Napoleon LeBrun
Encyclopedia
Napoleon Eugene Charles Henry LeBrun (January 2, 1821 – July 9, 1901) was an American
architect
. LeBrun is best known as the architect of several notable Philadelphia churches, including St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Twentieth Street (1841); the Seventh Presbyterian Church (1842), the Scots Presbyterian Church (1843), the Church of St. Peter the Apostle (German Catholic), Fifth Street (1843); the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Nativity (1844), no longer standing; St. Augustine's Church
, Fourth Street ; and the Cathedral-Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul
, Logan Square
. He also designed the American Academy of Music
at Broad and Locust Streets.
He was a prominent architect in Pennsylvania. He designed the Schuylkill County
Prison in Pottsville
, a site that later gained historical significance as the site of several hangings of "Molly Maguires
," a rebellious secret society that operated in the coal fields during the 1860-1970s. He also designed the first Columbia County Courthouse in Bloomsburg
and the 1854 Montgomery County
Courthouse in Norristown , Pennsylvania. Although both were later extensively redesigned and expanded, the notable and distinguishing marble facade of the Montgomery County Courthouse remains his outward and identifying creation.
Sometime after 1861, LeBrun relocated his family to New York City, where his sons Pierre L. and Michel Moracin would join him in a firm that would become N. LeBrun & Sons, the official architects of the New York City Fire Department
in the latter half of the 19th century. N. LeBrun and Sons were also instrumental in designing some of the earliest skyscrapers, including the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
. In New York, the LeBrun firm also designed several notable churches, including the Roman Catholic Church of St. John on West 31st Street, staffed by the Capuchins, and the Episcopal Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
on West 46th Street, off Times Square. Saint Mary's had, and has, a steel superstructure and was, for that reason, among its other sobriquets (Smoky Mary's), known in its early days as the "Chicago Church."
LeBrun was a son of the Napoleonic ambassador to the United States who, after the denouement of that regime, remained in this country and settled in Philadelphia. LeBrun's early architectural training was in the offices of Thomas U. Walter in Philadelphia, later to become architect of the United States Capitol. LeBrun, as a young man in his twenties, found opportunity in the booming industrial development of the Schuylkill Valley in the 1840s. That accounts for his commission for the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. His other early work includes the original version of Trinity Episcopal Church, Pottsville (1847), still standing though much altered by later revisions, which replaced an 1827 structure by William Strickland
. His commission for the church, memorialized in the minutes of the Trinity vestry of the time as a payment to "N. LeBrun, architect" was probably the springboard for his commission for the Schuylkill County prison (1851), upon the relocation of the county seat from Orwigsburg to Pottsville. There is probably other early work of LeBrun in the Schuylkill Valley that remains to be discovered and recognized.
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...
. LeBrun is best known as the architect of several notable Philadelphia churches, including St. Patrick's Catholic Church, Twentieth Street (1841); the Seventh Presbyterian Church (1842), the Scots Presbyterian Church (1843), the Church of St. Peter the Apostle (German Catholic), Fifth Street (1843); the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Holy Nativity (1844), no longer standing; St. Augustine's Church
St. Augustine Church, Philadelphia
St. Augustine Catholic Church, also called Olde St. Augustine's, is a historic Catholic church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Consecrated in 1848, the Palladian-style church was designed by Napoleon LeBrun. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The church was...
, Fourth Street ; and the Cathedral-Basilica of SS. Peter & Paul
Cathedral-Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul
The Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, head church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia, is located at 18th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on the east side of Logan Square in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is the largest Catholic church in Pennsylvania and listed on...
, Logan Square
Logan 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...
. He also designed the American Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
at Broad and Locust Streets.
He was a prominent architect in Pennsylvania. He designed the Schuylkill County
Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania
-Notable people:*Boxing heavyweight great Muhammad Ali had his training camp in Deer Lake.*Charles Justin Bailey, commanding general of the 81st Division in World War I, was born in Tamaqua on June 21, 1859....
Prison in Pottsville
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Pottsville is the only city in and the county seat of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 15,549 at the 2000 census. The city lies along the west bank of the Schuylkill River, north-west of Philadelphia...
, a site that later gained historical significance as the site of several hangings of "Molly Maguires
Molly Maguires
The Molly Maguires were members of an Irish-American secret society, whose members consisted mainly of coal miners. Many historians believe the "Mollies" were present in the anthracite coal fields of Pennsylvania in the United States from approximately the time of the American Civil War until a...
," a rebellious secret society that operated in the coal fields during the 1860-1970s. He also designed the first Columbia County Courthouse in Bloomsburg
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
Bloomsburg is a town in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, 40 miles southwest of Wilkes Barre along the Susquehanna River. In 1900, the population of Bloomsburg stood at 6,170; in 1910, 7,413; in 1940, 9,799, and in 1990, 12,439. The population was 14,855 at the 2010 census...
and the 1854 Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010, the population was 799,874, making it the third most populous county in Pennsylvania . The county seat is Norristown.The county was created on September 10, 1784, out of land originally part...
Courthouse in Norristown , Pennsylvania. Although both were later extensively redesigned and expanded, the notable and distinguishing marble facade of the Montgomery County Courthouse remains his outward and identifying creation.
Sometime after 1861, LeBrun relocated his family to New York City, where his sons Pierre L. and Michel Moracin would join him in a firm that would become N. LeBrun & Sons, the official architects of the New York City Fire Department
New York City Fire Department
The New York City Fire Department or the Fire Department of the City of New York has the responsibility for protecting the citizens and property of New York City's five boroughs from fires and fire hazards, providing emergency medical services, technical rescue as well as providing first response...
in the latter half of the 19th century. N. LeBrun and Sons were also instrumental in designing some of the earliest skyscrapers, including the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower
The Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, also known as the Metropolitan Life Tower or Met Life Tower, is a landmark skyscraper located on East 23rd Street between Madison Avenue and Park Avenue South, off of Madison Square Park. in the borough of Manhattan in New York City...
. In New York, the LeBrun firm also designed several notable churches, including the Roman Catholic Church of St. John on West 31st Street, staffed by the Capuchins, and the Episcopal Church of Saint Mary the Virgin
Church of Saint Mary the Virgin (Times Square, New York)
The Church of Saint Mary the Virgin is an Episcopal Anglo-Catholic church within the Episcopal Diocese of New York and the Episcopal Church in the United States of America. The church complex is located in the heart of Times Square on West 46th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in the borough of...
on West 46th Street, off Times Square. Saint Mary's had, and has, a steel superstructure and was, for that reason, among its other sobriquets (Smoky Mary's), known in its early days as the "Chicago Church."
LeBrun was a son of the Napoleonic ambassador to the United States who, after the denouement of that regime, remained in this country and settled in Philadelphia. LeBrun's early architectural training was in the offices of Thomas U. Walter in Philadelphia, later to become architect of the United States Capitol. LeBrun, as a young man in his twenties, found opportunity in the booming industrial development of the Schuylkill Valley in the 1840s. That accounts for his commission for the Montgomery County Courthouse in Norristown. His other early work includes the original version of Trinity Episcopal Church, Pottsville (1847), still standing though much altered by later revisions, which replaced an 1827 structure by William Strickland
William Strickland (architect)
William Strickland , was a noted architect in nineteenth-century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Nashville, Tennessee.-Life and career:...
. His commission for the church, memorialized in the minutes of the Trinity vestry of the time as a payment to "N. LeBrun, architect" was probably the springboard for his commission for the Schuylkill County prison (1851), upon the relocation of the county seat from Orwigsburg to Pottsville. There is probably other early work of LeBrun in the Schuylkill Valley that remains to be discovered and recognized.