Joseph-Jacques Ramée (April 26, 1764 in Charlemont, France — May 18, 1842 at the Chateau de Beaurains,

Noyon Noyon (; pcd, Noéyon; la, Noviomagus Veromanduorum, Noviomagus of the Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, a ...

) was a French

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 ...

interior designer Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. An interior designer is someone who plans, researches, coordina ...

, and

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

working within the

neoclassicist Neoclassicism (also spelled Neo-classicism) was a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassicism was ...

idiom. He was a student of the architect and landscape architect

François-Joseph Bélanger François-Joseph Bélanger (; 12 April 1744 – 1 May 1818) was a French architect and decorator working in the Neoclassicism, Neoclassic style. Life Born in Paris, Bélanger attended the Académie Royale d'Architecture (1764–1766) whe ...

. In his lifetime, he worked in France, Denmark, Germany, Belgium, and the United States. He also published books on

landscaping Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including the following: # Living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal o ...

with his own numerous garden designs as examples. Ramée is known for his work at

Union College Union College is a private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the state of New York, after Columbia Co ...

, in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady () is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-largest city by population. The city is in eastern New Y ...

, where in 1812 he designed the first comprehensively planned college campus in America

Work at Union College

By the early 1800s he had already established a reputation as a skilled designer of landscapes combined with houses and other kinds of buildings. New York State land speculator David Parish, for whose father Ramée had designed an estate in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, Germany, persuaded Ramée to visit America in search of projects.Tunnard (1964), p. 7 Ramée arrived in the northern Adirondacks in late 1812 to work on projects in and around the small towns on Parish's vast tracts. Parish also acted as agent in finding Ramée other work.Turner (1996), p. 182Tunnard (1964), p. 10 On a return trip to Philadelphia in January 1813, Parish introduced Ramée to

Eliphalet Nott Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866), was a famed Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York. Early life Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 1773 ...

, the ambitious president of Union College anxious to relocate the school to a large plot he had already purchased for the purpose. Nott hired Ramée almost immediately to draw up plans for the new campus, for the sum of $1,500. Ramée worked on the drawings for about a year,Turner (1984), p. 68 and construction of two of the college buildings, North and South Halls, proceeded quickly enough to permit occupation in 1814.Turner (1996), p. 189 The Union College campus thus became the first comprehensively planned college campus in the United States.Turner (1996), p. 190

Images

Image:Joseph Ramée Landhaus 1.jpg, Mansion proposal, front façade and situation plan, 1796 Image:Joseph Ramée Landhaus 2.jpg, Mansion proposal, garden façade and ground plan, 1796 Image:Joseph Ramée Badezimmer Brun Kopenhagen.jpg, Bathing room in the Brun family townhouse, Copenhagen

References

External links

Union College

Exhibit on Joseph Ramee with Exhibition Catalog by Paul Turner

Bibliography

* Paul Venable Turner: ''Joseph Ramée. International Architect of the Revolutionary Era.'' Cambridge/New York/Melbourne 1996 * Bärbel Hedinger und Julia Berger (Hrsg.): ''Joseph Ramée, Gartenkunst, Architektur, Dekoration, ein Internationaler Baukünstler des Klassizismus'', Altonaer Museum,

Deutscher Kunstverlag The Deutscher Kunstverlag (DKV) is an educational publishing house with offices in Berlin and Munich. The publisher specializes in books about art, cultural history, architecture, and historic preservation. History Deutscher Kunstverlag was fo ...

, München, Berlin 2003 * * * French neoclassical architects 18th-century French architects 19th-century French architects French landscape architects 1764 births 1842 deaths People from Givet {{France-architect-stub