Robert Sands Schuyler (March 6, 1830 – July 24, 1895), often written as R. S. Schuyler and occasionally as R. V. Schuyler (perhaps from a bad NRHP transcription), was a New York architect, designer, and religious leader who moved to Florida and joined political, religious, and civil organizations on Amelia Island. He served as Clerk of the City of Fernandina, chaired the Fernandina Library Association when it was established in 1891, and was a lay reader at the

Santa Fe Lake Santa Fe Lake is the name of two waterbodies: a reservoir in south of downtown Williams in North Central Arizona, and a natural lake in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Ski Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. The reservo ...

, Florida, Episcopal congregation.

Early life

Schuyler was born in New York City on March 6, 1830. He was educated and married in Troy, New York He was the son of

Robert Schuyler Robert Schuyler or Robert Livingston Schuyler (September 16, 1798 – November 15, 1855), was a financier, steamboat operator, and railroad president who acted as the de facto head of the prominent Schuyler family during his adulthood. Schuy ...

(1798–1855) and Lucinda Wood Schuyler. His paternal grandparents were

Philip Jeremiah Schuyler Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (January 21, 1768 – February 21, 1835) was an American politician from New York. His siblings included Angelica Schuyler, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer. Life He was the son of Re ...

(1768–1835), a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

, and Sarah Rutsen. His grandfather was the son of Philip Schuyler, a Revolutionary War General and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, and

Catherine Van Rensselaer Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler ;, also known as "Kitty", (November 10, 1734 – March 7, 1803) was a Colonial and post-Colonial American socialite and the matriarch of the prominent colonial Schuyler family as wife of Philip Schuyler. Early l ...

, a member of the prominent Van Rensselaer family.

Career

Fernandina Beach FL Fairbanks House plaque01

During the

U.S. 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 ...

, he served in the Union cavalry. In 1881, Schuyler and his wife moved to Florida, joining prominent political, religious, and civil organizations on Amelia Island. He served as Clerk of the City of Fernandina, was Chair of the Fernandina Library Association when it was established in 1891, and was a lay reader at the Santa Fe, Florida, Episcopal congregation.

Carpenter Gothic churches

He designed churches in Santa Fe, Fairbanks, and Waldo, many in the Carpenter Gothic style. Carpenter Gothic architecture was developed by Richard Upjohn, whom Episcopal Bishop John Freeman Young of Florida had known while he was an assistant rector of Trinity Church in New York City. St. John's served as a model for various churches in Waldo, Fairbanks, as well as the St. Paul's By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in Pablo Beach which Schuyler designed in 1887. In Santa Fe, Schuyler designed St. John's Chapel on land donated by E. B. Ewing.

Buildings in Fernandina Beach

He is credited with the Fairbanks House (Fernandina Beach, Florida), the Tabby House (Fernandina Beach, Florida) , and the

Marcellus Williams Felicia Gayle Picus (known as Lisha) was a ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' reporter who was found stabbed to death in her St. Louis, Missouri home. Murder Gayle, 42 years old at the time, was murdered during a burglary in her gated community home in t ...

Marcellus Williams House Marcellus may refer to: * Marcellus (name) * Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Roman commander Places * Marcellus, Lot-et-Garonne, France * Marcellus Township, Michigan ** Marcellus, Michigan, a village in Marcellus Township ** Marcellus Community Schoo ...

Williams House (Fernandina Beach, Florida) Williams House or Williams Farm may refer to: United States (by state, then city/town) Arkansas * Arthur Williams Homestead, Feed Storage Shed, Bradford, Arkansas, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in White County * Maguire ...

, all on Amelia Island's

Fernandina Beach Fernandina may refer to: *Fernandina Beach, Florida **Original Town of Fernandina Historic Site *Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands *Fernandina (fruit), a citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae ...

Nassau County, Florida Nassau County is the northeasternmost county of the U.S. state of Florida. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county's population was 90,352. The county seat and the largest incorporated city is Fernandina Beach. Nassau County is ...

. The Fairbanks House belonged to

George Rainsford Fairbanks George Rainsford Fairbanks (1820–1906) was a lawyer, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Florida State Senator, president of Florida Fruit Growers Association and the Florida Fruit Exchange; editor of the '' Florida Mirror''; the author of books on ...

and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Works

George Fairbanks House The Fairbanks House (also known as the Maj. George R. Fairbanks House) is a historic site in Fernandina Beach, Florida. It was built in 1885 for George Rainsford Fairbanks. R. S. Schuyler was the building's architect. It is located at 227 South ...

* Tabby House 7th and Ash Streets * 1886 School House *

Hirth House Hirth Engines GmbH is an engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany. It is currently a part of the UMS Aero Group. Hirth began manufacturing aero engines in the 1920s, was taken over by Heinkel in WWII to develop the Heinkel-Hirth jet engi ...

* St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 317 Florida Avenue, Jacksonville Gothic Revival 1887. Only remaining church from before the 1901 fire. * St. Peters Church, Fernandina (1884)

Gallery

File:StAndrewsEpiscopalJax.PNG, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Jacksonville File:Fort George Island SP St George Episcopal04.jpg, St. George Episcopal Church in Jacksonville File:Fernandina Beach FL Fairbanks House01.jpg, Fairbanks House on

, Amelia Island File:Fernandina Beach FL Tabby House01.jpg, Tabby House

Personal life

In 1864, Schuyler was married to Caroline E. Acker (1840-1905). Schuyler died in

Fernandina, Florida Fernandina Beach is a city in northeastern Florida and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, United States. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is one of the principal municipalities comp ...

on July 24, 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuyler, Robert Sands Architects from New York City 1830 births 1895 deaths Schuyler family 19th-century American architects People from Fernandina Beach, Florida Anglican lay readers