Horace Trumbauer
Encyclopedia
Horace Trumbauer was a prominent American
architect
of the Gilded Age
, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University
. Trumbauer's massive palaces flattered the egos of his "robber baron
" clients, but were dismissed by his professional peers. His work made him a wealthy man, but his buildings rarely received positive critical recognition.
Trumbauer's first major commission was Grey Towers Castle
(1893), designed for the sugar magnate William Welsh Harrison. Its exterior was based on Alnwick Castle
in Northumberland, England, although its interiors were French, ranging in style from Renaissance to Louis XV. Harrison introduced him to the streetcar and real estate developer Peter A. B. Widener, whose 110-room Georgian-revival palace, Lynnewood Hall
(1897–1900), launched Trumbauer's successful career. For the Wideners, the Elkinses and their circle, he designed mansions in Philadelphia, New York, and Newport, RI, office buildings, hospitals, and the main library at Harvard University
.
In 1903, he married Sara Thomson Williams and became stepfather to Agnes Helena. Architectural Record
published a survey of his work in 1904.
In 1906, Trumbauer hired Julian Abele
, the first African-American graduate of the University of Pennsylvania
Architecture School, and promoted him to chief designer in 1909. Trumbauer's later buildings are sometimes attributed to Abele, but this is speculation. With the exception of the chapel at Duke University
(1934), Abele never claimed credit for any of the firm's buildings designed during Trumbauer's lifetime.
The commission for the Philadelphia Museum of Art
(1916–28) was shared between Trumbauer's firm and Zantzinger, Borie and Medary
. Trumbauer architect Howell Lewis Shay is credited with the building's plan and massing, although the perspective drawings appear to be in Abele's hand. When it opened in 1928, the building was criticized as being vastly overscaled and nicknamed "the great Greek garage". But, perched on Fairmount Hill and terminating the axis of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
, it is now considered the most magnificently-sited museum in the United States.
Despite tremendous success and his apparent ability to impress wealthy clients, Trumbauer suffered from overwhelming shyness and a sense of inferiority about his lack of formal education. He had a number of commissions until the Great Depression, but began to drink heavily to help bear his burdens. He died of cirrhosis
of the liver in 1938, and is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery
, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
.
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...
of the Gilded Age
Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post–Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded...
, known for designing residential manors for the wealthy. Later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and much of the campus of Duke University
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
. Trumbauer's massive palaces flattered the egos of his "robber baron
Robber baron
A robber baron or robber knight was an unscrupulous and despotic nobility of the medieval period in Europe, for example, Berlichingen. It has slightly different meanings in different countries. In modern US parlance, the term is also used to describe unscrupulous industrialists...
" clients, but were dismissed by his professional peers. His work made him a wealthy man, but his buildings rarely received positive critical recognition.
Career
Trumbauer was born in Philadelphia, the son of a salesman. He completed a 6-year apprenticeship with G. W. and W. D. Hewitt, and opened his own architectural office at age 21. He did some work for developers Wendell and Smith, designing homes for middle-class planned communities, including the Overbrook Farms development.Trumbauer's first major commission was Grey Towers Castle
Grey Towers Castle
Grey Towers Castle is a building on the campus of Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania which is in Cheltenham Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, USA. The castle was designed by Horace Trumbauer and built starting in 1893 as the estate of William Welsh Harrison...
(1893), designed for the sugar magnate William Welsh Harrison. Its exterior was based on Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:Alnwick...
in Northumberland, England, although its interiors were French, ranging in style from Renaissance to Louis XV. Harrison introduced him to the streetcar and real estate developer Peter A. B. Widener, whose 110-room Georgian-revival palace, Lynnewood Hall
Lynnewood Hall
Lynnewood Hall is a 110-room Neoclassical Revival mansion in Elkins Park, Montgomery County designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for industrialist Peter A. B. Widener between 1897 and 1900...
(1897–1900), launched Trumbauer's successful career. For the Wideners, the Elkinses and their circle, he designed mansions in Philadelphia, New York, and Newport, RI, office buildings, hospitals, and the main library at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
In 1903, he married Sara Thomson Williams and became stepfather to Agnes Helena. Architectural Record
Architectural Record
Architectural Record is an American monthly magazine dedicated to architecture and interior design, published by McGraw-Hill Construction in New York City. It is over 110 years old...
published a survey of his work in 1904.
In 1906, Trumbauer hired Julian Abele
Julian Abele
Julian Abele was a prominent African-American architect, and the chief designer in the offices of architect Horace Trumbauer...
, the first African-American graduate of the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
Architecture School, and promoted him to chief designer in 1909. Trumbauer's later buildings are sometimes attributed to Abele, but this is speculation. With the exception of the chapel at Duke University
Duke Chapel
Duke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. It is an ecumenical Christian chapel and the center of religion at Duke, and has connections to the United Methodist Church...
(1934), Abele never claimed credit for any of the firm's buildings designed during Trumbauer's lifetime.
Philadelphia Museum of Art
The Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
(1916–28) was shared between Trumbauer's firm and Zantzinger, Borie and Medary
Zantzinger, Borie and Medary
Zantzinger, Borie and Medary was an early to mid-twentieth-century American architecture firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania specializing in institutional and civic projects, and active under that name from 1910 through 1929, and continuing until 1950. The partners were Clarence C. Zantzinger,...
. Trumbauer architect Howell Lewis Shay is credited with the building's plan and massing, although the perspective drawings appear to be in Abele's hand. When it opened in 1928, the building was criticized as being vastly overscaled and nicknamed "the great Greek garage". But, perched on Fairmount Hill and terminating the axis of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a scenic boulevard that runs through the cultural heart of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Named for favorite son Benjamin Franklin, the mile-long Parkway cuts diagonally across the grid plan pattern of Center City's Northwest quadrant...
, it is now considered the most magnificently-sited museum in the United States.
Despite tremendous success and his apparent ability to impress wealthy clients, Trumbauer suffered from overwhelming shyness and a sense of inferiority about his lack of formal education. He had a number of commissions until the Great Depression, but began to drink heavily to help bear his burdens. He died of cirrhosis
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
of the liver in 1938, and is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery
West Laurel Hill Cemetery
West Laurel Hill Cemetery is a cemetery located in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the site of many notable burials, and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1992...
, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
.
Residences
- Grey Towers CastleGrey Towers CastleGrey Towers Castle is a building on the campus of Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania which is in Cheltenham Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, USA. The castle was designed by Horace Trumbauer and built starting in 1893 as the estate of William Welsh Harrison...
(William Welsh Harrison mansion), Glenside, PA (1893) - Chelten HouseElkins EstateElkins Estate is a estate located in Elkins Park, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The estate contains five buildings, the most notable being Elstowe Manor and Chelten House, both Horace Trumbauer designed mansions. Elstowe Manor was the summer home of William L...
(George W. Elkins mansion), Elkins Park, PA (1896, rebuilt 1909)http://libwww.library.phila.gov/75th/SearchItem.cfm?ItemID=75A0205 - Lynnewood HallLynnewood HallLynnewood Hall is a 110-room Neoclassical Revival mansion in Elkins Park, Montgomery County designed by architect Horace Trumbauer for industrialist Peter A. B. Widener between 1897 and 1900...
(Peter A. B. Widener mansion), Elkins Park, PA (1897–1900) - Elstowe ManorElkins EstateElkins Estate is a estate located in Elkins Park, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. The estate contains five buildings, the most notable being Elstowe Manor and Chelten House, both Horace Trumbauer designed mansions. Elstowe Manor was the summer home of William L...
(William L. ElkinsWilliam Lukens ElkinsWilliam Lukens Elkins was an American businessman, inventor, and art collector.-Career:Although his father was a native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, William Elkins was born in Wheeling, West Virginia. He started his working life at a grocery store in Philadelphia where his family had returned to...
mansion), Elkins Park, PA (1898) - Edward C. Knight townhouse, 1629 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA (1902)
- Georgian Terrace (George F. Tyler mansion), Elkins Park, PA (1905) (now Stella Elkins Tyler School of ArtTyler School of ArtThe Stella Elkins Tyler School of Art, usually just referred to as Tyler School of Art is Temple University's school of art, which confers BFA and MFA degrees. The school was originally founded by sculptors Stella Elkins Tyler and Boris Blai on a separate 14-acre estate in Elkins Park...
, Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
) - Isle Field (mansion), Villanova, PA (1911) (now home office of American Missionary FellowshipAmerican Missionary FellowshipAmerican Missionary Fellowship , now known as InFaith, had its roots in the First Day Society . AMF officially formed in 1817 as the “Sunday and Adult School Union.” In 1824, the organization changed its name to “American Sunday School Union”...
) - Androssan (Robert L. Montgomery mansion), Villanova, PA (1913)http://libwww.library.phila.gov/75th/SearchItem.cfm?ItemID=75A0208
- Whitemarsh HallWhitemarsh HallWhitemarsh Hall was a huge estate located on of land in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, USA, and owned by banking executive Edward T. Stotesbury and his wife, Eva...
(Edward T. StotesburyEdward T. StotesburyEdward Townsend "Ned" Stotesbury was a prominent investment banker, a partner in Drexel & Co. and its New York affiliate J. P. Morgan & Co. for over fifty-five years....
mansion), Wyndmoor, PA (1916–21, demolished 1980) - Ronaele Manor (Fitz Eugene Dixon mansion), Elkins Park, PA (1923–26, demolished 1974). Mrs. Dixon was Eleanor Widener; the mansion's name is hers spelled backward. LaSalle College Christian Brothers owned the mansion 1950–74, renaming it Anselm Hall.
Commercial
- St. James Apartment House, 13th & Walnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA (1901)http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=138320
- Land Title BuildingLand Title BuildingThe Land Title Building and Annex is a historic early skyscraper located at 1400 Chestnut Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.It was built for the oldest title insurance company in the world, the Land Title Bank and Trust Company. The two-building complex, joined at the first floor, was built in...
, 100 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA (1902) - Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Philadelphia, SE corner Broad & Walnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA (1911, altered beyond recognition)http://libwww.library.phila.gov/75th/SearchItem.cfm?ItemID=75A0209
- Widener Building, South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA (1914)http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=117840
- Adelphia Hotel, 1229 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA (1914)http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=138475
- Beneficial Savings Fund Society Building, SW corner 12th & Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA (1916)
- Bankers' Trust Office Building, 12th & Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA (1922)
- Public Ledger Building, 6th & Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA (1923)
- Benjamin Franklin HotelBen Franklin HouseThe Ben Franklin House is an apartment building located at 834 Chestnut Street in Center City, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Originally opened in 1925 as the Benjamin Franklin Hotel, it was designed by Horace Trumbauer. In the mid-1980s the hotel was renovated and reopened as the Benjamin Franklin...
, 834 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA (1925)http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=137628 - Chateau Crillon Apartment HouseChateau Crillon Apartment HouseThe Chateau Crillon Apartment House, also known as the Cohen Apartment House and the Rittenhouse 222 Apartments, is a historic high-rise building in the Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
, Locust St. & Rittenhouse Square West, Philadelphia, PA (1928) - Jenkintown Train StationJenkintown-Wyncote (SEPTA station)Jenkintown–Wyncote is a SEPTA Regional Rail station along the SEPTA Main Line. It is located at the intersection of Greenwood Avenue and West Avenue in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania.-Station:...
, Jenkintown, PA (1932)
Cultural, medical and educational
- Music Pavilion at Willow Grove ParkWillow Grove ParkWillow Grove Park was an amusement park located in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania , United States, that operated for eighty years from 1896 until the 1975 season. The park operated under the name Six Gun Territory from 1972...
, Willow Grove, PA (1895, demolished)http://libwww.library.phila.gov/75th/SearchItem.cfm?ItemID=75A0093 - Bandshell in West Park, Allentown, PA (1908–1909)
- Union League of Philadelphia Annex, 15th & Sansom Sts., Philadelphia (1909)
- Elkins Memorial YMCA, Arch St., Philadelphia (1911)http://libwww.library.phila.gov/75th/SearchItem.cfm?ItemID=75A0197
- Philadelphia Racquet Club, 213–25 S. 16th St., Philadelphia (1912)
- Widener Memorial Training School for Crippled Children, 1450 W. Olney Ave., Philadelphia (1912–14)
- Philadelphia Museum of ArtPhiladelphia Museum of ArtThe Philadelphia Museum of Art is among the largest art museums in the United States. It is located at the west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. The Museum was established in 1876 in conjunction with the Centennial Exposition of the same year...
(with Zantzinger, Borie and MedaryZantzinger, Borie and MedaryZantzinger, Borie and Medary was an early to mid-twentieth-century American architecture firm based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania specializing in institutional and civic projects, and active under that name from 1910 through 1929, and continuing until 1950. The partners were Clarence C. Zantzinger,...
), Philadelphia (1916–28) - Free Library of PhiladelphiaFree Library of PhiladelphiaThe Free Library of Philadelphia is the public library system serving Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.-History:History of the Free Library of Philadelphia: Initiated by the efforts of Dr...
, Logan SquareLogan Circle (Philadelphia)Logan Circle, also known as Logan Square, is an open-space park in Center City Philadelphia's northwest quadrant and one of the five original planned squares laid out on the city grid. The circle itself exists within the original bounds of the square; the names Logan Square and Logan Circle are...
, Philadelphia (1925–27) - Irvine AuditoriumIrvine AuditoriumIrvine Auditorium is a performance venue at 3401 Spruce Street on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by the firm of prominent architect Horace Trumbauer and built 1926–1932...
, University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, 34th & Spruce Sts., Philadelphia (1926–32) - Keswick Theatre, GlensideGlenside, PennsylvaniaGlenside is a census-designated place in Abington, Cheltenham, and Springfield townships, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 8,384 at the 2010 census...
, PA (1928) - Hahnemann University HospitalHahnemann University HospitalHahnemann University Hospital, established in 1885 and named after Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, is a hospital in Center City, Philadelphia. It is affiliated with Drexel University College of Medicine and serves as its Center City Hahnemann campus.-History:In 1993 Hahnemann...
South Tower, Philadelphia (1928)http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=117999 - Jefferson Medical College, Main Building, Philadelphia (1929)
- Jefferson Medical College, Curtis Clinic, 1001–15 Walnut St., Philadelphia (1931)http://libwww.library.phila.gov/75th/SearchItem.cfm?ItemID=75A0195
Buildings elsewhere
- New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
building, New York, New York (1926) - James B. Duke mansionJames B. Duke HouseThe James B. Duke House located at the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and 1 East 78th Street in New York City. The house is one of the great extant mansions from "Millionaire's Row." James Buchanan Duke was one of the founding partners of American Tobacco Company and the owner of Duke Power.-...
, New York, New York (1912) (now Institute of Fine Arts, New York UniversityNew York UniversityNew York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
) - The Elms (Edward Julius BerwindEdward Julius BerwindEdward Julius Berwind was the founder of the Berwind-White Coal Mining Company. He was head of the company from 1886 until 1930.-Biography:...
mansion), Newport, Rhode Island (1899–1901) - MiramarMiramar (mansion)Miramar is a French neoclassical-style mansion on bordering Bellevue Avenue on Aquidneck Island at Newport, Rhode Island. Overlooking Rhode Island Sound, it was intended as a summer home for the George D. Widener family of Philadelphia...
(Eleanor Elkins Widener mansion), Newport, Rhode Island (1914)http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/10/01/gilded_age_opportunity?mode=PF - Clarendon Court (Edward C. Knight mansion), Newport, Rhode Island (1904)
- Harry Elkins Widener Memorial LibraryWidener LibraryThe Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, commonly known as Widener Library, is the primary building of the library system of Harvard University. Located on the south side of Harvard Yard directly across from Memorial Church, Widener serves as the centerpiece of the 15.6 million-volume Harvard...
, Harvard UniversityHarvard UniversityHarvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1915) - High GateHigh GateHigh Gate is a historic residence located at 800 Fairmont Avenue in Fairmont, West Virginia....
(James E. Watson mansion), Fairmont, West Virginia (1910–13) http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/High_Gate_-_Fairmont,_WV - Consolidation Coal Company Office Building, Fairmont, West Virginia (1911) (now WesBanco Building)http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=211030
- Shadow Lawn (Hubert Templeton Parson mansion), West Long Branch, New Jersey (1927) (now Woodrow Wilson Hall, Monmouth UniversityMonmouth UniversityMonmouth University is a private university located in West Long Branch, New Jersey, United States.Founded in 1933 as Monmouth Junior College, it became Monmouth College in 1956, and later Monmouth University in 1995 after receiving its charter....
) - Rose Terrace (Anna Dodge mansion), Grosse Pointe, Michigan (1934, demolished 1976)
- Duke ChapelDuke ChapelDuke University Chapel is a chapel located at the center of the campus of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. It is an ecumenical Christian chapel and the center of religion at Duke, and has connections to the United Methodist Church...
, Duke UniversityDuke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
, Durham, North Carolina (1934) (Julian AbeleJulian AbeleJulian Abele was a prominent African-American architect, and the chief designer in the offices of architect Horace Trumbauer...
credited as the designer.) - St. Catherine Church, Spring Lake, New JerseySpring Lake, New JerseySpring Lake is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 2,993....
External links
- Biography at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
- Overview of an archival finding aid on Horace Trumbauer at the Winterthur Library.
- Residential Designs by Horace Trumbauer from Free Library of Philadelphia
- Commercial and Institutional Designs by the Horace Trumbauer Architectural Firm from Free Library of Philadelphia
- Biography-West Laurel Hill Cemetery web site
- Biography at NYC-architecture.com
- The Horace Trumbauer Collection, including architectural drawings, blueprints and details of buildings and estates (some that were never built), are available for research use at the Historical Society of PennsylvaniaHistorical Society of PennsylvaniaThe Historical Society of Pennsylvania is a historical society founded in 1824 and based in Philadelphia. The Society's building, designed by Addison Hutton and listed on Philadelphia's Register of Historical Places, houses some 600,000 printed items and over 19 million manuscript and graphic items...
.