John Joseph Earley
Encyclopedia
John Joseph Earley was the son of James Earley, a fourth generation Irish stone carver and ecclesiastical artist. A skilled artisan, architect, and innovator in the use of concrete Earley is best known for the invention of the Earley Process, a technique also known as polychrome
, architectural or mosaic
concrete.
At age seventeen, he began work as an apprentice at his father’s studio in Rosslyn, Virginia
to learn sculpture, modelmaking, and stonecarving. James Earley moved his family to Washington, DC in 1900 and leased property on G Street to build a new home for his business.
Basil Taylor, another apprentice, impressed James with his ability and when James became seriously ill, he asked Taylor to stay on and help his son run the studio.
In 1907, he built the John J. Earley Office and Studio
at 2131 G Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C.
After his father’s death, John Earley and Basil Taylor and changed the focus of the work from stone and sculpture to plaster and stucco and over the next several years built the Earley Studio to become a significant business. The Earley Studio received contracts for both government and private work, including the remodeling of the interior of the White House
during President Roosevelt’s first term, and the elaborate main lobby of the new building for the Willard Hotel, constructed in 1902 at Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW in Washington, DC.
In 1906, Earley began investigating exposed aggregate concrete. Attracted to the use of color in Byzantine architecture
, he was interested in trying to duplicate this effect in concrete. In 1914, Earley modeled a stylized Indian Head bust for the Q Street Bridge, now known as the Dumbarton Bridge
, being constructed over Rock Creek Park
in Washington, DC, using as a basis the life mask of Sioux Chief Kicking Bear
(from Earley's model, 56 sandstone busts were then carved for the bridge).
In 1915, John Earley worked closely with the Commission of Fine Arts and produced a full-size mock up of a wall section for Meridian Hill Park
. While Cass Gilbert
, Chairman of the Commission, suggested that an acceptable finish for the walls might be produced by imitating Italian pebble mosaics, it was Earley that developed the technique of mixing the aggregate in the concrete and scrubbing the surface to produce a natural-looking pebble finish. Earley called the result “architectural concrete”, and it was used with great success for the walls, balustrades, benches, urns, and obelisks of Meridian Hill Park.
From 1934 through November 1945, the Earley Studio worked on several notable architectural concrete structures including the Shrine of the Sacred Heart
, the Thomas Alva Edison Memorial
and the experimental “Polychrome Houses”
built in Silver Spring, Maryland
. While working on the Edison Memorial project, Earley suffered a stroke and died two weeks later on November 25, 1945. On his deathbed he sold the Earley Studio to Basil Taylor for a single dollar.
His papers are held at the Archives of American Art
.
Polychrome
Polychrome is one of the terms used to describe the use of multiple colors in one entity. It has also been defined as "The practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." Polychromatic light is composed of a number of different wavelengths...
, architectural or mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
concrete.
Life
Rosslyn, Virginia
Rosslyn is an unincorporated area in Northern Virginia located in the northeastern corner of Arlington County, Virginia, north of Arlington National Cemetery and directly across the Potomac River from Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Rosslyn encompasses the Arlington neighborhoods of North Rosslyn...
to learn sculpture, modelmaking, and stonecarving. James Earley moved his family to Washington, DC in 1900 and leased property on G Street to build a new home for his business.
Basil Taylor, another apprentice, impressed James with his ability and when James became seriously ill, he asked Taylor to stay on and help his son run the studio.
In 1907, he built the John J. Earley Office and Studio
John J. Earley Office and Studio
John J. Earley Office and Studio is a historic home at 2131 G Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood.-History:It was the home and studio of John Joseph Earley, an architect and sculptor, from 1907 to 1936....
at 2131 G Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C.
After his father’s death, John Earley and Basil Taylor and changed the focus of the work from stone and sculpture to plaster and stucco and over the next several years built the Earley Studio to become a significant business. The Earley Studio received contracts for both government and private work, including the remodeling of the interior of the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
during President Roosevelt’s first term, and the elaborate main lobby of the new building for the Willard Hotel, constructed in 1902 at Pennsylvania Avenue and 14th Street NW in Washington, DC.
In 1906, Earley began investigating exposed aggregate concrete. Attracted to the use of color in Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
, he was interested in trying to duplicate this effect in concrete. In 1914, Earley modeled a stylized Indian Head bust for the Q Street Bridge, now known as the Dumbarton Bridge
Dumbarton Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
The Dumbarton Bridge, also known as the Q Street Bridge and the Buffalo Bridge, is a historic masonry arch bridge in Washington, D.C. It was built in 1914-15 to convey Q Street Northwest across Rock Creek Park between the city's Dupont Circle and Georgetown neighborhoods...
, being constructed over Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
in Washington, DC, using as a basis the life mask of Sioux Chief Kicking Bear
Kicking Bear
Kicking Bear , also called Matȟó Wanáȟtake, was an Oglala Lakota who became a band chief of the Minneconjou Lakota Sioux. He fought in several battles during the War for the Black Hills, including the Battle of Little Big Horn...
(from Earley's model, 56 sandstone busts were then carved for the bridge).
In 1915, John Earley worked closely with the Commission of Fine Arts and produced a full-size mock up of a wall section for Meridian Hill Park
Meridian Hill Park
Meridian Hill Park, is located in the Washington, D.C. neighborhood of Columbia Heights in the United States. The 12 acres of landscaped grounds are maintained by the National Park Service as part of Rock Creek Park, but are not contiguous with the main part of that park...
. While Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
, Chairman of the Commission, suggested that an acceptable finish for the walls might be produced by imitating Italian pebble mosaics, it was Earley that developed the technique of mixing the aggregate in the concrete and scrubbing the surface to produce a natural-looking pebble finish. Earley called the result “architectural concrete”, and it was used with great success for the walls, balustrades, benches, urns, and obelisks of Meridian Hill Park.
From 1934 through November 1945, the Earley Studio worked on several notable architectural concrete structures including the Shrine of the Sacred Heart
Shrine of the Sacred Heart
The Shrine of the Sacred Heart is a Roman Catholic parish established in 1899 in the Mount Pleasant/Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington D.C.. The parish church is a large domed Byzantine structure modeled after the Cathedral in Ravenna, Italy....
, the Thomas Alva Edison Memorial
Thomas Alva Edison Memorial Tower and Museum
The Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park, also known as the Menlo Park Museum / Edison Memorial Tower, is a memorial to inventor and businessman Thomas Alva Edison, located in the Menlo Park area of Edison, New Jersey...
and the experimental “Polychrome Houses”
Polychrome Historic District
The Polychrome Historic District is a national historic district in Silver Spring, Montgomery County, Maryland. It recognizes a group of five houses built by John Joseph Earley in 1934 and 1935. Earley used precast concrete panels with brightly-colored aggregate to produce the polychrome effect,...
built in Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It had a population of 71,452 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth most populous place in Maryland, after Baltimore, Columbia, and Germantown.The urbanized, oldest, and...
. While working on the Edison Memorial project, Earley suffered a stroke and died two weeks later on November 25, 1945. On his deathbed he sold the Earley Studio to Basil Taylor for a single dollar.
His papers are held at the Archives of American Art
Archives of American Art
The Archives of American Art is the largest collection of primary resources documenting the history of the visual arts in the United States. More than 16 million items of original material are housed in the Archives' research centers in Washington, D.C...
.