Hubert, Pirsson, and Company
Encyclopedia
Hubert & Pirsson was a New York City
architectural firm
, founded by Philip Gengembre Hubert
(1830–1911) and James W. Pirsson
(1833–1888), which was active from c.1870 to 1888. It was later known as Hubert, Pirsson and Company, and Hubert, Pirsson & Haddick from 1888-1898. Active during New York City's "Gilded Age
", the firm produced many of the city’s finest buildings, including hotels, churches and residences, and were especially noted for their luxury co-operative apartments and residential hotels.
In 1870, both men were "listed as the architects for two third-class tenements erected on East 49th Street between First and Second Avenues under the first name Hubert & Pirsson." Their partnership lasted until Pirsson’s death in 1888.
The firm initially designed typical single-family rowhouses and tenements. However, the firm is credited with the Episcopal Church of the Blessed Disciple in 1870. Still listed as Hubert & Pirsson, the firm submitted designs for The Appleby in October 1879, a French flathouse on the southeast corner of West 58th Street and Seventh Avenue. The Landmarks Preservation Commission of New York City explained that "It was the firm’s designs for this type of building which gained for them fame and prestige." Some of their most famous apartment houses are the Central Park Apartments or Spanish Flats (now demolished) which had stood on the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Central Park South, and the Chelsea
(1883) on West 23d Street, a designated New York City Landmark. The firm incorporated some innovative concepts into their apartment plans such as the "mezzanine plan" or split level apartment, and they provided a greater degree of light and air for their apartments than did most of their contemporaries. Hubert & Pirsson were also actively involved in encouraging the growth of cooperative ownership of apartments.
"The Queen Anne style, which characterizes this row, is an American variant of the interpretation of early 18th-century English brick architecture Specific details associated with this style include Tudor roses, sunflowers, multi-paneled wood doors and various classical motifs such as swags and wreaths, which often appear on the sheet-metal roof cornices. The characteristic details of the style were frequently combined with other architectural styles."
Upon Pirsson’s death, the firm operated under the name Hubert, Pirsson & Haddick until 1893 when Hubert retired to California
.
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...
architectural firm
Architectural firm
An architectural firm is a company which employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture.- History :Architects have existed since early in recorded history. The earliest recorded architects include Imhotep and Senemut . No writings exist to describe how these...
, founded by Philip Gengembre Hubert
Philip Gengembre Hubert
Philip Gengembre Hubert, Sr., AIA, was a founder of the New York City architectural firm Hubert & Pirsson with James W. Pirsson...
(1830–1911) and James W. Pirsson
James W. Pirsson
James W. Pirsson, AIA, was an American architect and a founder of the New York City architectural firm Hubert & Pirsson, later Hubert, Pirsson, and Company with Philip Gengembre Hubert, AIA,...
(1833–1888), which was active from c.1870 to 1888. It was later known as Hubert, Pirsson and Company, and Hubert, Pirsson & Haddick from 1888-1898. Active during New York City's "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...
", the firm produced many of the city’s finest buildings, including hotels, churches and residences, and were especially noted for their luxury co-operative apartments and residential hotels.
History and style
The French-born Hubert and the New York City-native Pirsson, who was trained by an English architect, established their partnership around 1870; the former’s father was the architect and engineer Charles Antoine Colomb Gengembre, while the latter’s father was a well-connected "piano-forte manufacturer and musician who helped to found the New York Philharmonic Society."In 1870, both men were "listed as the architects for two third-class tenements erected on East 49th Street between First and Second Avenues under the first name Hubert & Pirsson." Their partnership lasted until Pirsson’s death in 1888.
The firm initially designed typical single-family rowhouses and tenements. However, the firm is credited with the Episcopal Church of the Blessed Disciple in 1870. Still listed as Hubert & Pirsson, the firm submitted designs for The Appleby in October 1879, a French flathouse on the southeast corner of West 58th Street and Seventh Avenue. The Landmarks Preservation Commission of New York City explained that "It was the firm’s designs for this type of building which gained for them fame and prestige." Some of their most famous apartment houses are the Central Park Apartments or Spanish Flats (now demolished) which had stood on the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Central Park South, and the Chelsea
Hotel Chelsea
The Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
(1883) on West 23d Street, a designated New York City Landmark. The firm incorporated some innovative concepts into their apartment plans such as the "mezzanine plan" or split level apartment, and they provided a greater degree of light and air for their apartments than did most of their contemporaries. Hubert & Pirsson were also actively involved in encouraging the growth of cooperative ownership of apartments.
"The Queen Anne style, which characterizes this row, is an American variant of the interpretation of early 18th-century English brick architecture Specific details associated with this style include Tudor roses, sunflowers, multi-paneled wood doors and various classical motifs such as swags and wreaths, which often appear on the sheet-metal roof cornices. The characteristic details of the style were frequently combined with other architectural styles."
Upon Pirsson’s death, the firm operated under the name Hubert, Pirsson & Haddick until 1893 when Hubert retired to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Works of Hubert & Pirsson (1870-1888)
- the former Episcopal Church of the Blessed DiscipleSt. Thomas More's Church (New York City)The Church of St. Thomas More is part of a Roman Catholic church complex located on East 89th Street, off Madison Avenue the Upper East Side in Manhattan, New York City. The parish is under the authority of the Archdiocese of New York. Attached to the complex is the church , a single-cell chapel ,...
(1870) - Hotel ChelseaHotel ChelseaThe Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
, NYC, 1884 - 146-156 East 89th Street House (1886–87), six survive of an original ten attached townhouses, NYC landmark , NRHPNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
- Croisic Hotel (demolished), 220 Fifth Avenue
Attributed to Philip Hubert
His most important work was considered the $5 million 12-story Central Park or Navarro Buildings (1882) on Seventh Avenue at Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth Streets.- The Hawthorne, ten-stories, co-op
- The Rembrandt, ten-stories, co-op
- The Milano, seven-stories, co-op
- The Chelsea ApartmentsHotel ChelseaThe Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
(1883), twelve-stories, co-op, now the Hotel ChelseaHotel ChelseaThe Hotel Chelsea, also known as the Chelsea Hotel, or simply the Chelsea, is a historic New York City hotel and landmark, known primarily for its history of notable residents...
, NYC landmark, NRHPNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation... - The Mount Morris, nine-stories, co-op
- No. 80 Madison Avenue, nine-stories, co-op
- No. 125 Madison Avenue, twelve-stories, co-op
- The Sevilla (Hotel), Fifty-eighth Street
- The Old Lyceum Theatre at Fourth Avenue and Twenty-third Street
- The Shoreman Hotel, Washington, DC