Gamaliel King
Encyclopedia
Gamaliel King was an American architect who practiced in New York City
and the adjacent city of Brooklyn, where he was a major figure in Brooklyn civic and ecclesiastical architecture for several decades.
His practice began as a "builder" in Brooklyn in the 1820s: in 1823 he and Joseph Moser were commissioned to build the York Methodist Episcopal Church, which was dedicated 6 June 1824. The following year, he was at Pineapple Street, corner of Hicks, and "Trustee of the Apprentices Library Association." In 1826, he was at Orange Street, listed as a builder, but in subsequent years supplementing his income as a grocer. None of his early work can be identified today, if any of his structures still stand.
He was known for his pioneering commercial architecture in Manhattan through his partnership with John Kellum
, a carpenter of Hempstead, Long Island
, who became a distinguished architect in his own right. The partnership of King & Kellum practiced in Brooklyn from 1846 to 1859, mostly from Fulton Street; in New York
they designed the landmark Cary Building
(1857), which runs through the block between Chambers Street and Reade Street, with two façades that placed William H. Cary's dry-goods shop and warehouse among the first fully cast iron-fronted buildings in the world. The two ground-floor fronts are of large-paned windows and doors framed in slender cast-iron columns; paired columns separate the arcaded window bays of upper floors, with cast-iron rustication that was originally painted a creamy limestone color and the wet paint surfaces sanded the better to imitate stone. The effect was akin to a narrow slice of Venetian Renaissance palazzo. Cary had already commissioned from King & Kellum cast-iron storefronts on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and on Pearl Street in Manhattan; the cast-iron elements were produced by Daniel Badger's Architectural Iron Works in Manhattan.
With Kellum as foreman King built the Brooklyn City Hall
, which was begun in 1845 to King's simplified design on foundations that had been laid in preparation for a more ambitious design, which has been aborted in the financial crisis of the Panic of 1837
. In the original competition in 1835 King's design had come in second. The incomplete City Hall opened in 1848, before it was fully completed, and served as city hall for nearly fifty years; since consolidation with New York City in 1898, it has been the Brooklyn Borough Hall.
In New York King and Kellum built the simple Italianate Friends' Meeting House (1859), on Gramercy Park South
, once reputedly a stop on the Underground Railroad
and now housing the Brotherhood Synagogue. The Gothic Revival Washington Square United Methodist Church that was built in 1860 and was designed by Gamaliel King, according to Elliot Willensky and Norval White in The A.I.A. Guide to New York City, 4th edition, (2000) was stripped of its remaining interiors and turned into condominiums in 2006.
In Brooklyn King designed some of the city's finest churches, exemplified today by the 12th Street Dutch Reformed Church, Park Slope (1868) and the once-spectacular domed King's County Courthouse (1861-5, demolished). Later, in partnership with William H. Willcox
he built the Kings County Savings Bank
in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn (completed 1868, standing).
The disappearance of his office archive means that there is no way to assess the scope of his work for private clients. Mary M. Thacher surmises that three houses built round Lambert's Cove, Stonington, Connecticut
, are the only documented houses attributed to King still standing today. The house of James Ingersoll Day was demolished following the Hurricane of 1938 but the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer house on Pine Point, and the Stanton house, "Linden Hall" remain. It is also likely that the undocumented Cove Lawn built in 1856 by the youngest of three Palmer brothers, Captain Theodore Dwight Palmer, was also designed by Gamaliel King. The Italianate King-Jellison House (1868), 330 Engle Street, Tenafly, New Jersey
, built for George B. Jellison, a printer in New York City, who married Sarah King, is attributed to King.
In addition to his career as architect, Gamaliel King served a term as a representative in the New York State Legislature.
Gamaliel King's parents were Abraham King and Bethia Parshall King of Shelter Island. On 19 June 1819, he married Catherine Oliver Snow, daughter of John Snow and Catherine Oliver Snow of Brooklyn; with her had five children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Gamaliel and Catherine King are buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
, Brooklyn.
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...
and the adjacent city of Brooklyn, where he was a major figure in Brooklyn civic and ecclesiastical architecture for several decades.
His practice began as a "builder" in Brooklyn in the 1820s: in 1823 he and Joseph Moser were commissioned to build the York Methodist Episcopal Church, which was dedicated 6 June 1824. The following year, he was at Pineapple Street, corner of Hicks, and "Trustee of the Apprentices Library Association." In 1826, he was at Orange Street, listed as a builder, but in subsequent years supplementing his income as a grocer. None of his early work can be identified today, if any of his structures still stand.
He was known for his pioneering commercial architecture in Manhattan through his partnership with John Kellum
John Kellum
John Kellum was an American architect in practice in New York City.Kellum, born in Hempstead, Long Island, was trained as a carpenter; he was largely self-taught in architecture, and was taken into partnership in 1846 by the well-established New York architect Gamaliel King...
, a carpenter of Hempstead, Long Island
Hempstead (village), New York
Hempstead is a village located in the town of Hempstead, Nassau County, New York, United States. The population was 53,891 at the 2010 census.Hofstra University is located on the border between Hempstead and Uniondale.-Foundation:...
, who became a distinguished architect in his own right. The partnership of King & Kellum practiced in Brooklyn from 1846 to 1859, mostly from Fulton Street; in New York
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...
they designed the landmark Cary Building
Cary Building (New York City)
The five-storey Cary Building is a cast-iron fronted building with twin facades on Chambers Street and Reade Street in New York City. The partnership of Gamaliel King and John Kellum was apparently responsible for its design, which was cast in Daniel D. Badger's Architectural Iron Works in...
(1857), which runs through the block between Chambers Street and Reade Street, with two façades that placed William H. Cary's dry-goods shop and warehouse among the first fully cast iron-fronted buildings in the world. The two ground-floor fronts are of large-paned windows and doors framed in slender cast-iron columns; paired columns separate the arcaded window bays of upper floors, with cast-iron rustication that was originally painted a creamy limestone color and the wet paint surfaces sanded the better to imitate stone. The effect was akin to a narrow slice of Venetian Renaissance palazzo. Cary had already commissioned from King & Kellum cast-iron storefronts on Fulton Street in Brooklyn and on Pearl Street in Manhattan; the cast-iron elements were produced by Daniel Badger's Architectural Iron Works in Manhattan.
With Kellum as foreman King built the Brooklyn City Hall
Brooklyn Borough Hall
Brooklyn Borough Hall was designed in 1835 by architect Gamaliel King, and constructed under the supervision of superintendent Stephen Haynes. It was completed in 1849 to be used as the City Hall of the City of Brooklyn...
, which was begun in 1845 to King's simplified design on foundations that had been laid in preparation for a more ambitious design, which has been aborted in the financial crisis of the Panic of 1837
Panic of 1837
The Panic of 1837 was a financial crisis or market correction in the United States built on a speculative fever. The end of the Second Bank of the United States had produced a period of runaway inflation, but on May 10, 1837 in New York City, every bank began to accept payment only in specie ,...
. In the original competition in 1835 King's design had come in second. The incomplete City Hall opened in 1848, before it was fully completed, and served as city hall for nearly fifty years; since consolidation with New York City in 1898, it has been the Brooklyn Borough Hall.
In New York King and Kellum built the simple Italianate Friends' Meeting House (1859), on Gramercy Park South
Gramercy Park
Gramercy Park is a small, fenced-in private park in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park is at the core of both the neighborhood referred to as either Gramercy or Gramercy Park and the Gramercy Park Historic District...
, once reputedly a stop on the Underground Railroad
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
and now housing the Brotherhood Synagogue. The Gothic Revival Washington Square United Methodist Church that was built in 1860 and was designed by Gamaliel King, according to Elliot Willensky and Norval White in The A.I.A. Guide to New York City, 4th edition, (2000) was stripped of its remaining interiors and turned into condominiums in 2006.
In Brooklyn King designed some of the city's finest churches, exemplified today by the 12th Street Dutch Reformed Church, Park Slope (1868) and the once-spectacular domed King's County Courthouse (1861-5, demolished). Later, in partnership with William H. Willcox
William H. Willcox
William H. Willcox was an American architect and surveyor who practised in Brooklyn and New York , Chicago, Illinois , Nebraska , St...
he built the Kings County Savings Bank
Kings County Savings Bank
Kings County Savings Bank is a New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission-designated building in the Williamsburg, Brooklyn section of New York City. It is an example of French Second Empire-style architecture. Construction of the building began in 1860, to designs of William H...
in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn (completed 1868, standing).
Stonington, Connecticut
The Town of Stonington is located in New London County, Connecticut, in the state's southeastern corner. It includes the borough of Stonington, the villages of Pawcatuck, Lords Point, Wequetequock, the eastern halves of the villages of Mystic and Old Mystic...
, are the only documented houses attributed to King still standing today. The house of James Ingersoll Day was demolished following the Hurricane of 1938 but the Captain Nathaniel B. Palmer house on Pine Point, and the Stanton house, "Linden Hall" remain. It is also likely that the undocumented Cove Lawn built in 1856 by the youngest of three Palmer brothers, Captain Theodore Dwight Palmer, was also designed by Gamaliel King. The Italianate King-Jellison House (1868), 330 Engle Street, Tenafly, New Jersey
Tenafly, New Jersey
Tenafly is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 census, the borough population was 14,488. Tenafly is an affluent suburb of New York City....
, built for George B. Jellison, a printer in New York City, who married Sarah King, is attributed to King.
In addition to his career as architect, Gamaliel King served a term as a representative in the New York State Legislature.
Gamaliel King's parents were Abraham King and Bethia Parshall King of Shelter Island. On 19 June 1819, he married Catherine Oliver Snow, daughter of John Snow and Catherine Oliver Snow of Brooklyn; with her had five children, four of whom lived to adulthood. Gamaliel and Catherine King are buried in Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery
Green-Wood Cemetery was founded in 1838 as a rural cemetery in Brooklyn, Kings County , New York. It was granted National Historic Landmark status in 2006 by the U.S. Department of the Interior.-History:...
, Brooklyn.