Henry Van Brunt

FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-memb ...

(September 5, 1832 – April 8, 1903) was a 19th-century

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

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 architectural writer.

Life and work

Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Van Brunt was born in Boston in 1832 to Gershom Jacques Van Brunt and Elizabeth Price Bradlee. Van Brunt attended

Boston Latin School The Boston Latin School is a public exam school in Boston, Massachusetts. It was established on April 23, 1635, making it both the oldest public school in the British America and the oldest existing school in the United States. Its curriculum f ...

, and graduated from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

in 1854. From 1854 to 1857, he apprenticed with architect George Snell, then worked with

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

, in New York City. During the Civil War, Van Brunt served as Secretary to the Admiral of the

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the Nort ...

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. He resigned on February 15, 1864. In the 1860s Van Brunt and fellow Harvard graduate

William Robert Ware William Robert Ware (May 27, 1832 – June 9, 1915), born in Cambridge, Massachusetts into a family of the Unitarian clergy, was an American architect, author, and founder of two important American architectural schools. He received his o ...

established the architectural firm of Ware & Van Brunt. The firm produced designs for many buildings in the Boston area, including Harvard University's

Memorial Hall A memorial hall is a hall built to commemorate an individual or group; most commonly those who have died in war. Most are intended for public use and are sometimes described as ''utilitarian memorials''. History of the Memorial Hall In the aft ...

, "said to be one of the greatest examples of Ruskinian Gothic architecture outside of England". In 1869, he married Alice S. Osborn; together they had 6 children. In 1874 Van Brunt published a translation of

Eugène Viollet-le-Duc Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc (; 27 January 181417 September 1879) was a French architect and author who restored many prominent medieval landmarks in France, including those which had been damaged or abandoned during the French Revolution. H ...

's ''Discourses on architecture'', and he remained a prolific writer through his career. His partnership with Ware dissolved in 1881. The same year, Van Brunt and former employee

Frank M. Howe Frank M. Howe (20 July 1849 – 4 January 1909) was an architect in Kansas City, Missouri, and Boston, Massachusetts. He was a partner with Henry Van Brunt in the prominent firm of Van Brunt and Howe. He later partnered with Henry F. Hoit as ...

established the firm of Van Brunt & Howe, and about six years after took the dramatic step of moving his office from Boston to

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more th ...

, partly for multiple commissions for the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad , legally Union Pacific Railroad Company and often called simply Union Pacific, is a freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Paci ...

for grand stations in western cities like

Ogden, Utah Ogden is a city in and the county seat of Weber County, Utah, United States, approximately east of the Great Salt Lake and north of Salt Lake City. The population was 87,321 in 2020, according to the US Census Bureau, making it Utah's eighth ...

(1889; burned down 1923),

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

(1895; rebuilt 1912),

Cheyenne, Wyoming Cheyenne ( or ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Wyoming, as well as the county seat of Laramie County, with 65,132 residents, per the 2020 US Census. It is the principal city of the Cheyenne metropolitan statistic ...

and

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest ...

(1899; replaced 1931). Many Kansas City civic landmarks of the time were Van Brunt's designs. Stylistically, most of his later work is comfortably consistent with

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanes ...

; in at least one case, the

Hoyt Library The Hoyt Library is a historic library in downtown Saginaw, Michigan, United States. Built in the late 19th century by Eric Pinchet, the Richardson Romanesque library is home to numerous genealogical records of the Mid-Michigan area. History I ...

, he adapted and finished a rejected Richardson design. In 1884 he was elected an officer 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 s ...

. In 1899 he became president of the AIA for a one-year term. Van Brunt returned to Massachusetts around 1902, and died in

Milton, Massachusetts Milton is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States and an affluent suburb of Boston. The population was 28,630 at the 2020 census. Milton is the birthplace of former U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and architect Buckminster Fuller. ...

, in 1903. His headstone in Cambridge Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts, gives his date of death as April 7, 1903.

Ware & Van Brunt

* 1867 -

Ether Monument The Ether Monument, also known as The Good Samaritan, is a statue and fountain near the northwest corner of Boston's Public Garden, near the intersection of Arlington Street and Marlborough Street. It commemorates the use of ether in anesthesia ...

, in the

Boston Public Garden The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks, and is bounded by Charles Street and Boston Common to ...

, with sculptor J.Q.A. Ward * 1867 - First Church, Boston, Massachusetts * 1868 - St. John's Memorial Chapel at the

Episcopal Divinity School The Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) is a theological school in New York City that trains students for service with the Episcopal Church. It is affiliated with the Union Theological Seminary. Students who enroll in the EDS at Union Anglican st ...

, Cambridge, Massachusetts * 1869 - Adams Academy, now the Quincy Historical Society, Quincy, Massachusetts * 1870 -

Memorial Hall (Harvard University) Memorial Hall, immediately north of Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an imposing High Victorian Gothic building honoring Harvard men's sacrifices in defense of the Union during the American Civil War"a symbol of Boston's commitment ...

, Cambridge, Massachusetts, continuously redesigned through 1897 * 1870 - Addition to Harvard Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts * 1870 - Weld Hall, Harvard University * 1872 - Charles Freeland tomb,

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge and Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, west of Boston. It is the burial site of many prominent Boston Brah ...

, Cambridge * 1873 - Lawrence Hall,

, Cambridge, expanded 1880 * 1875 - Addition to Gore Hall, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts (demolished) * 1875 - Walter Hunnewell house, Hunnewell estate,

Wellesley, Massachusetts Wellesley () is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Wellesley is part of Greater Boston. The population was 29,550 at the time of the 2020 census. Wellesley College, Babson College, and a campus of Massachusetts Bay Communit ...

(then West Needham) * 1881 - Yorktown Memorial,

Yorktown, Virginia Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...

, with sculptor J.Q.A. Ward * 1881 - Music Hall,

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial ...

, Massachusetts

Van Brunt & Howe

* 1881-1883 - Library at the

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

(redesigned in 1920 by Albert Kahn) * 1883 - 167 Brattle Street (his residence), Cambridge, Massachusetts * 1883 - Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (demolished) * 1883 -

William Washington Gordon Monument The William Washington Gordon Monument is a public monument in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in Wright Square, the monument honors politician and businessman William Washington Gordon and was designed by Henry Van Brunt and Fra ...

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

* 1884 - First National Bank, Portland, Maine * 1885 - Cheyenne Union Depot, now the

Wyoming Transportation Museum The Cheyenne Depot Museum is a railroad museum in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It is located inside the historic Union Pacific Railroad depot, built in the 1880s. The depot, a National Historic Landmark, was the railroad's largest station west of Council ...

, 15th Street and Capitol Avenue, Cheyenne, Wyoming *1887 - Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, Arlington, Massachusetts * 1887 -

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the seat of Saginaw County. The city of Saginaw and Saginaw County are both in the area known as Mid-Michigan. Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township and considered part of Greate ...

* 1888 -

Cambridge Public Library The Cambridge Public Library in Cambridge, Massachusetts is part of the Minuteman Library Network. It consists of a main library and six branches, located throughout the city. Having developed from the Cambridge Athenaeum, the main library buildin ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

* 1888 - Gibraltar Building,

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

(razed) * 1889 - Union Pacific Railroad Depot, North 2nd Street,

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

* 1889-1890 -

Emery, Bird, Thayer Dry Goods Company Emery, Bird, Thayer & Company was a department store in Downtown Kansas City that traced its history nearly to the city's origins as Westport Landing. The store, known as EBT, closed in 1968, and its building, which was on the National Register ...

, Kansas City (razed in 1973) * 1890-1896 -

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

, foot of Northwest 6th Avenue,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...

* 1893 - Electricity Building and the Wyoming Building,

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

, Chicago (demolished) * 1894 - Spooner Hall,

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. T ...

* 1895 -

, Denver, Colorado (largely razed in 1912) * 1896-1898 - Hurst Hall, the first structure at the

American University The American University (AU or American) is a private federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Its main campus spans 90 acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, mostly in the Spring Valley neighborhood of Northwest D.C. AU was cha ...

, Washington, DC * 1904 - Palace of Varied Industries,

Louisiana Purchase Exposition The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, informally known as the St. Louis World's Fair, was an World's fair, international exposition held in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, from April 30 to December 1, 1904. Local, state, and federal funds tota ...

, St. Louis, Missouri (razed)Official guide to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at the city of St. Louis, by Major J. Lowenstein, full text available on GoogleBooks * 1904 - Pipe Organ Case of the 10,000 pipe instrument exhibited by the Los Angeles Art Organ Co., Festival Hall,

, St. Louis, Missouri (a temporary construction)

Writing

* Translator of:

. Discourses on architecture. Boston : J.R. Osgood, 1875. * On the Present Condition and Prospects of Architecture. Atlantic Monthly 57, no. 341 (March 1886). * Henry Hobson Richardson, Architect. Atlantic Monthly 58:349 (November 1886). * Architecture in the West, Atlantic Monthly 64:386 (December 1889). * Greek Lines and Other Architectural Essays. Houghton, Mifflin. 1893

Image gallery

File:Memorial Hall (Harvard University) - general view.JPG, Memorial Hall, Harvard University File:Yorktown-monument.jpg, Yorktown Memorial, 1881, Yorktown, Virginia File:Mount Auburn Cemetery - Freeland tomb.jpg, Freeland Tomb, Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge File:Spooner Hall, University of Kansas.jpg, Spooner Hall, University of Kansas File:Union Pacific Passenger Station, 121 West Fifteenth Street, Cheyenne (Laramie County, Wyoming).jpg, Cheyenne Union Pacific Depot File:StLouisWorldFairPalaceVairedIndustriesGondolas.jpg, Palace of Varied Industries, St. Louis World's Fair File:Ware&VanBrunt Walter Hunnewell House.JPG, Walter Hunnewell house, Wellesley, MA (1875), Ware and Van Brunt File:Electricity Building And Columbian Fountain — Official Views Of The World's Columbian Exposition — 28.jpg, alt=The Electricity Building on the Court of Honor, 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago. Designed by Henry Van Brunt, The Electricity Building on the Court of Honor, 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago. Designed by Henry Van Brunt File:Civil War Memorial - Arlington, MA - DSC03253.jpg, Civil War Memorial Soldiers and Sailors Memorial 1887 Arlington, Massachusetts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Van Brunt, Henry 1832 births 1903 deaths 19th-century American architects American railway architects Architects from Boston Architects from Missouri Harvard College alumni Boston Latin School alumni Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Presidents of the American Institute of Architects