Constant-Désiré Despradelles
Encyclopedia
Constant-Désiré Despradelle (May 20, 1862–February 8, 1912) was a French-born architect and professor of architecture
at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
who, through his teaching, influenced a generation of Beaux-Arts style architects and helped to popularize this style throughout North America.
, France, Despradelle was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
at age twenty, was educated in the atelier of Jean-Louis Pascal
, and obtained his diploma in 1886. He won the Grand Prix de Rome
in 1889.
In 1893, Despradelle went to Boston, accepting a position as Professor of Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he served until his death. He taught the Beaux-Arts style and thus influenced the style's continued use throughout North America and Europe until about 1920.
Among architects who studied under him were the Canadians George Allen Ross, William Sutherland Maxwell
and Andrew R. Cobb
. American architects who trained under him included Francis M. Miller, Ellis Lawrence, Marion Mahony, Ida Annah Ryan
and Raymond Hood
.
A contemporary anecdote in the MIT student paper The Tech may give some indication of his manner and personality: "The Lounge [a column in the paper] secured the services of Mr. Derby as interpreter, and thus equipped sought an audience with Professor Despradelles. After an excited conversation of about fifteen minutes Mr. Derby reported in full to The Lounge as follows, 'Mr. Despradelles says that Sunday is a curious American custom'."
Despradelle was an architect of the early buildings and grounds of the University of California
, and served on its advisory board. In Boston he maintained a practice called Codman and Despradelle with his business partner, Stephen Codman
. Among their best-known projects is the Berkeley Building on Boylston Street, Boston, now a US national landmark.
Despradelle died in his home in Boston after a long illness.
, Illinois
of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Despradelle designed the Beacon to represent the founding of America, and so it consisted of thirteen obelisks which he said represented the original thirteen colonies. The group of obelisks merged to form a single spire soaring 1,500 feet (approximately 457 metres) above Chicago. This is similar to the height of the Sears Tower
, built in the city in 1973.
The Beacon would also represent the future with its benefits to be drawn from "technological leaps forward" in the approaching century. At the apex was to be a brilliant beacon of light with a figurative sculpture called Spirit of Progress to embody what Despradelle called the upward-looking Christian
in America. The figure would face Lake Michigan
as a monument to the genius of the people and to the dominant feature of their life.
Despradelle continued to refine his design after the Exposition was over, and although the Beacon was never built, the strength of his final 1900 drawings "drew a great deal of attention and had a lasting impact" in the French
world. Those drawings retained by the French government from domestically-hosted exhibitions were included in the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition
in London, a "tribute to [this] teacher of so many upcoming architects, but also recognition and understanding of Despradelle's creative vision."
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
who, through his teaching, influenced a generation of Beaux-Arts style architects and helped to popularize this style throughout North America.
Biography
Born in ChaumontChaumont
-France:* Chaumont-Porcien, in the Ardennes département* Chaumont, Cher, in the Cher département* Chaumont-le-Bois, in the Côte-d'Or département* Arrondissement of Chaumont, in the Haute-Marne département...
, France, Despradelle was admitted to the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École 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,...
at age twenty, was educated in the atelier of Jean-Louis Pascal
Jean-Louis Pascal
Jean-Louis Pascal was an academic French architect.- Life :Born in Paris, Pascal was taught at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts by Émile Gilbert and Charles-Auguste Questel...
, and obtained his diploma in 1886. He won the Grand Prix de Rome
Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome was a scholarship for arts students, principally of painting, sculpture, and architecture. It was created, initially for painters and sculptors, in 1663 in France during the reign of Louis XIV. It was an annual bursary for promising artists having proved their talents by...
in 1889.
In 1893, Despradelle went to Boston, accepting a position as Professor of Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where he served until his death. He taught the Beaux-Arts style and thus influenced the style's continued use throughout North America and Europe until about 1920.
Among architects who studied under him were the Canadians George Allen Ross, William Sutherland Maxwell
William Sutherland Maxwell
William Sutherland Maxwell was a well-known Canadian architect and a Hand of the Cause in the Bahá'í Faith. He was born in Montreal, Canada to parents Edward John Maxwell and Johan MacBean.-Education:...
and Andrew R. Cobb
Andrew R. Cobb
Andrew Randall Cobb, ARCA, FRIBA was a Canadian-American architect based in Nova Scotia.In his day, Cobb was one of the most renowned architects in Atlantic Canada...
. American architects who trained under him included Francis M. Miller, Ellis Lawrence, Marion Mahony, Ida Annah Ryan
Ida Annah Ryan
Ida Annah Ryan was a pioneering United States woman architect. She was born on November 4, 1873 at Waltham, MA, one of five children of Albert Morse Ryan and Carrie S. Jameson. Albert Morse Ryan was a Waltham city employee and historian who also ran a milk business. She graduated from the Waltham...
and Raymond Hood
Raymond Hood
Raymond Mathewson Hood was an early-mid twentieth century architect who worked in the Art Deco style. He was born in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, educated at Brown University, MIT, and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. At the latter institution he met John Mead Howells, with whom Hood later partnered...
.
A contemporary anecdote in the MIT student paper The Tech may give some indication of his manner and personality: "The Lounge [a column in the paper] secured the services of Mr. Derby as interpreter, and thus equipped sought an audience with Professor Despradelles. After an excited conversation of about fifteen minutes Mr. Derby reported in full to The Lounge as follows, 'Mr. Despradelles says that Sunday is a curious American custom'."
Despradelle was an architect of the early buildings and grounds of the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, and served on its advisory board. In Boston he maintained a practice called Codman and Despradelle with his business partner, Stephen Codman
Stephen Codman
Stephen Codman was a Canadian composer of English descent. His known compositions all date from before 1835 and his output mainly consists of works for solo voice or vocal ensembles...
. Among their best-known projects is the Berkeley Building on Boylston Street, Boston, now a US national landmark.
Despradelle died in his home in Boston after a long illness.
Beacon of Progress
Despradelle's most famous project was the unrealized "Beacon of Progress" (also simply called "the Beacon"). The Beacon was a towering monument intended for the site in ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
of the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Despradelle designed the Beacon to represent the founding of America, and so it consisted of thirteen obelisks which he said represented the original thirteen colonies. The group of obelisks merged to form a single spire soaring 1,500 feet (approximately 457 metres) above Chicago. This is similar to the height of the Sears Tower
Sears Tower
Sears' optimistic growth projections were not met. Competition from its traditional rivals continued, with new competition by retailing giants such as Kmart, Kohl's, and Wal-Mart. The fortunes of Sears & Roebuck declined in the 1970s as the company lost market share; its management grew more...
, built in the city in 1973.
The Beacon would also represent the future with its benefits to be drawn from "technological leaps forward" in the approaching century. At the apex was to be a brilliant beacon of light with a figurative sculpture called Spirit of Progress to embody what Despradelle called the upward-looking Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
in America. The figure would face Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
as a monument to the genius of the people and to the dominant feature of their life.
Despradelle continued to refine his design after the Exposition was over, and although the Beacon was never built, the strength of his final 1900 drawings "drew a great deal of attention and had a lasting impact" in the French
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
world. Those drawings retained by the French government from domestically-hosted exhibitions were included in the 1908 Franco-British Exhibition
Franco-British Exhibition (1908)
The Franco-British Exhibition was a large public fair held in London in the early years of the 20th Century. The exhibition attracted 8 million visitors and celebrated the Entente Cordiale signed in 1904 by the United Kingdom and France....
in London, a "tribute to [this] teacher of so many upcoming architects, but also recognition and understanding of Despradelle's creative vision."