Ralph Thomas Walker
Encyclopedia
Ralph Thomas Walker, FAIA
, (1889–1973) was an American architect, president of the American Institute of Architects
and partner of the firm McKenzie, Voorhees, Gmelin; and its successor firms Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, Voorhees, Walker, Foley & Smith; Voorhees, Walker, Smith & Smith; and Voorhees, Walker, Smith, Smith & Haines. Walker is best known for his designs for the Barclay-Vesey Telephone Building (1922-26) and the Irving Trust Building (1928-31).
. He attended Classical High School in Providence, Rhode Island
, and attended the architecture school at M.I.T. as a member of the class of 1911; he left during his final semester before graduating. He was a Rotch Traveling Scholar in 1916. He married Stella Forbes, of Providence, in 1913.
architect Howard K. Hilton. The three year apprenticeship paid one dollar a week for the first year, two a week for the second year and three a week for the third. While working there Walker attended classes at MIT and after two years had moved up to a design position, paying nine dollars a week.
After leaving MIT in 1911, and before his service in World War I, Walker practiced in various offices in Boston, Montreal, and New York, "in charge of planning and design of churches, monumental buildings, universities and commercial buildings."
. Walker was to remain there for the remainder of his career.
In his first few years with the firm, Walker used his Beaux-Arts training to provide support for the firm's ongoing commissions for projects like the Brooklyn Municipal Building (completed 1924) and the Brooklyn Edison Company Building (completed 1923).
With his design for the Barclay-Vesey Telephone Building (1922-1926), Walker became a lead designer and took McKenzie, Voorhees and Gmelin in a new direction. The Barclay-Vesey Building, now known as the Verizon Building
at 140 West Street in New York City, is credited as being the first skyscraper to use the New York 1916 Zoning Resolution
as a design asset. Inspired in part by Hugh Ferriss
's theoretical drawings exhibited in 1922, Walker created a massive asymmetrical tower set back from its base. The design led the way for a generation of skyscrapers built using the set-back principle. It has also been described as the first art deco
skyscraper because of its inventive ornament surrounding doorways and windows. As a result of the success of the design, Walker made partner in the firm and its name was changed to Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker in 1926.
After the completion of the Barclay-Vesey Telephone Building, Walker designed several other buildings using its combination of asymmetrical setbacks and towers with art deco ornament, including the Salvation Army
Headquarters (1929-30) on West 14th Street, the Irving Trust
Bank at 1 Wall Street (1928-31), and several other telephone buildings throughout New York City and the state, including those in Syracuse and Rochester as well as the New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building
.
During the 1930s as art deco waned, Walker was deeply involved with the planning of the 1933 Century of Progress
Exposition in Chicago and in the 1939 New York World's Fair
.
Walker was an active member of the American Institute of Architects
(AIA) and became its president in 1949. During his two-year presidency he was instrumental in establishing the AIA's College of Fellows which gained approval in 1952. In 1957, on the occasion of the AIA's 100th anniversary, the AIA recognized Walker's extraordinary service to the profession by creating a special award for him, the Centennial Medal. The New York Times headline reporting the award dubbed Walker the "Architect of the Century." To commemorate the event, Walker also wrote and published an autobiography.
Walker retired from Voorhees, Walker, Foley, Smith & Smith in 1959 but remained active within the profession.
Walker was later reinstated to the AIA in 1965.
's Commission on Fine Arts, trustee of the Lavanburg Foundation, Vice President of the Citizen's Housing & Planning Council of New York, Member of the Housing Committee, and Chairman of the Planning Committee of New Castle, New York
. In addition, he was a president of the Architectural League of New York
, president of the Municipal American Society, New York City, and member of the American Institute of Planners, American Society of Planning Officials, National Association of Housing Officials.
FAIA
Fellow of the American Institute of Architects is a postnomial, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects...
, (1889–1973) was an American architect, president of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
and partner of the firm McKenzie, Voorhees, Gmelin; and its successor firms Voorhees, Gmelin & Walker, Voorhees, Walker, Foley & Smith; Voorhees, Walker, Smith & Smith; and Voorhees, Walker, Smith, Smith & Haines. Walker is best known for his designs for the Barclay-Vesey Telephone Building (1922-26) and the Irving Trust Building (1928-31).
Early life
Walker was born November 28, 1889 in Waterbury, ConnecticutWaterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, 33 miles southwest of Hartford and 77 miles northeast of New York City...
. He attended Classical High School in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, and attended the architecture school at M.I.T. as a member of the class of 1911; he left during his final semester before graduating. He was a Rotch Traveling Scholar in 1916. He married Stella Forbes, of Providence, in 1913.
Early career
In 1907, at the age of 18, Walker was apprenticed to Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
architect Howard K. Hilton. The three year apprenticeship paid one dollar a week for the first year, two a week for the second year and three a week for the third. While working there Walker attended classes at MIT and after two years had moved up to a design position, paying nine dollars a week.
After leaving MIT in 1911, and before his service in World War I, Walker practiced in various offices in Boston, Montreal, and New York, "in charge of planning and design of churches, monumental buildings, universities and commercial buildings."
Military service
Walker served as a second lieutenant of the Camouflage Section, Corps of Engineers, A.E.F., from 1917 to 1918.Career
In 1919 Walker took a position with McKenzie, Voorhees and Gmelin, a New York firm that was the successor firm to the one begun by Cyrus L. W. EidlitzCyrus L. W. Eidlitz
Cyrus Lazelle Warner Eidlitz was a New York architect best known for designing One Times Square, the former New York Times Building on Times Square.-Early life and education:Cyrus Lazelle Warner Eidlitz was born in New York...
. Walker was to remain there for the remainder of his career.
In his first few years with the firm, Walker used his Beaux-Arts training to provide support for the firm's ongoing commissions for projects like the Brooklyn Municipal Building (completed 1924) and the Brooklyn Edison Company Building (completed 1923).
With his design for the Barclay-Vesey Telephone Building (1922-1926), Walker became a lead designer and took McKenzie, Voorhees and Gmelin in a new direction. The Barclay-Vesey Building, now known as the Verizon Building
Verizon Building
The Verizon Building is a 32-story Art Deco building in New York City, located in Lower Manhattan. It is named for Verizon Communications, for which it is the headquarters. The building is located at 140 West Street, adjacent to the World Trade Center site and 7 World Trade Center, and is bounded...
at 140 West Street in New York City, is credited as being the first skyscraper to use the New York 1916 Zoning Resolution
1916 Zoning Resolution
The New York City 1916 Zoning Resolution was a measure adopted primarily to stop massive buildings such as the Equitable Building from preventing light and air from reaching the streets below...
as a design asset. Inspired in part by Hugh Ferriss
Hugh Ferriss
Hugh Ferriss was an American delineator and architect. According to Daniel Okrent, Ferriss never designed a single noteworthy building, but after his death a colleague said he 'influenced my generation of architects' more than any other man...
's theoretical drawings exhibited in 1922, Walker created a massive asymmetrical tower set back from its base. The design led the way for a generation of skyscrapers built using the set-back principle. It has also been described as the first art deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
skyscraper because of its inventive ornament surrounding doorways and windows. As a result of the success of the design, Walker made partner in the firm and its name was changed to Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker in 1926.
After the completion of the Barclay-Vesey Telephone Building, Walker designed several other buildings using its combination of asymmetrical setbacks and towers with art deco ornament, including the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Headquarters (1929-30) on West 14th Street, the Irving Trust
Irving Trust
Irving Trust was a bank headquartered in New York City, and the principal subsidiary of the Irving Bank Corporation. Between 1913 and 1931, its headquarters was in the Woolworth Building; after 1931, until it was acquired by Bank of New York, its headquarters was located at One Wall Street, at...
Bank at 1 Wall Street (1928-31), and several other telephone buildings throughout New York City and the state, including those in Syracuse and Rochester as well as the New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building
New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building
New Jersey Bell Headquarters Building, is located in Newark, New Jersey. The building was built in 1929 by the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 21, 2005. The art deco building was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the...
.
During the 1930s as art deco waned, Walker was deeply involved with the planning of the 1933 Century of Progress
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
Exposition in Chicago and in the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
Walker was an active member of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
(AIA) and became its president in 1949. During his two-year presidency he was instrumental in establishing the AIA's College of Fellows which gained approval in 1952. In 1957, on the occasion of the AIA's 100th anniversary, the AIA recognized Walker's extraordinary service to the profession by creating a special award for him, the Centennial Medal. The New York Times headline reporting the award dubbed Walker the "Architect of the Century." To commemorate the event, Walker also wrote and published an autobiography.
Walker retired from Voorhees, Walker, Foley, Smith & Smith in 1959 but remained active within the profession.
Controversy
In 1960, Walker resigned from the AIA after a conflict over professional ethics. The AIA accused a member of Walker's firm of acting in an "unprofessional manner" by taking a contract that already belonged to another firm. Walker was devastated by the controversy and self-published a booklet defending his reputation -- and including much of the correspondence surrounding the incident -- which he sent to all members of the College of Fellows. He ended the essay with:- May I say, finally, that I have no illusions of grandeur; quite to the contrary, I am very humble in my knowledge that through forty years of my life my life has been an open book of service to my fellow architects and for the public good. When I severe my connections with the A.I.A. I do so with my own self respect , as a matter of pride and I am sure within your knowledge of my character. I completely scorn the falsifying, the sanctimonious, the cheap and the shoddy.
Walker was later reinstated to the AIA in 1965.
Other organizations
Walker belonged to several other organizations. He was a member of President Dwight D. EisenhowerDwight D. Eisenhower
Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961. He was a five-star general in the United States Army...
's Commission on Fine Arts, trustee of the Lavanburg Foundation, Vice President of the Citizen's Housing & Planning Council of New York, Member of the Housing Committee, and Chairman of the Planning Committee of New Castle, New York
New Castle, New York
New Castle is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 17,569 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.15%, is water. New Castle is bordered by the towns of Mount Pleasant...
. In addition, he was a president of the Architectural League of New York
Architectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines"....
, president of the Municipal American Society, New York City, and member of the American Institute of Planners, American Society of Planning Officials, National Association of Housing Officials.
Selected designs
(all in New York City unless otherwise indicated)- The New York Telephone Company Building, aka the Barclay-Vesey Building and now the Verizon BuildingVerizon BuildingThe Verizon Building is a 32-story Art Deco building in New York City, located in Lower Manhattan. It is named for Verizon Communications, for which it is the headquarters. The building is located at 140 West Street, adjacent to the World Trade Center site and 7 World Trade Center, and is bounded...
(1922–26) and badly damaged in the September 11, 2001 attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
. - Western Union Building, now 60 Hudson Street60 Hudson Street60 Hudson Street is a major telecommunications facility and an historic landmark located in Lower Manhattan, New York City, not far from the World Trade Center. The art deco brick structure was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of Voorhees, Gmelin and Walker and opened in 1930...
(1928–30) - Irving Trust Building, now One Wall Street (1928–31)
- New Jersey Bell Headquarters BuildingNew Jersey Bell Headquarters BuildingNew Jersey Bell Headquarters Building, is located in Newark, New Jersey. The building was built in 1929 by the New Jersey Bell Telephone Company and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 21, 2005. The art deco building was designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the...
, NewarkNewark, New JerseyNewark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
(1929) - Salvation ArmySalvation ArmyThe Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
Headquarters, New York, NY (1929-30) - New York Telephone Company Long Island Headquarters (1929–30), Brooklyn, NY, now converted to the BellTel Lofts (2006)
- Times Square BuildingTimes Square Building (Rochester)The Times Square Building is a skyscraper designed by Ralph Thomas Walker of the firm Voorhees, Gmelin, and Walker located in Rochester, New York. At , it is the eighth tallest building in Rochester, with 14 floors...
, Rochester, New York (1930) - AT&T Long Lines Building32 Avenue of the Americas32 Avenue of the Americas also known as the AT&T Long Distance Building, is a 27-story landmarked Art Deco skyscraper located in the Tribeca neighborhood of New York City. The building reaches a height of 549 feet up to its twin spires, and was completed in 1932...
, 32 Sixth Avenue (1930–32) - AT&T Pavilion, General Electric Pavilion, Borden Pavilion, Petroleum Pavilion, New York World's Fair (1939)
- Charles Hayden Memorial Library, MIT, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1946-51) http://libraries.mit.edu/sites/150books/2011/04/02/1946/