John Rudolph Niernsee (May 27, 1814 – June 7, 1885) was an American architect. He served as the head architect for the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

(B. & O.). Rudolph also largely contributed to the design and construction of the

South Carolina State House The South Carolina State House is the building housing the government of the U.S. state of South Carolina, which includes the South Carolina General Assembly and the offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina. Located in t ...

located in

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the city ...

. Along with his partner,

James Crawford Neilson James Crawford Neilson (October 14, 1816 – December 21, 1900), or J. Crawford Neilson, was a Baltimore, Maryland-based architect. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1816. After the death of his father in 1822 the family moved to England ...

, Rudolph established the standard for professional design and construction of public works projects within Baltimore and across different states in the United States.

Early life

He was born as Johann Rudolph Niernsee in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, capital city of the old

Austrian Empire The Austrian Empire (german: link=no, Kaiserthum Oesterreich, modern spelling , ) was a Central-Eastern European multinational great power from 1804 to 1867, created by proclamation out of the realms of the Habsburgs. During its existence, ...

and immigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in 1837, at age 22.

Career

He apprenticed to

Benjamin Henry Latrobe, II Benjamin Henry Latrobe II (December 19, 1806 – October 19, 1878) was an American civil engineer, best known for his railway bridges, and a railway executive. Personal life Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on December 19, 1806, he was the ...

, (1806–1878), engineer and manager at the B. & O. and other railroads, (and son of another well-known architect, his father

Benjamin Henry Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was an Anglo-American neoclassical architect who emigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, draw ...

, 1764–1820). In 1847, with

, (1816–1900), he formed the Niernsee & Neilson architectural firm that largely served the

, (B. & O.). He is credited with having mentored

Ephraim Francis Baldwin Ephraim Francis Baldwin (October 4, 1837 – January 20, 1916) was an American architect, best known for his work for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and for the Roman Catholic Church. Personal life Although born in Troy, New York, Baldwin liv ...

, (1837–1916), another well-known

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

architect (and formed the similarly locally-famous firm

Baldwin & Pennington Baldwin & Pennington was the architectural partnership with Ephraim Francis Baldwin (1837-1916) and Josias Pennington (1854-1929) based in Baltimore, Maryland. The firm designed an incredibly large number of prominent structures throughout the Midd ...

with

Josias Pennington Baldwin & Pennington was the architectural partnership with Ephraim Francis Baldwin (1837-1916) and Josias Pennington (1854-1929) based in Baltimore, Maryland. The firm designed an incredibly large number of prominent structures throughout the Midd ...

, 854–1929, who also designed buildings and stations for the

(B. & O.). During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

(1861-1865), Niernsee served in the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

as a

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Selected works

Works by Niernsee or by the firm (with attribution) are: *Grace Episcopal (later called Grace and St. Peter's Church) Park Avenue & West Monument Street, 1850–52 designed with Nielsen *Emmanuel Episcopal Cathedral at Eager St, 1857, designed with Nielsen *The

Green Mount Cemetery Green Mount Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Established on March 15, 1838, and dedicated on July 13, 1839, it is noted for the large number of historical figures interred in its grounds as well as many ...

hilltop chapel, on Greenmount Avenue,

, Maryland, which he designed with Nielsen, is a

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 ...

work. *Baltimore's

Johns Hopkins Hospital The Johns Hopkins Hospital (JHH) is the teaching hospital and biomedical research facility of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, located in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. It was founded in 1889 using money from a bequest of over $7 million (1873 mo ...

at 500 Broadway, and the

Johns Hopkins Colored Children Orphan Asylum Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

* 1855–56: St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church (by Niernsee & Neilson), Baltimore. Listed on the

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 ...

(NRHP) in 1982. *1855: Saint Paul's Church, 102 North Union Street,

Petersburg, Virginia Petersburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,458. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines Petersburg (along with the city of Colonial Heights) with Din ...

(Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed. *c. 1855,

Villa Anneslie Villa Anneslie is a historic home located at Towson, Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It was built about 1855 as a summer home. Designed by architect John Rudolph Niernsee, it is an Italianate two-story villa built in brick and covered ...

(mansion), 529 Dunkirk Road,

Towson, Maryland Towson () is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 55,197 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Baltimore County and the second-most populous unincorpo ...

(Niernsee, John Rudolph), NRHP-listed. *1856-1865,

Camden Street Station, 301 West Camden Street,

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

(Niernsee & Neilson) * 1868:

Aigburth Vale Aigburth Vale house at 212 Aigburth Road in Towson was designed in 1868, by architects Niernsee & Neilson, as a country home for wealthy actor John E. Owens. Most of the property of the estate was originally known as the Rock Spring Farm of E ...

(mansion) in Towson (by Niernsee & Neilson), listed on the

(NRHP) in 1999. * 1870:

Churchville Presbyterian Church Churchville Presbyterian Church is a historic Presbyterian church located at Churchville, Harford County, Maryland. It consists of three harmoniously designed sections: the original one-story, four by three bay, gable-roofed brick building da ...

(Italianate clock tower by Niernsee & Neilson),

Churchville, Maryland Churchville is an unincorporated community in Harford County, Maryland, United States, situated between the county seat, Bel Air, and Aberdeen, where Aberdeen Proving Ground is located. Population The population of the area is 2,818. History an ...

, listed on the NRHP in 1986. * ca. 1870: Clifton Mansion (renovation of earlier mansion of Col. Henry Thompson) for new owner

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland where he remained for most ...

(1795-1873), at Clifton Park (by Niernsee & Neilson), listed on the NRHP in 2007. *The

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

, in Columbia, is another

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 ...

building which Niernsee designed, c. 1851, although full implementation was delayed. From 1888 to 1891, a time when much of the interior work was completed, it was in fact Niernsee's son, Frank McHenry Niernsee, who served as architect. NRHP-listed.<-- Grace Church, Baltimore Sun Paper March 12, 1852 pg1—unclear fragment --> *The

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops is a historic industrial district in Martinsburg, West Virginia. It is significant both for its railroading architecture by Albert Fink and John Rudolph Niernsee and for its role in the Great Railroad ...

Martinsburg, West Virginia Martinsburg is a city in and the seat of Berkeley County, West Virginia, in the tip of the state's Eastern Panhandle region in the lower Shenandoah Valley. Its population was 18,835 in the 2021 census estimate, making it the largest city in the E ...

, which he designed with engineer

Albert Fink Albert Fink (October 27, 1827 – April 3, 1897) was a German-born civil engineer who worked in the United States. He is best known for his railroad bridge designs, which helped revolutionize the use of iron for American railroad bridge construct ...

, were declared a

in 2003. and Not in date order: * Church of the Most Holy Trinity, 720 Telfair Street,

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navig ...

(Niernsee, John Rudolph), NRHP-listed *St. Mary's Catholic Church (1858) located in the Edgefield Historic District, located along both sides of

U.S. Route 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

through the town of

Edgefield, South Carolina Edgefield is a town in Edgefield County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 4,750 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Edgefield County. Edgefield is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area. Geography Edgefield is l ...

(Niernsee,John R.), NRHP-listed. * Emmanuel Church, U.S. Route 301,

Port Conway, Virginia Port Conway is an unincorporated community on the north side of the Rappahannock River in King George County, in the Northern Neck of Virginia. It is opposite Port Royal, which is on the south side of the river in Caroline County. James Madison ...

. (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed/ *

Martin's Brandon Church Martin's Brandon Church, also known as Brandon Church and as Martin's Brandon Episcopal Church, is a historic Episcopal church located at 18706 James River Drive in Burrowsville, Virginia. Martin's Brandon Parish was formed in the early 17th c ...

, Virginia Highways 10 and 1201, Burrowsville. (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed. *

Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House is a historic United Methodist Church, United Methodist church located at 2-10 Mount Vernon Place, Mount Vernon, Baltimore, Mount Vernon in Baltimore, Maryland. The church "is one of the ...

, 2–10 East Mount Vernon Place/East Monument Street (at North Charles Street/Washington Place-North), Baltimore, (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed.

Personal life

Niernsee was buried at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina.

References

External links

John Rudolph Niernsee, at Maryland ArtSource
{{DEFAULTSORT:Niernsee, John Rudolph Johns Hopkins Hospital Architects from Baltimore 1814 births 1885 deaths Artists from Vienna Austrian Empire emigrants to the United States People of Maryland in the American Civil War 19th-century American architects American railway architects