Napoleon Eugene Charles Henry LeBrun (January 2, 1821 – July 9, 1901) was an 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 ...
. He began his career 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. Sinc ...
designing churches and theatres including
St. Augustine's Church, the
Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia. It was built between ...
and the
Philadelphia Academy of Music
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at 240 S. Broad Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its location is between Locust and Manning Streets in the Avenue of the Arts area of ...
. He moved to
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 ...
, established the firm Napoleon LeBrun & Sons and designed multiple additional churches. He became the official architect of the Fire Department of New York and designed 42 firehouses between 1879 and 1895. He also designed early skyscrapers in New York City such as the
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (colloquially known as the Met Life Tower and also as the South Building) is a skyscraper occupying a full block in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. The building is composed of ...
and the
Home Life Building
The Home Life Building, also known as 253 Broadway, is an office building in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is in Manhattan's Tribeca and Civic Center neighborhoods at the northwest corner of Broadway and Murray Street, adjacent to City H ...
.
Biography
In Philadelphia
LeBrun was born on January 2, 1821 in Philadelphia to Charles and Adelaide (Madelaine) LeBrun. Both parents were well-educated Catholics born in France. His father supported the family by working as an author, teacher and translator. LeBrun's early architectural training began at the age of 15 when he worked in the offices of
Thomas Ustick Walter
Thomas Ustick Walter (September 4, 1804 – October 30, 1887) was an American architect of German descent, the dean of American architecture between the 1820 death of Benjamin Latrobe and the emergence of H.H. Richardson in the 1870s. He was ...
.
In 1847, LeBrun designed the
St. Augustine Church in Philadelphia. After six years with Walter, LeBrun left to set up his own office in 1841,
eventually receiving as his major commissions the
Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia. It was built between ...
(1846–1864) and the
Academy of Music (1857).
As a young man in his twenties, LeBrun found opportunity in the booming industrial development of the
Schuylkill Valley
The Schuylkill River ( , ) is a river running northwest to southeast in eastern Pennsylvania. The river was improved by navigations into the Schuylkill Canal, and several of its tributaries drain major parts of Pennsylvania's Coal Region. It f ...
of Pennsylvania in the 1840s. His other early work includes the original version of Trinity Episcopal Church, Pottsville (1847), still standing though much altered by later revisions. His design for the church led to the commission for the
Schuylkill County Prison (1851) when the county seat moved from
Orwigsburg to
Pottsville. He also designed the first
Columbia County Courthouse in
Bloomsburg and the 1854
Montgomery County Courthouse in
Norristown Norristown may mean:
* Norristown, Arkansas, an unincorporated community
* Norristown, Georgia, an unincorporated community
* Norristown, Indiana, an unincorporated community
* Norristown, Pennsylvania
Norristown is a municipality with home ...
. Although both were later extensively redesigned and expanded, the notable marble facade of the Montgomery County Courthouse remains his outward and identifying creation.
In Philadelphia, LeBrun was known for his many churches, including not only St. Augustine's and the Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, but also St. Patrick's Catholic Church (1841) on 20th Street and the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany (1848) on 17th Street, now St. John Chrysostom Albanian Orthodox Church.
In New York City
In 1864, LeBrun relocated his office and family to
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 ...
, establishing his reputation there with the Masonic Temple (1870) on
West 23rd Street in Manhattan, designed in the
Second Empire style
Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...
;
in 1911 the Temple was torn down to be replaced with the current Masonic Building designed by Harry P. Knowles. In 1870, LeBrun's son, Pierre, joined the firm, which became "Napoleon LeBrun & Son" in 1880, and in 1892 "Napoleon LeBrun & Sons" after his younger son Michel also joined.
As in Philadelphia, LeBrun and his firm, often with Pierre as the lead architect, designed numerous churches in New York City, including the
Roman Catholic Church of St. John the Baptist (1872) on
West 31st Street and the
Episcopal Church of St. Mary the Virgin (1894–1895) on
West 46th Street in the
Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing several of a city's theatres.
Places
*Theater District, Manhattan, New York City
*Boston Theater District
*Buffalo Theater District
*Cleveland Theater ...
neighborhood.
St Mary's was the first church in the world to be designed with a concealed steel skeleton, for this reason it was known in its early days as the "Chicago Church", after the
Chicago school of architecture, which was largely responsible for the use of steel skeletons in skyscraper construction.
Other ecclesiastical commissions included the Seventh Presbyterian Church (1842, demolished), the Scots (or Second) Presbyterian Church (1843, no longer extant), the Church of St. Peter the Apostle (German Catholic) on
5th Street (1843, no longer extant), the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Nativity (1844, demolished 2013), the
Lombard-style Church of the Epiphany (1869–1870, burned down), and St. Ann's Roman Catholic Church on
East 12th Street, for which LeBrun designed a
French Gothic
French Gothic architecture is an architectural style which emerged in France in 1140, and was dominant until the mid-16th century. The most notable examples are the great Gothic cathedrals of France, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, Reims Cathedra ...
sanctuary in 1871 which sat behind the original 1847 facade; in 2006 everything but that facade was demolished - it now stands freely in front of a college dormitory built on the site of the sanctuary. His office is also responsible for the current
St. Michael's Church (34th Street, Manhattan) church, rectory, convent, and school (1904–1907), which incorporate elements of an earlier church by Lawrence J. O'Connor which was demolished for the construction of the
North River Tunnels
The North River Tunnels are a pair of rail tunnels that carry Amtrak and New Jersey Transit passenger lines under the Hudson River between Weehawken, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania Station in Manhattan, New York City, New York. Built between 1904 ...
and
Pennsylvania Station
Pennsylvania Station (often abbreviated Penn Station) is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) to several of its grand passenger terminals. Several are still in active use by Amtrak and other transportation services; others have been ...
.
In 1879, LeBrun served as 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 ...
representative on the Board of Examiners of the Building Bureau of the Fire Department.
[ He became the official architect of the ]Fire Department of New York
The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services, ...
and between 1879 and 1895, his firm designed 42 buildings, including fire houses, a fire pier and a warehouse.[ He also designed some of the earliest ]skyscrapers
A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Modern sources currently define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition. Skyscrapers are very tall high-ris ...
, including the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower (colloquially known as the Met Life Tower and also as the South Building) is a skyscraper occupying a full block in the Flatiron District of Manhattan in New York City. The building is composed of ...
and the Home Life Building
The Home Life Building, also known as 253 Broadway, is an office building in Lower Manhattan, New York City. It is in Manhattan's Tribeca and Civic Center neighborhoods at the northwest corner of Broadway and Murray Street, adjacent to City H ...
.
Death
LeBrun died in 1901 in New York City, and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery
Laurel Hill Cemetery is a historic rural cemetery in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia. Founded in 1836, it was the second major rural cemetery in the United States after Mount Auburn Cemetery in Boston, Massachusetts.
The cemetery is ...
in Philadelphia.
Gallery
File:2013 Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul from across the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.jpg , Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia. It was built between ...
(1846–1864) in Philadelphia
File:2013 Academy of Music from north.jpg , The Academy of Music in Philadelphia (1857)
File:Masonic Temple, N.Y, from Robert N. Dennis collection of stereoscopic views crop.jpg , The now-demolished Masonic Temple in Manhattan (1875) which helped established LeBrun's reputation in New York City
File:St. John the Baptist Church steeple.jpg , The steeple of the Church of St. John the Baptist (1872) in Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, 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 ...
File:DCTV-DN-firehouse-800x600.jpg, Firehouse, Engine Company 31
Firehouse, Engine Company 31 is a historic fire station located at 87 Lafayette Street between Walker and White Streets in the Civic Center neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1895 and designed by architects Napoleon LeBrun ...
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lebrun, Napoleon
1821 births
1901 deaths
19th-century American architects
19th-century American businesspeople
American company founders
American people of French descent
Defunct architecture firms based in New York City
American ecclesiastical architects
Architecture firms based in Pennsylvania
Architects from Philadelphia
Architects of Roman Catholic churches
Architects of cathedrals
Artists from Philadelphia
Architects from New York City
Burials at Laurel Hill Cemetery (Philadelphia)
Chicago school architects