torn down in 1937. * Mitchell & Rammelsberg Furniture Co. (1870) on 4th Street in Cincinnati, a future part McAlpin's Department Store *

Scarlet Oaks Scarlet Oaks is a large and historic residence in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. Built in 1867,Owen, Lorrie K., ed. ''Dictionary of Ohio Historic Places''. Vol. 1. St. Clair Shores: Somerset, 1999, 665-666. it ...

– Schoneberger House (1870) 440 Lafayette Avenue in Clifton, a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

in Cincinnati listed on the

in 1973. * Mother of God Roman Catholic Church (1871) in Covington *

Covenant First Presbyterian Church The Covenant First Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA) located at 717 Elm Street at Eighth Street and Garfield Place in Cincinnati, Ohio. Two churches, the First Presbyterian and Covenant Presbyterian merged in ...

(1875) * Bethany College

building group,

(1858–1871) *

Oxford Female College Fisher Hall was a building at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Originally the Oxford Female College, the building was later used as a sanitarium and was purchased by Miami in 1925. It served as a first-year men's residence hall (though it was br ...

(later Fisher Hall, Miami University), 1856 • Knowlton Gallagher House (Glendale Ohio) 1855

With Walter and Wilson

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 ...

style building group on the campus: designed by James Keys Wilson as part of Walter & Wilson and constructed from 1858 to 1871.

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

spoke at its Commencement Hall in 1960 during his presidential primary campaign that won West Virginia and the building was declared a

in 1990. and 1909 photo of Old Main
Wilbur H. Cramlbet, Jr. collection Allegheny Library Digital archives It is on

West Virginia Route 67 West Virginia Route 67 is an east–west state highway located within Brooke County. The western terminus of the route is at West Virginia Route 2 on the southern edge of Wellsburg. The eastern terminus is at the Pennsylvania state line eas ...

in Bethany, West Virginia.

References

External links

Best places to experience the architecture of James Keys Wilson in Cincinnati (with photographs)Bethany College Old Main
Historic Campus Architecture Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, James Keys Architects from Cincinnati 1828 births 1894 deaths 19th-century American architects