Frank Freeman
Encyclopedia
Frank Freeman was a Canadian-American
architect
based in Brooklyn, New York. A leading exponent of the Richardsonian Romanesque
architectural style who later adopted Neoclassicism
, Freeman has been called "Brooklyn's greatest architect". Many details of his life and work are however still unknown, and Freeman himself has received little recognition outside academia. Many of his works have been demolished or otherwise destroyed, but most of those that remain have received landmark
status, either independently or as part of larger historic districts.
, Canada
in 1861. In the early 1880s, he arrived in New York, where he obtained a minor position in an architect's office while studying architecture. By 1885 he was a qualified architect, and in 1887 he established his own practice. Almost immediately he began attracting major commissions, one of the first being for the Hotel Margaret
in 1888.
Freeman maintained offices in both Brooklyn and New York City
, the latter in the Sun Building at 280 Broadway
. While he designed buildings for clients in both Manhattan
and Long Island
and occasionally further afield, the great majority of his works were constructed in Brooklyn.
Freeman's early work was completed in the Richardsonian Romanesque
style, at which he is considered a master. After the Chicago World's Fair
in 1893 however, Romanesque went out of fashion and Freeman quickly adapted to the new Neoclassical
trend, completing a major commission in the genre, the Brooklyn Savings Bank
, even before the World's Fair had ended. Freeman also sometimes incorporated elements of other styles into his works, such as Italian Renaissance
, Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival
, in an eclectic
manner.
Freeman once headed the Clubhouse Committee of the Crescent Athletic Club (whose headquarters
he designed in 1906), and he was a parishioner of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Brooklyn Heights. He died in 1949 in a convalescent home in Montclair, New Jersey
at the age of 88, after a long illness. He was survived by two daughters, Miss Katharine C. Freeman and Mrs Dorothea F. Sellew.
Freeman's family discarded his papers and records just days before architectural historian Alan Burnham arrived to request them. Historians have thus been obliged to try to piece together details of his career from municipal records, a task that was still ongoing as late as 1995.
who called him "Brooklyn's greatest architect"—an accolade frequently repeated, and that other critics have judged as not unreasonable. His work in the Richardsonian Romanesque style in particular has been singled out for attention. The 19th century critic Montgomery Schuyler
credited him with "the most artistic examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque in our domestic architecture", while a 1979 report by New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission described his works in this style to be "among the finest built anywhere in New York City." He has been praised for his "fecund imagination" and "infinite versatility"—an example of the latter being his Brooklyn Savings Bank
, a neoclassical design, considered by critic Francis Morrone
to have been perhaps Freeman's finest work.
More generally, Freeman's "marvellously clear and direct" buildings "seem to speak to people, he gave them a sense of immediacy", according to historian Andrew Dolkart. Dolkart asserts that had Freeman practiced in Manhattan, "he'd be famous; but just because he worked in Brooklyn, no one's ever heard of him." Though known to have been a prolific architect, many of Freeman's buildings have been demolished or destroyed, which further contributed to his lack of recognition. Many of Freeman's surviving works are now protected by landmark status.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
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...
based in Brooklyn, New York. A leading exponent of the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
architectural style who later adopted Neoclassicism
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, Freeman has been called "Brooklyn's greatest architect". Many details of his life and work are however still unknown, and Freeman himself has received little recognition outside academia. Many of his works have been demolished or otherwise destroyed, but most of those that remain have received landmark
Landmark
This is a list of landmarks around the world.Landmarks may be split into two categories - natural phenomena and man-made features, like buildings, bridges, statues, public squares and so forth...
status, either independently or as part of larger historic districts.
Life and career
Freeman was born in Hamilton, OntarioHamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1861. In the early 1880s, he arrived in New York, where he obtained a minor position in an architect's office while studying architecture. By 1885 he was a qualified architect, and in 1887 he established his own practice. Almost immediately he began attracting major commissions, one of the first being for the Hotel Margaret
Hotel Margaret
The Hotel Margaret was a notable building in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Frank Freeman and completed in 1889, the hotel was the locality's first skyscraper and for many years remained its tallest building. It was destroyed by fire during renovations in 1980.-History:The hotel was built for John...
in 1888.
Freeman maintained offices in both Brooklyn and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the latter in the Sun Building at 280 Broadway
280 Broadway
280 Broadway is the site of America's first department store. It later housed The New York Sun newspaper and is now used for municipal offices for New York City...
. While he designed buildings for clients in both Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
and Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and occasionally further afield, the great majority of his works were constructed in Brooklyn.
Freeman's early work was completed in the Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style, at which he is considered a master. After the Chicago World's Fair
Chicago World's Fair
Chicago World's Fair may refer to:*World's Columbian Exposition of 1893*Century of Progress Exposition of 1933...
in 1893 however, Romanesque went out of fashion and Freeman quickly adapted to the new Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
trend, completing a major commission in the genre, the Brooklyn Savings Bank
Brooklyn Savings Bank (building)
The Brooklyn Savings Bank was a notable building in Brooklyn, New York, designed by prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman. Completed in 1894, it was considered one of Freeman's finest works, but in spite of its widely recognized architectural significance, the building was demolished in 1964,...
, even before the World's Fair had ended. Freeman also sometimes incorporated elements of other styles into his works, such as Italian Renaissance
Italian Renaissance
The Italian Renaissance began the opening phase of the Renaissance, a period of great cultural change and achievement in Europe that spanned the period from the end of the 13th century to about 1600, marking the transition between Medieval and Early Modern Europe...
, Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
, in an eclectic
Eclecticism in architecture
Eclecticism is a term used to describe a single piece of work, which incorporates a mixture of elements from previous historical styles to create something that is new and original...
manner.
Freeman once headed the Clubhouse Committee of the Crescent Athletic Club (whose headquarters
Crescent Athletic Club House
The Crescent Athletic Club House is a notable building in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman and completed in 1906, the building is known today as The Bosworth Building of Saint Ann's School.-History:...
he designed in 1906), and he was a parishioner of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Brooklyn Heights. He died in 1949 in a convalescent home in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
at the age of 88, after a long illness. He was survived by two daughters, Miss Katharine C. Freeman and Mrs Dorothea F. Sellew.
Freeman's family discarded his papers and records just days before architectural historian Alan Burnham arrived to request them. Historians have thus been obliged to try to piece together details of his career from municipal records, a task that was still ongoing as late as 1995.
Critical appraisal
Freeman's work has received high praise from architecture critics, most notably from Norval WhiteNorval White
Norval Crawford White was an American architect, architectural historian and professor. He designed buildings throughout the U.S., but he is best known for his writing, particularly the AIA Guide to New York City . White was widely considered to be one of the great figures of New York architecture...
who called him "Brooklyn's greatest architect"—an accolade frequently repeated, and that other critics have judged as not unreasonable. His work in the Richardsonian Romanesque style in particular has been singled out for attention. The 19th century critic Montgomery Schuyler
Montgomery Schuyler
Montgomery Schuyler, AIA, was a highly influential critic, journalist and editorial writer in New York City who wrote about and influenced art, literature, music and architecture during the city's "Gilded Age." He was active as a journalist for over forty years but is principally noted as a highly...
credited him with "the most artistic examples of the Richardsonian Romanesque in our domestic architecture", while a 1979 report by New York's Landmarks Preservation Commission described his works in this style to be "among the finest built anywhere in New York City." He has been praised for his "fecund imagination" and "infinite versatility"—an example of the latter being his Brooklyn Savings Bank
Brooklyn Savings Bank (building)
The Brooklyn Savings Bank was a notable building in Brooklyn, New York, designed by prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman. Completed in 1894, it was considered one of Freeman's finest works, but in spite of its widely recognized architectural significance, the building was demolished in 1964,...
, a neoclassical design, considered by critic Francis Morrone
Francis Morrone
Francis Morrone is an American architectural historian noted for his work on the built history of New York City.Morrone's essays on architecture have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, City Journal, American Arts Quarterly, the New Criterion and the New York Times. He was a columnist for the New...
to have been perhaps Freeman's finest work.
More generally, Freeman's "marvellously clear and direct" buildings "seem to speak to people, he gave them a sense of immediacy", according to historian Andrew Dolkart. Dolkart asserts that had Freeman practiced in Manhattan, "he'd be famous; but just because he worked in Brooklyn, no one's ever heard of him." Though known to have been a prolific architect, many of Freeman's buildings have been demolished or destroyed, which further contributed to his lack of recognition. Many of Freeman's surviving works are now protected by landmark status.
List of works
The following tables list buildings known to have been designed by Frank Freeman. The first table is a list of extant works; the second a list of works that have been demolished or otherwise largely or wholly destroyed. Both lists are incomplete.| Image | Name | Address | Built | Style | Notes |
| Herman Behr Mansion Herman Behr Mansion The Herman Behr Mansion is a notable building located in Brooklyn, New York. Constructed in 1888-89 to a design of Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman, it has been described as "the city's finest Romanesque Revival house".-History:... |
82 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn | 1889 | RR | "the city's finest Romanesque Revival house" | |
| Brooklyn Fire Headquarters Brooklyn Fire Headquarters The Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, also known as Old Brooklyn Fire Headquarters, is a historic building in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Frank Freeman and built in 1892, it was used as a fire station until the 1970s, after which it was converted into housing apartments... |
365-367 Jay St., Brooklyn | 1892 | RR | "the most splendid neighborhood firehouse in Greater New York." | |
| Eagle Warehouse | 28 Fulton St., Brooklyn | 1894 | RR | "...a medieval brick fortress [that] recalls the Palazzo Vecchio Palazzo Vecchio The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany... in Florence Florence Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area.... ," |
|
| Nelson P. Lewis Residence | 1511 Albermarle Rd., Brooklyn | 1899 | CR | Part of the Prospect Park South Historic District. | |
| Crescent Athletic Club House Crescent Athletic Club House The Crescent Athletic Club House is a notable building in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman and completed in 1906, the building is known today as The Bosworth Building of Saint Ann's School.-History:... |
129 Pierrepont St., Brooklyn | 1906 | N | "at first seems simple enough but is in fact quite complex." | |
| Brooklyn Union Gas Company Headquarters Brooklyn Union Gas Company Headquarters The Brooklyn Union Gas Company Headquarters, also known as 180 Remsen Street, and since 1962 the St. Francis College Arts Building, is a notable building in Brooklyn, New York... |
180 Remsen St., Brooklyn | 1914 | N | "a fine, stately office building demonstrating Freeman's infinite versatility." | |
| Harriet Judson YWCA | 50 Nevins St., Brooklyn | 1914 | CR | ||
| Villa Maria Villa Maria (Long Island) Villa Maria is an estate in Water Mill, New York. Built as a private residence in 1887, the villa itself was extensively remodelled by Brooklyn-based architect Frank Freeman in 1919. It later became a convent and spirituality center, before recently becoming a private residence once again... |
615 Montauk Hwy, Water Mill Water Mill, New York Water Mill is a census-designated place in Suffolk County, New York, USA, and a hamlet of the Town of Southampton. The population was 1,724 at the 2000 census. Water Mill is the correct name per local government and the United States Postal Service... |
1919 (R) | E | "perhaps Water Mill's best-known landmark." | |
| Legend: Name=name of building; Address=address of building; Built=year building was completed (or remodelled, denoted by an "R" after the year); Style=architectural style. Styles include: RR=Richardsonian Romanesque; N=Neoclassical; E=eclectic; CR=Colonial Revival. | |||||
| Image | Name | Address | Built | Style | Notes |
| Hotel Margaret Hotel Margaret The Hotel Margaret was a notable building in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Frank Freeman and completed in 1889, the hotel was the locality's first skyscraper and for many years remained its tallest building. It was destroyed by fire during renovations in 1980.-History:The hotel was built for John... |
97 Columbia Heights, Brooklyn | 1889 | RR | "the outstanding building of the Post-Civil War American Civil War The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25... period" in Brooklyn Heights. Destroyed by fire during renovations, 1980. |
|
| Germania Club House Germania Club House The Germania Club House was a notable building located in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Frank Freeman and completed in 1890, it was considered one of Brooklyn's finest examples of Romanesque Revival architecture. It was demolished in the 1920s to make way for a subway.-History:The Germania Club... |
120 Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn | 1890 | RR | "As a specimen of Romanesque architecture, it is unsurpassed by any other structure in Brooklyn". Demolished 1920s to make way for a subway. | |
| Thomas Jefferson Association Building Thomas Jefferson Association Building The Thomas Jefferson Association Building was a notable building located in Brooklyn, New York. Designed by Brooklyn-based architect Frank Freeman and completed in 1890, it was considered a fine example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style... |
Boerum Place, Brooklyn | 1890 | RR | "one of the most peculiar-looking structures in the city." Demolished to make way for an arterial link Arterial road An arterial road, or arterial thoroughfare, is a high-capacity urban road. The primary function of an arterial road is to deliver traffic from collector roads to freeways, and between urban centres at the highest level of service possible. As such, many arteries are limited-access roads, or feature... , 1960. |
|
| Brooklyn Waterworks Brooklyn Waterworks The Brooklyn Waterworks, also known as the Milburn Pumping Station, was an historic building in Freeport, Long Island. Designed by noted Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman and completed in 1890, it was described as "Long Island's most ambitious Romanesque Revival design."After the Waterworks was... |
Freeport, Long Island | 1890 | RR | "unquestionably Long Island's most ambitious Romanesque Revival design." Burned down during renovations, 1990s. The remaining facades and walls were torn down in September, 2010. | |
| Bushwick Democratic Club House Bushwick Democratic Club House The Bushwick Democratic Club House was a notable building located in Brooklyn, New York. The building, designed by Brooklyn-based architect Frank Freeman in his signature Richardsonian Romanesque style, was completed in 1892, and designated a New York City landmark in the 1970s... |
719 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn | 1892 | RR | An "astounding, round-edged cube ... wrap[ping] a tight skin of precise decoration around a compact mass", Destroyed by fire, after 1970. | |
| Brooklyn Savings Bank Brooklyn Savings Bank (building) The Brooklyn Savings Bank was a notable building in Brooklyn, New York, designed by prominent Brooklyn architect Frank Freeman. Completed in 1894, it was considered one of Freeman's finest works, but in spite of its widely recognized architectural significance, the building was demolished in 1964,... |
1894 | N | "may have been Freeman's finest work." Demolished 1964. | ||
| Frederick Burrell Residence | 1401 Albermarle Rd., Brooklyn | 1900 | n/a | "one of the finest of the modern dwellings in the ... exclusive section south of Prospect Park". Demolished 1938. | |
| Legend: Name=name of building; Address=address of building; Built=year building was completed (or remodelled, denoted by an "R" after the year); Style=architectural style. Styles include: RR=Richardsonian Romanesque; N=Neoclassical; E=eclectic; CR=Colonial Revival. | |||||