Chester Holmes Aldrich
Encyclopedia
Chester Holmes Aldrich was an American architect
and director of the American Academy in Rome
from 1935 until his death in 1940.
. He graduated from Columbia University
's School of Mines in 1893 with a Ph. B.
in Paris. He interrupted his studies at the Ecole to work with New York architects Carrère and Hastings
, producing he the firm's competition drawings for the New York Public Library
. After he received his diploma from the Ecole in 1900, he returned to Carrère and Hastings. He had earlier befriended William Adams Delano
, and left Carrère and Hastings in 1903 to open a practice with him. Together they are responsible for designing some of the most famous Beaux-Arts buildings in New York; including notably the Rockefeller family
mansion of Kykuit
, at the estate in Westchester County, and the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale
for the Grand Central Art Galleries
. The architects' joint work is listed under William Adams Delano
. Aldrich was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects
. A significant collection of correspondence by Aldrich is held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
at Columbia University
in New York City.
home for boys that provided post hospitalization rehabilitation. Italy awarded him the Order of the Crown of Italy
for his involvement with the American Red Cross
Commission to Italy from 1917 to 1919. In 1935, he left Delano and Aldrich to head the American Academy in Rome
. He died there December 26, 1940.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and director of the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
from 1935 until his death in 1940.
Early life
Holmes was a member of an old New England family. He was the third son of a merchant, Elisha Smith Aldrich, a merchant Anna Elizabeth Aldrich. He was a distant relative of Senator Nelson W. AldrichNelson W. Aldrich
Nelson Wilmarth Aldrich was a prominent American politician and a leader of the Republican Party in the Senate, where he served from 1881 to 1911....
. He graduated from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
's School of Mines in 1893 with a Ph. B.
Bachelor of Philosophy
Bachelor of Philosophy is the title of an academic degree. The degree usually involves considerable research, either through a thesis or supervised research projects...
Delano and Aldrich
He next attended the Ecole des Beaux-ArtsÉcole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris. He interrupted his studies at the Ecole to work with New York architects Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings , located in New York City, was one of the outstanding Beaux-Arts architecture firms in the United States. The partnership operated from 1885 until 1911, when Carrère was killed in an automobile accident...
, producing he the firm's competition drawings for the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. After he received his diploma from the Ecole in 1900, he returned to Carrère and Hastings. He had earlier befriended William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano , an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long Island and elsewhere, building townhouses, country houses, clubs, banks and buildings for...
, and left Carrère and Hastings in 1903 to open a practice with him. Together they are responsible for designing some of the most famous Beaux-Arts buildings in New York; including notably the Rockefeller family
Rockefeller family
The Rockefeller family , the Cleveland family of John D. Rockefeller and his brother William Rockefeller , is an American industrial, banking, and political family of German origin that made one of the world's largest private fortunes in the oil business during the late 19th and early 20th...
mansion of Kykuit
Kykuit
Kykuit , also known as John D. Rockefeller Estate, is a 40-room National Trust house in Westchester County, New York, built by the oil businessman, philanthropist and founder of the prominent Rockefeller family, John D. Rockefeller, and his son, John D...
, at the estate in Westchester County, and the U.S. Pavilion at the Venice Biennale
Venice Biennale
The Venice Biennale is a major contemporary art exhibition that takes place once every two years in Venice, Italy. The Venice Film Festival is part of it. So too is the Venice Biennale of Architecture, which is held in even years...
for the Grand Central Art Galleries
Grand Central Art Galleries
The Grand Central Art Galleries were the exhibition and administrative space of the nonprofit Painters and Sculptors Gallery Association, an artists' cooperative established in 1922 by Walter Leighton Clark together with John Singer Sargent, Edmund Greacen, and others...
. The architects' joint work is listed under William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano , an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long Island and elsewhere, building townhouses, country houses, clubs, banks and buildings for...
. Aldrich was a fellow of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects 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 support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
. A significant collection of correspondence by Aldrich is held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
The Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library is one of twenty-five libraries in the Columbia University Library System and is located in Avery Hall on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in the City of New York. It is the largest architecture library in the world...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in New York City.
Philanthropy and Rome
Aldrich was for twenty years the President of the Kips Bay Boys Club and was involved with a Staten IslandStaten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
home for boys that provided post hospitalization rehabilitation. Italy awarded him the Order of the Crown of Italy
Order of the Crown of Italy
The Order of the Crown of Italy was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate the unification of Italy in 1861...
for his involvement with the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
Commission to Italy from 1917 to 1919. In 1935, he left Delano and Aldrich to head the American Academy in Rome
American Academy in Rome
The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo in Rome.- History :In 1893, a group of American architects, painters and sculptors met regularly while planning the fine arts section of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition...
. He died there December 26, 1940.