The Studio Building (1861–1906) on

Tremont Street Tremont Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts. Tremont Street begins at Government Center, Boston, Massachusetts, Government Center in Boston's city center as a continuation of Cambridge Street, and forms the eastern edge of ...

(corner of Bromfield Street) in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, housed artists' studios, theater companies and other businesses in the 19th century.Mann. Walks & talks about historic Boston. The Mann publishing co., 1917 It "held the true Bohemia of Boston, where artists and literati delighted to gather."New England Magazine, Feb. 1907 Among the tenants were portraitist E.T. Billings, architect George Snell, sculptor Martin Milmore, artists

William Morris Hunt William Morris Hunt (March 31, 1824September 8, 1879) was an American painter. Born into the political List of Hunt family members of Vermont, Hunt family of Vermont, he trained in Paris with the realist Jean-François Millet and studied under hi ...

William Rimmer William Rimmer (February 20, 1816August 20, 1879) was an American artist and teacher born in Liverpool, England. Biography William Rimmer was the son of an English lumber merchant who emigrated to Nova Scotia, where he was joined by his w ...

Edward Mitchell Bannister Edward Mitchell Bannister (November 2, 1828January 9, 1901) was a Canadian–American oil painter of the American Barbizon school. Born in colonial New Brunswick, he spent his adult life in New England in the United States. There, along with h ...

, Phoebe Jenks; gallerist Seth Morton Vose, and many others. Jonas Gilman Clark was an owner of the building from 1864 to 1872.

History

Artists' studios

From 1861 the Studio Building stood adjacent to the Horticultural Hall, on the opposite side of Bromfield St. The building consisted of "a massive range of brick, four stories high, — the whole surmounted by a French roof; a handsome and imposing structure, in the lower story of which are six fine large stores, occupied n 1869by the Leavitt and Parker Sewing-Machine Cos., California Wine Agency, the Howard Clock Co., &c.; and, above-stairs, by numerous artists, painters, engravers, draughtsmen, &c." "The Studio Building ... is a perfect hive of artists. This building, indeed, is the headquarters of the artists of Boston. ... There are delightful artists' receptions here, to which the general public is invited. Besides the devotees of art, there are many private teachers of music and the languages in the Studio Building, and not a few of the rooms are occupied as bachelors' apartments." Visitors included Sophia Peabody Hawthorne in 1863: "5 June, Thursday. Finest day - cool. We went out after breakfast with Annie. We visited Studio gallery - & saw good statue of Judge Shaw. Hunt's portrait by himself. Healy's Longfellow. Ames' Rachel. Gay's seashore & a pearly silvery sky of wondrous truth." Beginning in November 1861, artist William Rimmer gave anatomy "lectures in Room 55 of the Studio Building. He was an inspiring teacher;

John LaFarge John La Farge (March 31, 1835 – November 14, 1910) was an American artist whose career spanned illustration, murals, interior design, painting, and popular books on his Asian travels and other art-related topics. La Farge made stained glass ...

...

Daniel Chester French Daniel Chester French (April 20, 1850 – October 7, 1931) was an American sculpture, sculptor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works include ''The Minute Man'', an 1874 statue in Concord, Massachusetts, and his Statue of Abr ...

, Frederick Vinton, Frank Benson and many others testified to it. ... He represented the first thorough art instruction based on the human figure to be given in Boston, and indeed in the entire United States. ... Rimmer's lectures were never mere dry analyses of muscles and their attachments. He drew brilliantly on the blackboard, combining technical diagrams with fantastic embellishments. His figures sprouted wings, were set off by elegant draperies, sat beside elaborate urns, were clad in fanciful armor, brandished trumpets and daggers." One of his students was May Alcott, who "studied sculpture with William Rimmer and painting with William Hunt at the new Studio Building in Boston, on the corner of Tremont and Broomfield streets." The "studio and gallery" of William Morris Hunt "were the great attractions to visitors who came to the 'receptions' given by the artists in the building. The stirring picture, ''The Bugle Call'', painted in Newport, was exhibited here; the drawing of ''The Drummer Boy'', which attracted great crowds while on exhibition in Messrs. Williams & Everett's window, was conceived and executed here. Its motto, 'To arms! To arms!' found a response in the mood of the citizens, who were burning with patriotic ardor. I think this was just after the firing upon Fort Sumter, in 1861." According to one historian, however, Hunt himself probably found Boston "a far cry from the carefree vie de Boheme of Paris, and the life centering around the Studio Building on Tremont Street but a pale replica of the

Latin Quarter The Latin Quarter of Paris (, ) is an urban university campus in the 5th and the 6th arrondissements of Paris. It is situated on the left bank of the Seine, around the Sorbonne. Known for its student life, lively atmosphere, and bistros, t ...

-like a plaster cast, almost like a death mask, one might say, of the lively original."

Tremont Theatre

"The new Tremont Theatre, in the Studio Building, on Tremont street, was remodelled from Allston Hall, and opened as a theatre on Feb. 9, 1863, under the management of Mrs. Jane English, with a ballet and pantomime troupe. ... For a brief period K. L. Davenport and J. W. Wallack were managers of the house, but notwithstanding the high character of the dramatic work done here, it was not a prosperous theatre. It was finally converted into a hall for pedestrian matches, and y 1892 wasused for a retail carpet-store." Performances included: * "Le Rue's great war show! The wonderful strato-pateticon, or walking-army" * Theatre Francais, directed by Paul Juignet, 1864-1865 *

Tom Taylor Tom Taylor (19 October 1817 – 12 July 1880) was an English dramatist, critic, biographer, public servant, and editor of Punch (magazine), ''Punch'' magazine. Taylor had a brief academic career, holding the professorship of English literatu ...

's '' The Ticket-of-Leave Man'', 1865 * Holman Opera Troupe -Mr. George Holman, his wife, his daughter

Sallie Holman Sallie Holman (June 24, 1849 – June 7, 1888) was a Canadian opera singer. Born in Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest List of municipalities in Massachusetts, municipality in Massachusetts, United States, and the largest c ...

(soprano/principal singer) and another daughter, and two sons, with some others, including William H. Crane and Sallie`s husband Mr. J. T. Dalton, which toured throughout Canada for many years. * Morris Brothers, Pell & Trowbridge's Minstrels * Cotton & Murphy Minstrels

Fire in 1906

In December 1906 a fire "caused heavy damage in the block bounded by Tremont, Bromfield, Washington and Winter streets. ... The flames were confined ... to one structure, the Studio building."

Images

Image:1864 Fera confectioner BostonDirectory.png, Advertisement for E. Fera's ice cream saloon, 1864 Image:1865 TheatreFrancais TremontTheatre Boston.png, Detail of programme for Paul Juignet's Theatre Francais, 1865 Image:1868 Edward G Caldwell architect BostonDirectory.png, Advertisement for Edward G. Caldwell, architect, 1868 Image:1869 HGSmith photos StudioBuilding TremontSt Nanitz map Boston detail BPL10490.png, Advertisement for H.G. Smith, photographer, 1869 Image:1891 TremontSt Boston.png, Tremont St., 1891, with view of Horticultural Hall, Studio Building (at left), Park St. Church, Granary Burying Ground (at right) Image:1900 Seth Morton Vose gallerist Smithsonian.png, Portrait of Seth M. Vose, gallerist (photo 1900)

Tenants

* American Art Gallery * Joseph Ames * Miss M.K. Baker, artist * E.M. Bannister, artist * E.T. Billings, artistBoston Almanac. 1865, 1875, 1888, 1889 * Edward Brackett * Miss M.A. Bradford, artistBoston Almanac. 1888, 1889, 1894 * Mrs. E.H. Brainard, artist * Miss H.L. Brown, artist * J. Appleton Brown, artist * E.C. Cabot, architect * Edward G. Caldwell, architect * Miss E.M. Carpenter, artist * William Carl, artist * Miss A.E. Chandler, artist * F. Myron ClarkNew York Times, Dec. 21, 1906 * J.G. Cloudman, artist * George A. Clough, architect *

Darius Cobb Darius Cobb (August 6, 1834 – April 23, 1919) was an American painter. Cobb was considered to be one of America's best painters during his lifetime, as well as a painter of society portraits, landscape, religious themes and historical costumes ...

, artist * Theodore E. Colburn, architect * Henry Cook, artist * Charles Copeland, artist * J.C. Crossman, artist * George L. Crosby, artist * Cummings & Sears, architects * Cyrus E. Dallin, artist * Thomas W. Dewing, artistSusan Hobbs. Thomas Wilmer Dewing: The Early Years, 1851-1885. American Art Journal, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Spring, 1981) * T.C. Doane * John Donoghue, artistBoston Almanac. 1888 * Morris Dorr, architect * Grace Dow, artist * Frank Duveneck, artist * B.F. Dwight, architect * Educational Committee for Freedmen * L.D. Eldred, artist * William R. Emerson, architect * Miss M.M. Emery, artist * Fabronius, artist * A.C. Fenety, artist * F.M. Fenety, artist * Beatrice V. Folsom, artist * Bradford Freeman, artist * Francis Seth Frost * Edmund H. Garrett, artist8th Annual exhibition of paintings by prominent artists at the Poland Spring Art Gallery. Maine: H. Ricker & sons, 1902 *

Ignaz Gaugengigl Ignaz Michael Marcel Gaugengigl (16 January 1855 – 3 August 1932) was a German-American painter and engraver who worked primarily in the United States. He specialized in portraits and historical paintings. Biography Ignaz Gaugengigl was born ...

, artistCatalogue of the third annual exhibition of the Paint and Clay Club: held at the Gallery of the Boston Art Club, March 1884. Cambridge: Riverside Press, 1884Robinson. 1888Boston Almanac. 1889, 1894 * S.L. Gerry * Ellen L. Gilbert, artist, educatorBoston Almanac. 1889 * James Gilbert, artist * Abbott Graves * James R. Gregerson, architect * S.W. Griggs, artist * Louis K. Harlow, artist * George F. Higgins, artist * S.P. Hodgdon, artist * Mrs. Horton, artist *

* Phoebe A. Jenks, artist * N.T. Johnson, artist * D.C. Johnston and T.M.J. Johnston, artists * Earnest Kuhn, artist * Walter F. Lansil, artist * A.W. Latham, artist *

Edmonia Lewis Mary Edmonia Lewis, also known as "Wildfire" (c. July 4, 1844 – September 17, 1907), was an American sculptor. Born in Upstate New York of mixed African-American and Native American ( Mississauga Ojibwe) heritage, she worked for most of her ...

* L.K. Long, artist * W.P.P. Longfellow, architect * G.A. Loring, artist * Miss E.P. Mann, artist * Marshall & Co., photographs * Mrs. M.C. McGurk, artist * H.W. Merrill, artist * Samuel S. Miles, artist * Martin Millmore, sculptor * B.R. Morse, artist * George C. Munzig, artist * P. Nefflen, artist * New England Loyal Publication Society (related to the Loyal Publication Society * Jessie Noa, artist * F. Evelyn Nute, artist *

Alfred Ordway Alfred T. Ordway (March 9, 1821 – November 17, 1897) was an American landscape and portrait painter, and one of the founding fathers of the Boston Art Club. Early years Alfred was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts to mother Currier, and father Th ...

, artist * H. Winthrop Peirce, artist * S.E. Perkins, artistBoston Almanac. 1875, 1889, 1894 * Miss M.A. Platt, artist * B.C. Porter, artist * C.W. Reed, artist * Miss H. Reed, artist * Mrs. E.S. Remick, artist * J.F. Reynolds * William Rimmer, sculptor * Thomas Robinson, artist * S.W. Rowse, artist * L.A. Schirmer, artist * G.W. Seavey, artist * Frank Henry Shapleigh, artist * Anna H. Silloway, artist * T.S. Slafter, artist * H.G. Smith, photographer, publisher * George Snell, architect * Miss Southwick, artist * Charles E. Stetfield, artist * Miss S.C. Stetson, artist * Frederick T. Stuart, artist, c. 1902 * Miss F.W. Tewskbury, artist * Jerome Thompson, painter * John D. Towle & Son, architects *

Henry Van Brunt Henry Van Brunt FAIA (September 5, 1832 – April 8, 1903) was an American architect and architectural writer. Life and work Van Brunt was born in Boston in 1832 to Gershom Jacques Van Brunt and Elizabeth Price Bradlee. Van Brunt attended ...

and

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 ...

, architects * Herman Vogel, artist * Seth Morton Vose, galleristObituary: Seth Morton Vose. American Art News, Vol. 8, No. 26 (Apr. 9, 1910), p. 7Robert C. Vose, Jr. and Robert F. Brown. Boston's Vose Galleries: A Family Affair. Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 21, No. 1 (1981) * Lilian Walker, artist * Florence I. Webber, artist * George A. Weeden, artist * Fred D. Williams, artist * Joseph P. Woodbury, "inventor" * Elizabeth Wyer, artist

References

External links

Flickr
Portrait of Theadoria Caffrain Homes, 1860s; by Marshall, photographer, Studio Building, Cor. Tremont & Bromfield Sts., Boston
Historic New England
Drawing of Studio Building
Boston Athenaeum
James Wells Champney's "Sketch from Studio Building, Boston, during fire. 4 o’clock morning Nov. 10th, 1872" * Bostonian Society
Photo of Studio Building
at 104-116 Tremont Street, 1905 * Boston Public Library
Photo
1916 {{Coord, 42, 21, 25.99, N, 71, 3, 40.05, W, type:landmark_region:US-MA, display=title Commercial buildings completed in 1861 Former buildings and structures in Boston Cultural history of Boston 19th century in Boston Financial District, Boston 1861 establishments in Massachusetts