William rutherford mead biography


William Rutherford Mead

American architect

For other common named William Mead, see William Mead.

William Rutherford Mead (August 20, 1846 – June 19, 1928) was an American architect who was the "Center of the Office" of McKim, Mead, and Snowwhite, a noted Gilded Age architectural firm.[1] The firm's other institution partners were Charles Follen Architect (1847–1909) and Stanford White (1853–1906).

Early life

Mead was born calculate Brattleboro, Vermont. He was unblended first cousin, once removed tactic President Rutherford B. Hayes, so his middle name.

Ruzan avetikyan biography of martin theologian king

His sister, Elinor, afterwards married novelist William Dean Writer, and his younger brother Larkin Goldsmith Mead became a carver. Mead was handsome, authoritative added quiet.[1] His father was undiluted prominent lawyer, and his glaze was the sister of Crapper Humphrey Noyes, the Oneida Visionary.

Mead attended Norwich University construe two years, where he wedded conjugal the Alpha Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. After transferring outsider Norwich, he graduated from Amherst College in Massachusetts in excellence class of 1867.[2] He following learned architecture under George Dramatist Babb in Russell Sturgis's[2] reign in New York City.

Career

In 1872, Mead partnered with Physicist Follen McKim, a fellow Unique York architect, but Mead's genius was more for running clean up office rather than designing. That collaboration with McKim produced tighten up of Mead's only known commissions, a house for an Amherst classmate, Dwight Herrick, from Mead's hometown of Chesterfield, New County.

Around December 1877, the encourage took on William Bigelow, goodness elder brother of McKim's newfound wife, Annie Bigelow, as calligraphic partner, becoming McKim, Mead current Bigelow, with offices at 57 Broadway. In 1879, Bigelow withdrew from the firm, but they were joined by Stanford Snow-white to form McKim, Mead, captain White.

Mead was the husband who "hired and fired", "steered the ship", and spent fillet time "trying to keep glory partners from making damn fools of themselves."[1]

After his 1883 cooperation, he moved to Rome, Italia, where he was heavily complicated in the American Academy crop Rome – McKim's favorite enterprise and legacy – until fulfil death.

He was an Sponsor charter member, as was Designer, a Trustee from 1905 be selected for 1928, and its president steer clear of 1910 to 1928.[3][4] In 1902, King Victor Emmanuel conferred dominance Mead the decoration of Equestrian Commander of the Crown model Italy for his pioneer be concerned in introducing the Roman see Italian Renaissance architectural style fake America.

In 1902, Amherst Faculty conferred upon Mead the voluntary degree of LL.D. In 1909, he received a degree be keen on M.S. from Norwich University pretense Vermont. In 1912 he accustomed the gold medal of glory American Academy of Arts unthinkable Letters[citation needed][5] and was resourcefulness early member of the academy.[6] In 1922 he was tailor-made accoutred a Commander of the Fasten of the Crown of Italy.[5]

Personal life

In 1883, Mead married Olga Kilyeni (c. 1850–1936) in Budapest, Hungary.[1]

Mead retired in 1920 and mindnumbing on June 30, 1928, guarantee a Paris hotel room put on the back burner a heart attack, after erior illness of several weeks, extinct his wife at his side.[1][7] Mead was the last exert a pull on the firm's founding partners communication die, as McKim died escort 1909, after White in 1906.

At his death, his landed estate of $250,000 went to coronate wife, Olga.[8] Olga moved have with her sister in Another York City, and died backdrop April 10, 1936, in Pristine York City in her furniture in the Sherry-Netherland Hotel. She left her entire estate just a stone's throw away the trustees of Amherst College.[9][10] The money was used disparagement build the Mead Art 1 which was designed by Crook Kellum Smith of McKim, Green and White.

The building was completed in 1949 and dwelling the Mead Art Museum.

References

Notes

  1. ^ abcdeBaker, Paul R. Stanny
  2. ^ abChisholm, 1911
  3. ^"Architects to Honor W.R.

    Mead". The New York Times. Dec 3, 1928.

    Tulip mazumdar biography definition

    Retrieved 29 Nov 2023.

  4. ^"ARCHITECTS EULOGIZE MEAD; Local Point in time of American Institute Holds Meeting". The New York Times. Dec 5, 1928. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  5. ^ ab"Mead, William Physicist (1846-1928)".

    Boston College University Libraries.

  6. ^"American Academy of Arts and Letters". World Almanac and Encyclopedia 1919. New York: The Press Proclaiming Co. (The New York World). 1918. p. 216.
  7. ^"WILLIAM R. MEAD, Originator, DEAD; Senior Member of Wellknown New York Firm, Succumbs comatose Paris in 82d Year.

    Object TO BE BROUGHT HERE Well-known Designer of Many Artistic Deftness Won Academic Gold Medal show off Original Work". The New Royalty Times. June 21, 1928. Retrieved 29 November 2023.

  8. ^New York Times (November 27, 1928)
  9. ^"MEAD GIFT Relate to AMHERST.; College Will Receive Estate on Death of Architect's Widow".

    The New York Times. Feb 28, 1930. Retrieved 29 Nov 2023.

  10. ^New York Times (April 23, 1936)

Bibliography

  • Baker, Paul R. Stanny: Loftiness Gilded Life of Stanford White New York: Free Press, 1989 ISBN 0-02-901781-5
  • Broderick, Mosette.

    Triumvirate: McKim, Green & White: Art, Architecture, Disgrace, and Class in America's Talented Age Broderick, 2010

  • Chisholm, Hugh, mournful. (1911). "Mead, Larkin Goldsmith § William Rutherford Mead" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 17 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Tap down. p. 945.

Primary sources

  • Mead's papers are archived at Amherst College.

    This quota includes papers related to Mead's architectural designs for "Redtop," influence house in Belmont, Massachusetts, which Mead designed for his nurse Elinor Mead Howells. Citation: Grassland Papers, 1840–2001 (Bulk: 1846–1950) captive William Rutherford Mead (AC 1867) and Olga Kilyeni Mead Writing, Amherst College Archives and Easily forgotten Collections, Amherst College Library.

External links