William Strickland (architect)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

William Strickland (November 1788 – April 6, 1854), was a noted
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
civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
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 ...
,
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, and
Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...
. A student of
Benjamin Latrobe Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe (May 1, 1764 – September 3, 1820) was an Anglo-American neoclassical architect who emigrated to the United States. He was one of the first formally trained, professional architects in the new United States, draw ...
and mentor to
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 ...
, Strickland helped establish the
Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but a ...
movement in the United States. A pioneering engineer, he wrote a seminal book on railroad construction, helped build several early American
railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
s, and designed the first ocean breakwater in the Western Hemisphere. He was elected as a member of the
American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
in 1820.


Life and career

Strickland was born in the Navesink section of
Middletown Township, New Jersey Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township had a total population of 67,106, making it the most-populous municipality in the county and the state's 16th ...
, and moved with his family to Philadelphia as a child. In his youth, he was a landscape painter, illustrator for periodicals, theatrical scene painter, engraver, and pioneer
aquatint Aquatint is an intaglio printmaking technique, a variant of etching that produces areas of tone rather than lines. For this reason it has mostly been used in conjunction with etching, to give both lines and shaded tone. It has also been used h ...
ist. His Greek Revival designs drew much inspiration from the plates of ''The Antiquities of Athens''. Strickland and Latrobe competed to design the
Second Bank of the United States The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January 1836.. The Bank's formal name, ac ...
in Philadelphia (1819–1824), a competition that called for "chaste" Greek style. Strickland, who was still copying classical prototypes at this point, won with an ambitious design modeled on the iconic
Parthenon The Parthenon (; grc, Παρθενών, , ; ell, Παρθενώνας, , ) is a former temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, that was dedicated to the goddess Athena during the fifth century BC. Its decorative sculptures are considere ...
of
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
. Proud of the building, Strickland had it included in the background of his 1829 portrait by Philadelphia society painter
John Neagle John Neagle (November 4, 1796 – September 17, 1865) was a fashionable American painter, primarily of portraits, during the first half of the 19th century in Philadelphia. Biography Neagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His training in ...
. The oldest building designed by W. Strickland, which is preserved to this day, is the Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church, located at 222-230 Brown Street Philadelphia (Northern Liberties Area), formerly known as St. John's Episcopalian Church. An anonymous report from its consecration, published on September 21, 1816, in ''Relf’s Philadelphia Gazette and Daily Advertiser'', describes the church as a “neat and elegant edifice” whose “design was given by Mr. William Strickland, of this city,” and whose “execution has done justice to the taste of the Architect.” (Jeffrey. A. Cohen, 1983). Strickland's evolving talent and confidence is seen in the later Merchants' Exchange (1832–34). Also in Philadelphia, the Merchant Exchange is built on classical example — for example, the
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...
is based on the
Choragic Monument of Lysicrates The Choragic Monument of Lysicrates near the Acropolis of Athens was erected by the ''choregos'' Lysicrates, a wealthy patron of musical performances in the Theater of Dionysus, to commemorate the prize in the dithyramb contest of the City Dio ...
— but is a unique building styled to fit the site. It was to be located on a triangular plot at the intersection of two major thoroughfares between the waterfront and the
business district A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the " city ...
. The elegant, curved east façade faces the waterfront, and reflects the carriage and foot traffic that would have been circulating in front of the building. This elevation is unique — Greek Revival, but modern — while a more staid and formal elevation can be found on the west side, facing Third Street. In the same year he designed the Merchants' Exchange, 1832, Strickland entered a project in the competition for Philadelphia's Girard College, which won the second prize. Strickland's 1836 National Mechanic Bank at 22 South 3rd Street, set on a narrow plot between two taller neighbors, has strong, square pilasters to support the portico and ornate stone carving at their tops to defend the building against its taller and bulkier neighbors. One of Strickland's last Philadelphia designs and among his smallest, the building is now occupied b
National Mechanics Bar and Restaurant
Strickland also executed works in other styles, including very early American work in the
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
style, including his Masonic Hall (1808–11, burned 1819) and his Saint Stephen's Church (1823), both in Philadelphia. He also made use of Egyptian, Saracenic and Italianate styles. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where his
Egyptian Egyptian describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of years of ...
-influenced design of the First
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
Church (now the Downtown Presbyterian Church) was controversial but today is widely recognized as a masterpiece and an important evocation of the
Egyptian Revival Egyptian Revival is an architectural style that uses the motifs and imagery of ancient Egypt. It is attributed generally to the public awareness of ancient Egyptian monuments generated by Napoleon's conquest of Egypt and Admiral Nelson's defeat ...
style. Strickland was also a
civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
and one of the first to advocate the use of steam locomotives on railways. Some argue that Strickland's observations made during visits to England in the 1820s were highly influential in the transfer of railway technology to the United States: "William Strickland's Reports are the starting point of American railway engineering, and represent the state of knowledge as the first railways were planned in that country." In 1835, the Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad hired him to survey a route from
Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...
, to Charlestown, Maryland. Later that year, he was named chief engineer of the Delaware and Maryland Railroad. Strickland designed and built the
Delaware Breakwater The Delaware Breakwater is a set of breakwaters east of Lewes, Delaware on Cape Henlopen that form Lewes Harbor. They were listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1976. The original and breakwaters were built in 1828 ...
, the first
breakwater Breakwater may refer to: * Breakwater (structure), a structure for protecting a beach or harbour Places * Breakwater, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria, Australia * Breakwater Island Breakwater Island () is a small island in the Palme ...
in the Americas and the third in the world. Several architects and engineers of note began or developed their careers in Strickland's employ, including
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 ...
,
Gideon Shryock Gideon Shryock (November 15, 1802 – June 19, 1880) was Kentucky's first professional architect in the Greek Revival Style. His name has frequently been misspelled as Gideon Shyrock. Biography Shryock was born in Lexington, Kentucky on Novembe ...
and John Trautwine. Strickland died in Nashville and is buried within the walls of his final, and arguably greatest work, the
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenn ...
. A
cenotaph A cenotaph is an empty tomb or a monument erected in honour of a person or group of people whose remains are elsewhere. It can also be the initial tomb for a person who has since been reinterred elsewhere. Although the vast majority of cenot ...
for him exists in the family plot 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.


Selected works


Philadelphia buildings

* Masonic Hall, Philadelphia (1808–11, burned 3 March 1819). * Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church, Philadelphia, also known as the former St. John's Episcopal Church (1815–16). *
Second Bank of the United States The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January 1836.. The Bank's formal name, ac ...
, Philadelphia (1819–24). * St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia (1822–23). * Second Chestnut Street Theatre - 1822 - 1856 (burned) *
Musical Fund Hall The Musical Fund Hall in Philadelphia is a landmark building of both architectural and historic significance, noted especially for the illustrious persons who have spoken or performed there. It is perhaps best remembered as the setting for the fir ...
, The Musical Fund Society, Philadelphia - 1824, (substantially altered). *
Wyck House The Wyck house, also known as the Haines house or Hans Millan house, is a historic mansion, museum, garden, and urban farm in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1971 f ...
- 1824 (rearranged its interior) * Triumphal Arches for Lafayette's visit - 1824 * Second
Congregation Mikveh Israel Congregation Mikveh Israel ( he, קהל קדוש מקוה ישראל), "Holy Community Hope of Israel", is a synagogue in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that traces its history to 1740. Mikveh Israel is a Spanish and Portuguese synagogue that follow ...
Synagogue, Philadelphia - 1825, (demolished). * United States Naval Asylum, Philadelphia - 1826–33, (now condominiums). * Restoration of the tower of
Independence Hall Independence Hall is a historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Fa ...
, Philadelphia - 1828. * First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, - 1828 * University of Pennsylvania (9th Street buildings), Philadelphia - 1829 * Arch St. Theater - 1829 (1863 damaged by fire, demolished 1936) * Second Philadelphia Mint, Philadelphia - 1829–33 (demolished 1902). *
Blockley Almshouse The Blockley Almshouse, later known as Philadelphia General Hospital, was a charity hospital and poorhouse located in West Philadelphia. It originally opened in 1732/33 in a different part of the city as the Philadelphia Almshouse (not to be conf ...
- 1835 (demolished 1920s - 1959) * Merchants' Exchange, Philadelphia 1832–34. * Mechanics National Bank - 1837


Buildings elsewhere

*
Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green Immanuel on the Green (Episcopal) is an historic church in New Castle, Delaware, listed as a contributing property in the New Castle Historic District. The church is situated near the center of New Castle at the northeast end of the Green, or ...
, New Castle, Delaware (1822) * Delaware Breakwater and Lighthouse, Lewes, Delaware (1826-1840, lighthouse decommissioned in 1903, demolished in 1956) *
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
, Main Building (now Randolph Hall), Charleston, South Carolina (1828, extensively altered 1850). * Nathanael Greene Monument,
Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
, Georgia (1830). * U.S. Branch Mint, Charlotte, North Carolina (1835, moved to new location 1930s). Now Mint Museum of Art. * U.S. Branch Mint, Dahlonega, Georgia (1835, burned 1878). * U.S. Branch Mint, New Orleans, Louisiana (1835–38). *
Providence Athenaeum The Providence Athenaeum is an independent, member-supported subscription library in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The building is open to the public, but only members can check out items from the collection. The ...
, Providence, Rhode Island (1837–38). * Sussex County Courthouse, Georgetown, Delaware (1837) * Grace Church, Keswick, Virginia (1848–55). * St. John's Episcopal Church, Salem, NJ (1838).Minutes of the Vestry of St. John's Episcopal Church, Salem, NJ


Tennessee

*
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenn ...
, Nashville, Tennessee (1845–59). * Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee (1846, demolished 1979). * Wilson County Courthouse, Lebanon, Tennessee (1848, burned 1881). * First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee (1848–49). * Belmont Mansion, Nashville, Tennessee (1849–53). Formerly Acklen Hall during Ward-Belmont College years,
Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...
(This is debated).


Gallery

File:Masonic Hall Philadelphia LOC03503v.jpg, Masonic Hall, Philadelphia (1808–11, burned 1819). File:View of the Chain Bridge The Port Folio June 1810.jpg, "View of the Chain Bridge invented by James Finley Esq.", William Strickland, delineator. ''The Port Folio'', June 1810. File:St Steves Philly 2.jpg, Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA (1822–23). File:G Stephensons Patent Locomotive Engine LOC3c10386v (cropped).jpg, "G. Stephenson's Patent Locomotive Engine." William Strickland, artist and engraver (1826). File:MAIN ENTRANCE PORTICO AND STAIRWAY, EAST ELEVATION - U. S. Naval Asylum, Biddle Hall, Gray's Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,577A-2.tif, United States Naval Asylum, Philadelphia, PA (1826–33) File:Randolph Hall, College of Charleston, Harleston Village, Charleston, SC (49364204051).jpg, Randolph Hall at the
College of Charleston The College of Charleston (CofC or Charleston) is a public university in Charleston, South Carolina. Founded in 1770 and chartered in 1785, it is the oldest university in South Carolina, the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the Unit ...
, Charleston, SC (1828, altered) File:University of Pennsylvania Medical Hall 1829 Ninth Street.jpg, University of Pennsylvania Medical Hall, 1829 File:Second Philadelphia Mint.jpg, United States Mint, Philadelphia, PA (1829–33, demolished 1902). File:1936 Mint Museum of Art Building Charlotte, NC.jpg,
United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...
, Charlotte, NC (1835, moved to new location 1930s). Now Mint Museum of Art. File:EsplanadeOldMintFlagpolemen.jpg,
United States Mint The United States Mint is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury responsible for producing coinage for the United States to conduct its trade and commerce, as well as controlling the movement of bullion. It does not produce paper money; tha ...
, New Orleans, LA (1835–38). Now
Louisiana State Museum The Louisiana State Museum (LSM), founded in New Orleans in 1906, is a statewide system of National Historic Landmarks and modern structures across Louisiana, housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic ...
. File:Sussex County Courthouse 2020b.jpg, Sussex County Courthouse, Georgetown, DE (1837, altered) File:Providence Atheaeum, HABS RI-156-1.jpg,
Providence Athenaeum The Providence Athenaeum is an independent, member-supported subscription library in the College Hill neighborhood of Providence, Rhode Island. The building is open to the public, but only members can check out items from the collection. The ...
, Providence, RI (1837–38). File:Tennessee state capitol 2009.jpg,
Tennessee State Capitol The Tennessee State Capitol, located in Nashville, Tennessee, is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Tennessee. It serves as the home of both houses of the Tennessee General Assembly–the Tennessee House of Representatives and the Tenn ...
(1845–59) File:FirstPresbyterianChurchNashville.jpg, First Presbyterian Church, Nashville, TN (1848–49) File:GraceChurchKeswick.JPG, Grace Church, Keswick, VA (1848–55) File:Mansion Front 2010.JPG, Belmont Mansion, Nashville, TN (1849–53). Now Acklen Hall,
Belmont University Belmont University is a private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporated in 1951 as Belmont College. It be ...


See also

* William Strickland Row


Notes


References

* * *"Strickland, William (1788-1854)" ''Philadelphia Architects And Buildings''. Available: {{DEFAULTSORT:Strickland, William 1788 births 1854 deaths Architects from Philadelphia Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States Greek Revival architects Federalist architects American civil engineers American railroad pioneers Members of the American Philosophical Society People from Middletown Township, New Jersey Burials in Tennessee Engineers from Pennsylvania Engineers from New Jersey