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Julian Francis Abele (April 30, 1881April 23, 1950) was a prominent Black American
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 chief designer in the offices of
Horace Trumbauer Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of ...
. He contributed to the design of more than 400 buildings, including the Widener Memorial Library at
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of highe ...
(1912–15),
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sin ...
's Central Library (1917–27), and the
Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin ...
(1914–28). He was the primary designer of the west campus of
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jame ...
(1924–54). Abele's contributions to the Trumbauer firm were great, but the only building for which he claimed authorship during Trumbauer's lifetime was Duke University Chapel. Following Trumbauer's 1938 death, he co-headed the architectural firm and designed additional buildings at Duke, including Allen Administrative Building and
Cameron Indoor Stadium Cameron Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The 9,314-seat facility is the primary indoor athletic venue for the Duke Blue Devils and serves as the home court for Duke men's a ...
.


Background

Abele was born in
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sin ...
into a prominent family. His maternal grandfather was Robert Jones, who in the late 18th century founded the city's Lombard Street Central Presbyterian Church. He was also related to
Absalom Jones Absalom Jones (November 7, 1746February 13, 1818) was an African-American abolitionist and clergyman who became prominent in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Disappointed at the racial discrimination he experienced in a local Methodist church, he found ...
, who established the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas in 1794, the first Black church in Philadelphia. Abele's son, Julian Francis Abele, Jr. was an architectural engineer and his nephew, Julian Abele Cook, worked as the Building Coordinator for Howard University. Abele worked in many media: watercolor, lithography, etching and pencil, wood, iron, gold and silver. He designed and constructed all of his own furniture, even doing the petit point himself. While he knew many historic styles, he seemed to love Louis XIV French most of all.


Education

Abele attended the
Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...
-run
Institute for Colored Youth The Institute for Colored Youth was founded in 1837 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It became the first high school for African-Americans in the United States, although there were schools that admitted African Americans preceding ...
, which later became Cheyney University, where he excelled in mathematics and was chosen to deliver the commencement address.Webster, Josephine Faulkner. "Julian Francis Abele (1881-1950)." In Wilson, Dreck Spurlock (ed.), ''African-American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945'', 2004, pp. 1–3. Taylor & Francis. In 1898, he completed a two-year architectural drawing course at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art (PMSIA, now University of the Arts). He was the first Black student admitted to the Department of Architecture at the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
. This achievement was all the more noteworthy for the restrictions Black people faced at the university, including not being able to live in dormitories or dine in the school's cafeteria. On projects assigned to pairs of students, he partnered with Louis Magaziner, the only Jewish student in the department, who also faced discrimination. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship between the two. He won a 1901 student competition to design a Beaux Arts pedestrian gateway. His submission was in the form of an
exedra An exedra (plural: exedras or exedrae) is a semicircular architectural recess or platform, sometimes crowned by a semi-dome, and either set into a building's façade or free-standing. The original Greek sense (''ἐξέδρα'', a seat out of d ...
– a curved bench flanked by piers, but with steps passing through its center. This became his first commission when it was built on the campus of
Haverford College Haverford College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Haverford, Pennsylvania. It was founded as a men's college in 1833 by members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), began accepting non-Quakers in 1849, and became coeducational ...
. The Edward B. Conklin Memorial Gate stands at the Railroad Avenue entrance to the college. He was widely respected among his peers, earning the nickname "Willing and Able", and also won student awards for his designs for a post office and a museum of botany, and he was elected as the president of the university's Architectural Society. He became the University of Pennsylvania architecture department's first Black graduate in 1902. He worked part-time for a local architect and attend evening classes at the
Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is a museum and private art school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
. Under the financial sponsorship of Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer, he traveled through France and Italy, an experience that was to influence his design work throughout his life.


École des Beaux-Arts

Between 1903 and his hiring by
Horace Trumbauer Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – September 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of ...
in 1906, Abele traveled throughout Europe. His descendants contend that he studied at 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 centur ...
in Paris during his stay. But Sandra L. Tatman, co-author of ''The Biographical Dictionary of Philadelphia Architects, 1700-1930'', could find no record of his having been enrolled at the École. She allows that he may have been permitted to informally sit in on the school's
atelier An atelier () is the private workshop or studio of a professional artist in the fine or decorative arts or an architect, where a principal master and a number of assistants, students, and apprentices can work together producing fine art or ...
. She also notes that Abele listed travel to France, Italy, England, Germany, Switzerland, and Spain on his membership application to 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 sup ...
(AIA), but not study at the École des Beaux-Arts.


Career

Immediately after his graduation from the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest- ...
in 1902, Abele traveled west to
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Cana ...
, where he designed a house for his sister, Elizabeth Abele Cook, before returning east. In 1906, Abele joined the Trumbauer firm as assistant to chief designer Frank Seeburger. When Seeburger left the firm in 1909, Abele advanced to chief designer. Abele's stature within the firm was no secret; he was the second-highest paid employee. He was an architect. Art historia
David B. Brownlee
studied the 14-year effort to design and build the
Philadelphia Museum of Art The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMoA) is an art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The main museum building was completed in 1928 on Fairmount, a hill located at the northwest end of the Benjamin ...
, 1914-28. He credits Trumbauer architect
Howell Lewis Shay Howell may refer to: Places In the United Kingdom * Howell, Lincolnshire, England In the United States * Howell, Georgia * Howell, Evansville, a neighborhood of Evansville, Indiana *Howell, Michigan * Howell, Missouri * Howell, Utah *Howell ...
with the building's plan and massing, but notes that the final perspective drawings are in Abele's distinctive hand. Design of the exterior terracing, including the front steps celebrated in the 1976 film ''
Rocky ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burges ...
'', is credited to Abele. Following Trumbauer's death in 1938, the firm continued until 1950 under the name "Office of Horace Trumbauer," co-headed by Abele and William O. Frank. Commissions were hard to come by during
The Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagion ...
and World War II, but the firm completed Duke Indoor Stadium at
Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist Jame ...
in 1940, which was renamed
Cameron Indoor Stadium Cameron Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The 9,314-seat facility is the primary indoor athletic venue for the Duke Blue Devils and serves as the home court for Duke men's a ...
in 1972, and later made additions to Duke's Library (1948) and designed Duke's Allen Administrative Building (1954). When Abele joined 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 sup ...
in 1942, Philadelphia Museum of Art director Fiske Kimball called him "one of the most sensitive designers in America". ''
Smithsonian Magazine ''Smithsonian'' is the official journal published by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. The first issue was published in 1970. History The history of ''Smithsonian'' began when Edward K. Thompson, the retired editor of ''Life'' mag ...
'' described him, in a career retrospective, as "probably the most accomplished lack architectof his era." Despite being the primary designer of Duke University, Abele was refused accommodations at a Durham hotel during a visit to campus.Henry Magaziner, son of Abele's U. of P. classmate and friend Louis Magaziner, in a 1989 interview. Quoted in Susan E. Tifft, "Out of the Shadows," ''Smithsonian Magazine'', February 2005. Although it was not until 1988 that a portrait of him was displayed at the University, the main quad at Duke University is now officially name
Abele Quad
with a dedication plaque prominently placed at the busiest spot on campus.


Personal

In 1925, at the age of 44, he married Marguerite Bulle, a French pianist 20 years his junior. They had three children: Julian Abele, Jr., Marguerite Marie Abele (died young), and Nadia Boulanger Abele. Marguerite left him in 1936, to become the common-law wife of opera singer Jozef Kowalewski, with whom she had three additional children. Because Abele never took action to divorce his wife, the Kowalewski children shared in his estate.Cf. Tifft 2005 He died from a heart attack in 1950, in Philadelphia and is interred at Eden Cemetery in Collingdale, Pennsylvania.


Legacy

*The Allen Administration Building at Duke University, which he designed, was completed after his death in 1950. *In 1988 Duke University honored Abele with his portrait that is displayed in the main lobby of the Allen Building. It was the first portrait of an African-American to be displayed on the campus. To prominently acknowledge his contribution to Duke University's West Campus, the main quad at Duke is now officially named Abele Quad with a dedication plaque prominently placed at the very center of west campus. *On August 17, 2012, construction began on Julian Abele Park, at 22nd & Carpenter Streets in Philadelphia. *Architectural historia
Dreck Spurlock Wilson
is preparing the first biography of Abele.


Gallery

File:Abele T-Square Club Catalogue 1915 p.14.jpg, ''Gothic House, Tours, France'' (1915), sketch by Abele File:Philadelphia-stairs.jpg, "Rocky Steps" and terraces, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA (1928). File:Duke Chapel 4 16 05.jpg, Duke University Chapel, Durham, NC (1932). File:Cameron indoor.jpg,
Cameron Indoor Stadium Cameron Indoor Stadium is an indoor arena located on the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. The 9,314-seat facility is the primary indoor athletic venue for the Duke Blue Devils and serves as the home court for Duke men's a ...
, Duke University, Durham, NC (1940). File:Krzyzewskiville lawn2.jpg, Krzyzewskiville Lawn, Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC. File:AllenBuilding.jpg, Allen Administrative Building, Duke University, Durham, NC (1954).


See also

* List of Cheyney University of Pennsylvania alumni


References


Further reading

* Doyle, Rachel B.
"Meet the black architect who designed Duke University 37 years before he could have attended it"
''Curbed'', December 6, 2017 * Magaziner, Henry J., ''As I Remember Julian Abele'', (unpublished typescript, biography file, Athenaeum of Philadelphia). The author was the son of Abele's friend Louis Magaziner. * Maher, James T., ''The Twilight of Splendor; Chronicles of the Age of American Palaces'', (Boston: Little, Brown, 1975). * Tifft, Susan E.

''Smithsonian Magazine'', February 2005. * Wilson, Dreck Spurlock, ''African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945'', (London: Routledge-Taylor & Francis Books, 2004). * Wilson, Dreck Spurlock
"Julian Abele, Architect and the Beaux Arts"
(London: Routledge-Taylor & Francis Books, 2019).


External links

*
Abele, Julian (1881 - 1950)
— ''"Philadelphia Architects and Buildings" biography''.

— ''Duke University Historical Note, University Archives''.

— ''at the Pennsylvania Museum School of Industrial Art''.

— ''Overview of an archival collection featuring Julian Abele''.
Julian Abele, Architect and the Beaux Arts
— ''Information on architect Julian Abele, including Building and Artwork Galleries''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Abele, Julian 1881 births 1950 deaths Architects from Philadelphia Burials at Eden Cemetery (Collingdale, Pennsylvania) Duke University people Cheyney University of Pennsylvania alumni University of Pennsylvania School of Design alumni University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts alumni African-American architects 20th-century American architects 20th-century African-American artists