Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-born
American architect who emigrated to the United States and became most famous for his
Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to such popularity in the United States. Upjohn also did extensive work in and helped to popularize the
Italianate style. He was a founder and the first president of 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 ...
. His son,
Richard Michell Upjohn, (1828-1903), was also a well-known architect and served as a partner in his continued architectural firm in New York.
[Doumato, Lamia. Richard Upjohn, Richard Michell Upjohn, and the Gothic Revival in America. Monticello, Ill: Vance Bibliographies, 1984. ][Upjohn, Everard M. Richard Upjohn, Architect and Churchman. New York: Columbia University Press, 1939.]
Life and career
Richard Upjohn was born in
Shaftesbury,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, where he was apprenticed to a builder and cabinet-maker. He eventually became a master-mechanic. He and his family emigrated to the United States in 1829. They initially settled in
New Bedford, Massachusetts and then moved on to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
in 1833, where he worked in architectural design.
He became a
naturalized citizen of the United States in 1836.
His first major project was for the entrances to the
Boston Common, the town's central park and his first church would be St. John's Episcopal Church in
Bangor, Maine. He had relocated to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
by 1839 where he worked on alterations to the famed
Trinity Church on
Wall Street in lower
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
. The alterations were later abandoned and he was commissioned to design a new church, completed in 1846, and still extant today. He published his extremely influential book, ''"Upjohn's rural architecture: Designs, working drawings and specifications for a wooden church, and other rural structures"'', in 1852. The designs in this publication were widely used across the country by builders, with many examples remaining.
Upjohn, along with 13 other architects, co-founded 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 ...
on February 23, 1857. He served as president of that organization from 1857 to 1876, being succeeded by
Thomas Ustick Walter, fourth
Architect of the Capitol. He went on the design many buildings in a variety of styles. He died at his home in
Garrison, New York in 1878. Architectural drawings and papers by Upjohn and other family members are held by the Drawings and Archives Department of the
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...
, in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, also by the
New York Public Library's Humanities and Social Sciences Library, in the Manuscripts and Archives division, and by the
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...
, Prints & Photographs Division on
Capitol Hill in
Washington, D.C.
He died on 16 August 1878 in
Putnam County, New York of
cerebral softening.
Projects
Some of Upjohn's notable projects include:
*
William Rotch, Jr. House
William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...
in
New Bedford, Massachusetts, (1834)
*
Abiel Smith School in
Boston, Massachusetts, (1835)
*St. John's Episcopal Church in
Bangor, Maine, (1835–36, burned 1911)
*
Trinity Church in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, (1839–46)
*
Kingscote in
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...
, (1839)
*
The Church of the Ascension in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, (1840–41)
*
Christ Church in
Cobble Hill,
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
, (1841–42)
*
Bethesda Episcopal Church in
Saratoga Springs, New York, (1842)
*
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in
Newark, Delaware, (ca. 1843)
*
Edward King House
The Edward King House, is a monumentally scaled residence at 35 King street in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed for Edward King in the "Italian Villa" style by Richard Upjohn and was built between 1845 and 1847, making it one of the earli ...
in
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...
, (1845–47)
*
Grace Church in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, (1845; with
Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson)
*
Church of the Holy Cross in
Middletown, Rhode Island, (1845)
*
Christ Church in
Canaan, Connecticut, (1845–46)
*
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in
Brunswick, Maine, (1845)
*
First Parish Church in
Brunswick, Maine, (1845–46)
*Church of the Pilgrims (now
Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Cathedral) in
Brooklyn Heights,
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
, (1846)
*
St. Mary's Episcopal Church in
Burlington, New Jersey, (1846–54)
*
Christ Episcopal Church in
Raleigh, North Carolina, (1846–48)
*
St. Mary's Episcopal Church in
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,871 at the 2020 U.S. census. Portsmouth is the second-oldest municipality in Rhode Island, after Providence; it was one of the four colonies which merge ...
, (1847)
*St. Saviours Episcopal Church, in
Maspeth
Maspeth is a residential and commercial community in the borough of Queens in New York City. It was founded in the early 17th century by Dutch and English settlers. Neighborhoods sharing borders with Maspeth are Woodside to the north; Sunnyside t ...
,
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York (1847)
*St. James Episcopal Church, in New London, Connecticut (1847)
*
Grace Church in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
, (1847–48)
*70–72 Mount Vernon Street in
Boston, Massachusetts, (1847–1848)
*
Grace Episcopal Church in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
, (1847–49)
*
All Saints' Episcopal Church in
Briarcliff Manor, New York
Briarcliff Manor () is a suburban village in Westchester County, New York, north of New York City. It is on of land on the east bank of the Hudson River, geographically shared by the towns of Mount Pleasant and Ossining. Briarcliff Manor ...
, (1848–54)
*
Calvary Episcopal Church in
Stonington, Connecticut, (consecrated 1849)
*
Lindenwald in
Kinderhook, New York, (1849)
*
James and Mary Forsyth House
The James and Mary Forsyth House is located on Albany Avenue near uptown Kingston, New York, United States. It is a brick Italian villa-style house designed by Richard Upjohn in the mid-19th century. When it was finished it was celebrated locall ...
in
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, United States. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. The city's metropolitan area is grouped with the New York metropolitan area around Manhattan by the United ...
, (1849–50)
*
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in
Amenia Union, New York, (1849–51)
*
St. Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...
in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
, (1849–51)
*
Zion Episcopal Church in
Rome, New York
Rome is a city in Oneida County, New York, United States, located in the central part of the state. The population was 32,127 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Rome is one of two principal cities in the Utica–Rome Metropolitan ...
, (1850–1851)
*
Church of St. John in the Wilderness
Church of St. John in the Wilderness is a historic Episcopal church in Copake Falls, Columbia County, New York. The church, its furnishing, and the parsonage were designed by noted ecclesiastical architect Richard Upjohn (1802–1878). ''See ...
in
Copake Falls, New York, (1852)
*Bristol Academy in
Taunton, Massachusetts, (1852)
*
The Grove in
Cold Spring, New York, (1852–53)
*
St. John Chrysostom Church in
Delafield, Wisconsin, (1851–56)
*
Dorchester County Courthouse and Jail in
Cambridge, Maryland, (1853)
*
Madison Square Presbyterian Church in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, (1854)
*
Christ Church (Episcopal) in
Binghamton, New York, (1853–1855)
*
Old St. Paul's Episcopal Church in
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 ...
, (1854)
*
All Saints Episcopal Church in
Frederick, Maryland
Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area, Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the inter ...
, (1855)
*
St. Mary's Episcopal Chapel in
Raleigh, North Carolina, (1855)
*
St. James Episcopal Church in
Muncy, Pennsylvania, (1856)
*
Christ Episcopal Church in
Marlboro, New York, (1858)
*
St. Mark's Episcopal Church in
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
, (1858)
*
Trinity Chapel
Trinity Chapel at the east end of Canterbury Cathedral forms part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built under the supervision of the master-masons William of Sens and William the Englishman as a shrine for the relics of St. Thomas Becket ...
in
Far Rockaway,
Queens, New York
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long Is ...
, (1858)
*
Kenworthy Hall in
Marion, Alabama
Marion is a city in, and the county seat of, Perry County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the city is 3,686, up 4.8% over 2000. First known as Muckle Ridge, the city was renamed for a hero of the American Revolut ...
, (1858–60)
*
St. Peter's Episcopal Church in
Albany, New York
Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Ci ...
, (1859)
*
Church of the Holy Comforter in
Poughkeepsie, New York, (1860)
*
Trinity Episcopal Church in
Woodbridge, New Jersey, (1860)
*
St. Philip's Church in the Highlands in
Garrison, New York, (1860–61)
*
St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
, (1860–62)
*
Memorial Church of St. Luke The Beloved Physician
A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of ...
in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
, (1861)
*
Trinity-St. Paul's Episcopal Church in
New Rochelle, New York, (1862)
* St. John's Chapel at
Hobart College Hobart College may refer to:
* Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hobart and William Smith Colleges are Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts colleges in Geneva, New York. They trace their origins to G ...
in
Geneva, New York, (1863)
*
All Saint's Memorial Church in
Navesink, New Jersey, (1863–64)
*
Immanuel Episcopal Church in
Bellows Falls, Vermont, (1863–67)
*
St. Peter's Episcopal Church in
Geneva, New York, (1868)
*
Church of the Covenant in
Boston, Massachusetts, (1865–1867)
*
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in
Scranton, Pennsylvania, (1867)
*
St. Mark's Episcopal Church in
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, (1867)
*
Christ Church Episcopal in
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, (1867)
*
St. Thomas Episcopal Church in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, (1870, burned 1905)
*
St. Paul's Episcopal Church in
Selma, Alabama, (1871–75)
*Cast-iron railing fence design in
Boston Common,
Boston, Massachusetts
*North Gate Screen (1860s) and the Pierrepont family tomb (c. 1860) in
Green-Wood Cemetery,
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...
*
Edwin A. Stevens Hall
Edwin A. Stevens Hall is located in Hoboken, Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 4, 1994. The building was designed by Richard Upjohn and built in 1870. The buil ...
in
Hoboken, New Jersey
Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58, ...
, (1870)
*
St. Mark's Cathedral in
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
, (1870)
*
Trinity Church in
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...
, (1870)
*Rye Presbyterian Church in
Rye, New York, (1870)
*
Grace Church/St. Agnes-by-the-Lake in
Algoma, Wisconsin, (1879, burned 1884, replica constructed 1891)
*
Trinity Episcopal Church in
Litchfield, Minnesota, (1871), attributed
*
Connecticut State Capitol building in
Hartford, Connecticut, (1871–1878)
*
Trinity Episcopal Church in
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City, offically the City of Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States. It is the home of the University of Iowa and county seat of Johnson County, at the center of the Iowa City Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the ti ...
, (1871), attributed
*
Church of the Good Shepherd in
Blue Earth, Minnesota, (1871–72), attributed
*
Magnolia Manor (Easton, MD) Magnolia Manor may refer to:
* Magnolia Manor (Arkadelphia, Arkansas), National Register of Historic Places listings in Clark County, Arkansas, listed on the NRHP in Clark County, Arkansas
* Magnolia Manor (Cairo, Illinois), NRHP-listed
* Magnolia ...
Gallery
File:William Rotch House, New Bedford, MA.jpg, William Rotch Jr. House, New Bedford, MA, (1834)
File:Trinity Church - Wall Street, New York, NY, USA - August 19, 2015 - panoramio.jpg, Trinity Church, New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, (1839–46)
File:Kingscote 2018-06-14.jpg, Kingscote, Newport, RI, (1839)
File:Bowdoin College Chapel - Bowdoin College - IMG 7793.JPG, Bowdoin College Chapel, Brunswick, ME, (1844-1855)
File:Church of the Holy Cross Middletown Rhode Island.jpg, Church of the Holy Cross, Middletown, RI
Middletown is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,075 at the 2020 census. It lies to the south of Portsmouth and to the north of Newport on Aquidneck Island, hence the name "Middletown".
History
Vario ...
, (1844)
File:Grace Episcopal Church Providence 2017.jpg, Grace Church, Providence, RI, (1845)
File:Edward King House, Newport, RI.jpg, Edward King House
The Edward King House, is a monumentally scaled residence at 35 King street in Newport, Rhode Island. It was designed for Edward King in the "Italian Villa" style by Richard Upjohn and was built between 1845 and 1847, making it one of the earli ...
, Newport, RI, (1845-47)
File:St. Paul's Church Baltimore.jpg, Old St. Paul's Church, 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 ...
, (1854)
File:Kenworthy Hall.jpg, Kenworthy Hall, Perry County, AL, (1858–60)
File:St Peters Church 2011.jpg, St. Peter's Episcopal Church, Albany, NY, (1859–60)
File:Green-Wood Cemetery gate (53784p).jpg, Screen, Green-Wood Cemetery (1860s)
File:Beautiful facade of All Saints, Navesink.jpg, All Saint's Memorial Church, Navesink, NJ, (1863–64)
File:WTB Church of the Covenant 2.jpg, Church of the Covenant, Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
, (1865–67)[Susan and Michael Southworth, ''AIA Guide to Boston'', Third Edition, ( Guildford, Connecticut: Global Professional Publishing, 2008), p.199.]
File:Trinity Episcopal Church, Princeton.jpg, Trinity Church, Princeton NJ, (1870, altered)
File:Trinity Episcopal Church (Litchfield, MN).jpg, Trinity Episcopal Church, Litchfield, MN
Litchfield is a city in and the county seat of Meeker County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,624 at the 2020 census.
History
Immigration to the county was slow until the St. Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba Railroad, later the c ...
, (1871, attributed)
File:Connecticut State Capitol, February 24, 2008.jpg, Connecticut State Capitol, Hartford, CT, (1871–78)
References
Notes
External links
Columbia University Libraries: The Upjohn collection of architectural drawings by Richard, Richard Michell, and Hobart Upjohn :Architectural drawings, papers, and records, (circa 1827-1910) held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia UniversityRichard Upjohn's Trinity Church construction records and drawings at Trinity Wall Street Archives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Upjohn, Richard
1802 births
1878 deaths
Architects from New York City
Defunct architecture firms based in New York City
American ecclesiastical architects
British emigrants to the United States
Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
People from Shaftesbury
Architects of cathedrals
English ecclesiastical architects
Architects of Anglican churches
Founder of American Institute of Architects
Presidents of the American Institute of Architects
19th-century American architects