Robert Henderson Robertson
Encyclopedia
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...
who designed numerous houses, institutional buildings and churches.
Life and career
Robertson was born in Philadelphia of Scottish parents. His father was Archibald Robertson. He was educated in Scotland, then graduated from Rutgers College in 1869. He apprenticed for several years in Philadelphia with Henry A. Sims, then moved to New York to work first for George B. PostGeorge B. Post
George Browne Post was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition.-Biography:Post was a student of Richard Morris Hunt , but unlike many architects of his generation, he had previously received a degree in civil engineering...
, then in 1873-74 for Edward Tuckerman Potter
Edward Tuckerman Potter
Edward Tuckerman Potter was an American architect best known for designing the 1871 Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. With his half-brother William Appleton Potter, he also designed Nott Memorial Hall at his alma mater, Union College, Schenectady, New York...
. Having completed one of the first houses in America that manifested the "Queen Anne style", a cottage for Theodore Timson in Sea Bright, New Jersey
Sea Bright, New Jersey
Sea Bright is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 1,412.Sea Bright was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 21, 1889, from portions of Ocean Township, based on the results of a...
(1875), he formed a partnership with Potter's half-brother, William Appleton Potter
William Appleton Potter
William Appleton Potter was an American architect who designed numerous buildings for Princeton University, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1874 to 1877....
, who also trained with Post. The partnership lasted from 1875 to 1881, working in a free Gothic Revival style
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
; Robertson, the junior partner, appears to have been responsible for the firm's residences. In the 1880s, working on his own, he fell under the influence of H.H. Richardson's "Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
" a freely-handled revival style that depended for its effect on strong massing and the bold use of rustication
Rustication (architecture)
thumb|upright|Two different styles of rustication in the [[Palazzo Medici-Riccardi]] in [[Florence]].In classical architecture rustication is an architectural feature that contrasts in texture with the smoothly finished, squared block masonry surfaces called ashlar...
. In the 1890s, in the wake of the "White City" of the World's Columbian Exposition
World's Columbian Exposition
The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...
, Chicago, he began to work in a classicizing style.
Robertson died June 3, 1919, at William S. Webb's Adirondack lodge
Adirondack Mountains
The Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
in Nehasane, Hamilton County, New York
Hamilton County, New York
Hamilton County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is named after Alexander Hamilton, the only member of the New York State delegation who signed the United States Constitution in 1787 and later the first United States Secretary of the Treasury. Its county seat is Lake Pleasant...
, which he had designed. He is buried in Southampton, New York
Southampton (town), New York
The Town of Southampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, U.S., partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town had a total population of 54,712...
.
Potter & Robertson
During his New York partnership with William Appleton PotterWilliam Appleton Potter
William Appleton Potter was an American architect who designed numerous buildings for Princeton University, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1874 to 1877....
, from 1875 to 1881, the firm produced summer vacation cottages in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, and the Jersey Shore
Jersey Shore
The Jersey Shore is a term used to refer to both the Atlantic coast of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the adjacent resort and residential communities. . The New Jersey State Department of Tourism considers the Shore Region, Greater Atlantic City, and the Southern Shore to be distinct, each having...
, beginning with the Bryce Gray residence in Long Branch
Long Branch, New Jersey
Long Branch is a city in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was 30,719.Long Branch was formed on April 11, 1867, as the Long Branch Commission, from portions of Ocean Township...
c.1877, now demolished. Potter and Robertson also designed:
- South Congregational Church (1871-1875) – Springfield, MassachusettsSpringfield, MassachusettsSpringfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
- Phillips Presbyterian Church (1873)
- Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
Library (1875) - Stuart Hall (1875-77) – Princeton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological SeminaryPrinceton Theological Seminary is a theological seminary of the Presbyterian Church located in the Borough of Princeton, New Jersey in the United States...
- Witherspoon Hall (1875-77) – Princeton Theological Seminary
- Brown UniversityBrown UniversityBrown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
Library (1875) – Providence, Rhode IslandProvidence, Rhode IslandProvidence 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... - University Hotel (1875-77) – Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New JerseyPrinceton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, demolished - Grace Church Chapel (1876) – East 14th Street; the third chapel for Grace Church, and the second on this site, replacing one that burned down in 1872; demolished.
- Alpha Kappa Lodge (1876) – Williams CollegeWilliams CollegeWilliams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, Williamstown, MassachusettsWilliamstown, MassachusettsWilliamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
. - St. Augustine's Episcopal Church and Mission House (1876-77) – 107 East Houston Street
- Commodore Charles H. Baldwin House (1877-78) – Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
; a multi-gabled essay in the Queen Anne style showing the influence of Norman Shaw, and H. H. Richardson's Newport residence for William Watts Sherman (1874-76). - "Hillside", also known as the Adam-Derby HouseAdam-Derby HouseAdam-Derby House is a historic home located at Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York. It was built in 1878 and designed by noted architects William Appleton Potter and Robert Henderson Robertson during their partnership as Potter & Robertson. From 1914 to 1977, it was the home of Ethel Roosevelt...
(1878) – Oyster Bay, New YorkOyster Bay (town), New YorkThe Town of Oyster Bay is easternmost of the three towns in Nassau County, New York, in the United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County that extends from the North Shore to the South Shore of Long Island. As of the 2010 census, the town population was...
, for Sarah Sampson Adam. The partnership's only documented house on the Long Island Gold Coast is also in the Queen Anne style. - Christ Episcopal Church (1878) – Oyster Bay, Long Island; altered by Delano & Aldrich in 1925, who encased the domestic-looking church in stone.
- St. James Protestant Episcopal Chapel, known as the Church of the PresidentsChurch of the Presidents (New Jersey)The Church of the Presidents is a former Episcopal chapel on the Jersey Shore where seven United States presidents worshiped. It was visited by presidents Chester A. Arthur, James Garfield, Ulysses S. Grant, Benjamin Harrison, Rutherford Hayes, William McKinley, and Woodrow Wilson...
(1879) – Elberon, New JerseyElberon, New JerseyElberon is an unincorporated area that is part of Long Branch in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07740....
Solo
Robertson's Park Row BuildingPark Row Building
The Park Row Building is a building on Park Row in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan also known as 15 Park Row...
(1899) at 15 Park Row, built for August Belmont
August Belmont
August Belmont, Sr. was an American politician.-Early life:August Belmont was born in Alzey, Hesse, on December 8, 1813--some sources say 1816--to Simon and Frederika Elsass Schönberg, a Jewish family. After his mother's death, when he was seven, he lived with his uncle and grandmother in Frankfurt...
, was, for a brief period, the world's tallest building. Among his many other commissions in New York City and elsewhere:
- St. James Episcopal Church (1881) – East 71st Street & Madison Avenue. Altered by Ralph Adams CramRalph Adams CramRalph Adams Cram FAIA, , was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partnerships in which he worked.-Early life:Cram was born on December 16, 1863 at Hampton Falls, New...
and others. Collapsed tower replaced by a spire, 1950. - Church of the Holy Spirit (1881-83) – 775 Madison Avenue, demolished 1905
- Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church (1881-84) – East 60th Street & Madison Avenue, demolished
- 23 East 67th Street (1882-83) – Redesigned in the neo-Federal style and an additional storey added by Sterner and Wolfe in 1919.
- Mott Haven Railroad Station (1885-86) – demolished
- YWCA Building (1885-87) – 7-11 East 15th Street. Now used by the Soka Gakkai International-USA Cultural Center, the Buddhist Association for Peace, Culture and Education.
- Drew Theological Seminary Library (1886) – Madison, New JerseyMadison, New JerseyMadison is a borough in Morris County, New Jersey, in the United States. As of the 2000 United States Census, the population was 16,530. It also is known as "The Rose City".-Geography:Madison is located at ....
. Published in The American Architect and Building News 20 March 1886. - "Sunnymede", Dr. Francis H. Markoe house (1886-87) – Southampton, Long IslandSouthampton (village), New YorkSouthampton is a village in Suffolk County, New York, USA. The village is named after the Earl of Southampton. The Village of Southampton is in the southeast part of the county in the Town of Southampton...
. Dr Markoe was Robertson's brother-in-law. - Knox Presbyterian Church (1887) – 252 East 72nd Street, now known as St. John the Martyr Roman Catholic Church (Manhattan)
- Bushnell House (1887-88) – 838 East High Street, Springfield, OhioSpringfield, OhioSpringfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
. Built for Asa BushnellAsa BushnellAsa Smith Bushnell III was the first commissioner of the Eastern College Athletic Conference, serving from 1938 to 1970 , and was board member and secretary of the United States Olympic Committee, editing, co-editing and/or writing "Olympic Books" at least from 1948-65...
and his wife Ellen, and now a funeral home, the Bushnell House exemplifies Robertson's Richardsonian RomanesqueRichardsonian RomanesqueRichardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
style. - "Wyndcote", Robertson's residence (1887-88) – Southampton, Long Island.
- Phelps Stokes-J.P. Morgan, Jr. House (1888) – 231 Madison Avenue; Robertson significantly enlarged this Italianate mansion, whch was originally built in 1852-53. A New York City landmark.
- Christ Church (1887-89) – Poughkeepsie, New York
- "Hammersmith FarmHammersmith FarmHammersmith Farm is a Victorian mansion and surrounding property located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States and was the childhood home to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. The property hosted the wedding reception of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy...
" (1887-89) – Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, Rhode IslandNewport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, for John W. Auchincloss - Jan Hus Bohemian Brethren Church (1888) – 347 East 74 Street
- Rutgers Presbyterian Church Chapel (1888) – West 73rd Street; named after the same man, Col. Henry Rutgers, as Rutgers UniversityRutgers UniversityRutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
- Margaret Louisa Home (1889-91) – 14-16 East 16th Street
- St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1889-90)– 73 South Fullerton Avenue, Montclair, New JerseyMontclair, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
- 13 East 71st Street (1891-92) – town house
- Church of the Messiah and Incarnation (1892) – Greene Avenue, Brooklyn. Completed the design of James H. Giles.
- St Luke's Church (1892) – Convent Avenue, Hamilton Heights (Manhattan) Within the Hamilton Heights Historic District,
- Pequot Library (1893) – Southport, Connecticut. Meticulously restored in 2008.
- American Tract Society (1894-95) – 150 Nassau Street Combining elements of Renaissance Revival and Romanesque Revival styles, this is one of the earliest steel-framed structures; it is clad in gray Westerly granite, gray Roman brickRoman brickRoman brick can refer either to a type of brick originating in Ancient Rome and spread by the Romans to the lands they conquered; or to a modern type of brick, inspired by the ancient prototypes...
and tan architectural terracottaArchitectural terracottaTerracotta, in its unglazed form, became fashionable as an architectural ceramic construction material in England in the 1860s, and in the United States in the 1870s. It was generally used to supplement brick and tiles of similar colour in late Victorian buildings.It had been used before this in...
. A New York City landmark. - Engine Company 55 Firehouse (1895} – Fire Department of New York), 363 Broome Street, Manhattan. A New York City landmark.
- New York Savings BankNew York Savings BankThe New York Savings Bank building in Manhattan was built in 1896 by Robert Henderson Robertson with George Provot, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2000. In 2005 it became a Balducci's food market. By 2011 it was turned into a CVS pharmacy.-See also:*National...
(1896-97) – Eighth Avenue at West 14th Street (northwest corner). The grand Roman banking hall was occupied by Central Carpet, then by the upscale grocery mart, Balducci's (2005-2009). It and its twin across the street serve as New York's gemelli churchesPiazza del PopoloPiazza del Popolo is a large urban square in Rome. The name in modern Italian literally means "People's Square", but historically it derives from the poplars after which the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, in the northeast corner of the piazza, takes its name.The piazza lies inside the northern...
. A New York City landmark. - Academy of Medicine (1889) – 17 West 43rd Street, demolished
- Rutgers Riverside Presbyterian Church (1889-90) – Broadway and West 73rd Street, demolished and replaced with the present structure
- Lincoln Building (1889-90) – 1-3 Union Square WestUnion SquareUnion Square may refer to:Asia* Union Square * Union Square station on Dubai MetroCanada* Union Square, Nova ScotiaUnited States* Union Square, Baltimore, Maryland* Union Square * Union Square, San Francisco, California...
A New York City landmark. - MacIntyre Building (1890-92) – 874 Broadway, lofts, the AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.) calls refers to the building's style as "unspeakable eclectic"
- United Charities Building (1891-1892) – East 22nd Street and Park Avenue South, designed with Rowe & Baker
- Mohawk Building (1891-92) – 160 Fifth Avenue
- Mendelssohn Hall (1891-92) – for the Mendelssohn Glee ClubMendelssohn Glee ClubThe Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City, founded in 1866, is the oldest glee club not associated with a university in the United States. An early men's glee club that traveled up and down the eastern seaboard of the United States, the Mendelssohn helped to popularize classical music before...
- Church of St Paul and Parish House (1895-97) – 540 West End Avenue at West 86th Street. Tuscan Renaissance in tan brick and limestone, with an octagonal campanile at the corner. The AIA Guide to New York City (4th ed.) calls this church, with its octagonal corner tower, "a startling work." It's now the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew and is shared with Congregation B'nai Jeshurun. A New York City landmark.
- First Reformed Dutch Church (1896-1897) – Somerville, New JerseySomerville, New JerseySomerville is a borough in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 12,098. It is the county seat of Somerset County....
- Church of the Divine PaternityFourth Universalist Society of New YorkThe Fourth Universalist Society of New York is a congregation within the Unitarian Universalist Association. It is the last surviving Universalist congregation in Manhattan....
(1898) – Central Park West and 76th Street. Mosaic in interior. - Moses Allen and Alice Dunning Starr House (1897-99) – 5 West 54th Street; a New York City landmark.
- Bedford Park Presbyterian Church (1900) – Bedford Park Boulevard, the Bronx
- Lying-in Hospital (1902) – 305 Second Avenue between East 17th and 18th Streets, now "Rutherford Place", apartments and offices
- Corn Exchange Bank Building
- Shelburne FarmsShelburne FarmsShelburne Farms is a nonprofit environmental education center and National Historic Landmark on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shelburne, Vermont. It is also one of the principal concert sites for the Vermont Mozart Festival....
– Shelburne, VermontShelburne, VermontShelburne is a town in southwestern Chittenden County, Vermont, United States, along the shores of Lake Champlain. The population was 7,144 at the 2010 census.-History:...
. Shelburne House, the Breeding Barn, the Farm Barn and the Coach Barn make up Robertson's most ambitious farm complex. - Camp Santanoni Main Camp Complex – Newcomb, New YorkNewcomb, New YorkNewcomb is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 481 at the 2000 census.The Town of Newcomb is at the west border of the county. It is southwest of Plattsburgh, southwest of Burlington, VT, northeast of Utica, NY, north-northeast of Albany, NY, and ...
; for Robert C. Pruyn of Albany, a Yale classmate of Robertson's. The first Adirondack campAdirondack MountainsThe Adirondack Mountains are a mountain range located in the northeastern part of New York, that runs through Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Lewis, Saint Lawrence, Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties....
to be comprehensively designed as a unit by a professional architect.
Robertson & Potter
In 1902 Robertson took in as partner Robert Burnside Potter, nephew of William Potter. They designed a cottage, perhaps several, for Regis H. Post in Bayside, Long Island.- Hugh D. Auchincloss House (1903) – 33 East 67th Street
- House of Relief Ambulance Annex (1907-08) – 9 Jay Street, was attached by an enclosed overhead bridge to the House of Relief, New York Hospital across Staple Street; within the Tribeca Histoic District.