Joseph Hubert McGuire (January 21, 1866 — April 28, 1947) was an American architect practicing in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, where he specialized in Catholic churches and institutions. According to his headstone, McGuire was born January 21, 1865, although all other sources indicate 1866. (Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, NY)

Early life and education

He was born in New York in 1866 and studied at

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...

St. Francis College , mottoeng = My God, My All , established = , type = Private college , chancellor = , president = Miguel Martinez-Saenz , provost = Jennifer Lancas ...

and the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

in Paris. McGuire's training at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris made him a deft practitioner in the Beaux-Arts styles.

Architectural practice

His Holy Trinity Church (1910–12) on West 82nd Street in New York's

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, has a dome of

Guastavino tile The Guastavino tile arch system is a version of Catalan vault introduced to the United States in 1885 by Spanish architect and builder Rafael Guastavino (1842–1908). It was patented in the United States by Guastavino in 1892. Description ...

. According to Frederick D. Talor in his article "Medieval New York – Holy Trinity Church", the church was built deliberately in the Byzantine style, unusual for the time, and has been "considered to be one of the finest examples of Byzantine architecture in this country." He also designed the Actors' Chapel at

Saint Malachy's Roman Catholic Church St. Malachy Roman Catholic Church is a parish church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located in Manhattan on West 49th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. The parish has served the theatre community in a special way sinc ...

on West 49th Street in the theater district and St Rose of Lima in Rockaway Beach, New York City. McGuire's most prominent commission, however, was the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Richmond, Virginia (1903–06). He was chosen as architect for this cathedral by philanthropist

Thomas Fortune Ryan Thomas Fortune Ryan (October 17, 1851 – November 23, 1928) was an American tobacco, insurance and transportation magnate. Although he lived in New York City for much of his adult career, Ryan was perhaps the greatest benefactor of the Roman Ca ...

who provided much of the funding for the construction and with whom McGuire had previously collaborated to build the Church of the Sacred Heart in Manchester (now part of Richmond). ''The Virginia Landmarks Register'' states that the cathedral is "a glorious celebration of Roman Catholic art and architecture" and also mentions that the original plans for the building are preserved in Richmond's Valentine Museum. Among his commissions for schools, hospitals, commercial buildings and some residences were the designs for the chapel and assembly hall at Westchester Protectory and St Elizabeth's Hospital, New York.

Personal life

McGuire served in France for nine months in the first World War as the secretary of the

Knights of Columbus The Knights of Columbus (K of C) is a global Catholic fraternal service order founded by Michael J. McGivney on March 29, 1882. Membership is limited to practicing Catholic men. It is led by Patrick E. Kelly, the order's 14th Supreme Knight. ...

. He was the author of several articles published in brochure form between 1919 and 1932. He was a member of the

AIA AIA or A.I.A. or Aia may refer to: Aia * Aia, a small town in the Basque province of Gipuzkoa, Spain * Aia, current Kutaisi, ancient capital of Colchis * Aia, another name for Aea (Malis), an ancient town in Greece * ''Aia'', the collected ed ...

Society of Beaux-Arts Architects A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societi ...

, Architectural League of New York, New Rochelle Board of Education, The United States Catholic Historical Society, and other organizations.

Other significant works include

* Church of the Sacred Heart,

Richmond, VA (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

(also funded by Ryan, built prior to the cathedral) * Holy Family Church,

New Rochelle, NY New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

* Sacred Heart Church, Suffern, NY * Holy Trinity Church,

* St. Stephen of Hungary Church,

* St. Rose of Lima Church,

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGuire, Joseph Hubert American ecclesiastical architects 1866 births 1947 deaths American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts Architects from New York City Architects of Roman Catholic churches St. Francis College alumni