Robert J. Reiley
Encyclopedia
Robert J. Reiley, AIA
, (1878–1961) was an American architect practicing in New York City
in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic churches, schools, and hospitals in the Northeast USA.
He attended the prestigious Jesuit school, Xavier High School (New York City)
, and Columbia Grammar School, a College Preparatory School, in New York City. He graduated from the Columbia School of Architecture in 1900 and continued his alumni networking there throughout the rest of his career. Following graduation, he worked the next two years a draftsman in the office of Ernest Flagg
from 1900 to 1902 and later as supervisor of construction for Van Vleck and Goldsmith from 1902 to 1903. After a period of European travel and study in Paris from 1903 to 1904, he then entered into a partnership with fellow Columbia graduate Gustave E. Steinback
. The firm, known as Reiley and Steinback continued in practice from 1904 through 1913 and was responsible for many buildings for Roman Catholic clients throughout the Eastern United States. After the partnership was dissolved, both men went on to lengthy careers designing Roman Catholic churches, with Reiley's firm known as Robert J. Reiley.
His main client remained the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
for which he designed a number of churches and associated structures. His office was located at 50 East 41 Street from the 1920s and 45 West 45th Street in the 1950s.
During his career, he was licensed to practice architecture in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia.
The firm had a staff of around twenty and banked with the Guaranty Trust Company, Fifth Avenue and 44th Street, New York City.
Several later noteworthy architects began their careers in his office including Louis M. Thorn and Brother Cajetan Baumann, OFM (1899–1969), a Franciscan who was to design many modern buildings mostly for Franciscan clients in the middle part of th 20th century.
. During World War I, he woked on a housing project and during World War II, he designs hospitals and community buildings for service men.
Reiley has at least one son, the architect Robert J. Reiley Jr. (born 22 March 1914 in New York City), whom he took into partnership in 1952 renaming his firm Robert J. Reiley & Associates.
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...
, (1878–1961) was an American architect practicing in New York City
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...
in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic churches, schools, and hospitals in the Northeast USA.
Early life and architectural education
Reiley was born in New York City and was educated in the local public school system.He attended the prestigious Jesuit school, Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School (New York City)
Xavier High School is a independent Jesuit university-preparatory high school for young men located at 30 West 16th Street, in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founded in 1847, as the College of St. Francis Xavier by Father John Larkin, S.J...
, and Columbia Grammar School, a College Preparatory School, in New York City. He graduated from the Columbia School of Architecture in 1900 and continued his alumni networking there throughout the rest of his career. Following graduation, he worked the next two years a draftsman in the office of Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg
Ernest Flagg was a noted American architect in the Beaux-Arts style. He was also an advocate for urban reform and architecture's social responsibility.-Biography:...
from 1900 to 1902 and later as supervisor of construction for Van Vleck and Goldsmith from 1902 to 1903. After a period of European travel and study in Paris from 1903 to 1904, he then entered into a partnership with fellow Columbia graduate Gustave E. Steinback
Gustave E. Steinback
Gustave E. Steinback, AIA, was an American architect practicing in New York City in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic schools and churches, particularly Our Lady of All Saints in Fort Greene, Brooklyn...
. The firm, known as Reiley and Steinback continued in practice from 1904 through 1913 and was responsible for many buildings for Roman Catholic clients throughout the Eastern United States. After the partnership was dissolved, both men went on to lengthy careers designing Roman Catholic churches, with Reiley's firm known as Robert J. Reiley.
Architectural practice
Robert J. Reiley practiced under his own name from 1913 until 1952 when he took his son, Robert J. Reiley Jr. into partnership and renamed the firm Robert J. Reiley & Associates.His main client remained the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York covers New York, Bronx, and Richmond counties in New York City , as well as Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester counties in New York state. There are 480 parishes...
for which he designed a number of churches and associated structures. His office was located at 50 East 41 Street from the 1920s and 45 West 45th Street in the 1950s.
During his career, he was licensed to practice architecture in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and the District of Columbia.
The firm had a staff of around twenty and banked with the Guaranty Trust Company, Fifth Avenue and 44th Street, New York City.
Several later noteworthy architects began their careers in his office including Louis M. Thorn and Brother Cajetan Baumann, OFM (1899–1969), a Franciscan who was to design many modern buildings mostly for Franciscan clients in the middle part of th 20th century.
Personal life
Reiley was involved with a number of Catholic organizations. He was the director of the Catholic Camp Association, as well as the Alumni Federation of Columbia University, and Committee Chairman of Catholic CharitiesCatholic Charities
Catholic Charities is a network of charities whose aim is "to provide service to people in need, to advocate for justice in social structures, and to call the entire church and other people of good will to do the same." It is one of the largest charities in the United States...
. During World War I, he woked on a housing project and during World War II, he designs hospitals and community buildings for service men.
Reiley has at least one son, the architect Robert J. Reiley Jr. (born 22 March 1914 in New York City), whom he took into partnership in 1952 renaming his firm Robert J. Reiley & Associates.
Work as Reiley and Steinback (1904-1913)
- St. Stanislaus ChurchSt. Stanislaus Parish, AdamsSt. Stanislaus Kostka Parish - designated for Polish immigrants in Adams, Massachusetts, United States.January 1, 2009 was closed by decision of the Bishop Timothy A. McDonnell of the Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts....
, Adams, MA - Church of the Queen of All Saints, Brooklyn, NY
- 1908: The Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Bishop & Martyr, Chicopee, MA
- St. Stanislaus' Church, Meriden, CT
- St. Aloysius' Church, Great Neck, LI
Works in New York City as Robert J. Reiley (1913-1952) and Robert J. Reiley & Associates (1952-1961)
- 1924: St. Rose of Lima's Church Parochial School, A four-story brick parish school for $250,000.
- 1924: St. Rose of Lima's Church Convent,a four-story brick convent in 1924 for $75,000.
- 1924: Girl's Catholic School, Brooklyn, NY, cost $1,242,000.
- 1925: Cathedral High School (New York City)Cathedral High School (New York City)Cathedral High School is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.-Background:...
, cost $1,200,000 - 1925: The Church of the Most Holy Crucifix (New York City), with three-story rectory, now the San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel (New York City)San Lorenzo Ruiz Chapel (New York City)The Chapel of San Lorenzo Ruiz is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 378 Broome Street Manhattan, New York City. The chapel was established in 2005. The address was the site of the Church of the Most Holy Crucifix , a church with a three-storey...
- 1925: Our Lady of Solace Church (Brooklyn, New York)
- 1925: St. Jean Baptiste's Church Parochial SchoolSt. Jean Baptiste's Church (New York City)Church of St. Jean Baptiste also known as the Eglise St. Jean Baptiste is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 159 East 76th Street at Lexington Avenue Manhattan, New York City. The parish was established in 1882 and has been staffed by the...
, 163-173 East 75th Street, a 4-story brick school, for $300,000. - 1927: A five-story brick dwelling house for Ascension RC Church, 218 West 108th Street for $100,000.
- 1927 Church of St. ElizabethSt. Elizabeth's Church (Manhattan)Church of St. Elizabeth is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at West 187th Street at Wadsworth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City. The parish was established in 1869, originally located on 187th Street at Broadway from 1869 to 1929.-Parish...
, (New York City) - 1929: Catholic High School (Brooklyn, New York), Eastern Parkway and the southwest corner of Washington Avenue, designed in the Art Deco style
- 1929: Our Lady of Angels Church, Mermaid Avenue, Brooklyn New York, cost $467,000.
- 1930: St. Jean Baptiste's Church Brothers ApartmentSt. Jean Baptiste's Church (New York City)Church of St. Jean Baptiste also known as the Eglise St. Jean Baptiste is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 159 East 76th Street at Lexington Avenue Manhattan, New York City. The parish was established in 1882 and has been staffed by the...
, 194 East 76th Srteet, a five-story brick brothers apartment building for $70,000 to 90,000. - 1930 Monastery of St, Claire, Throggs Neck, Bronx NY
- 1931: St. Jean Baptiste's Church Sisters ApartmentSt. Jean Baptiste's Church (New York City)Church of St. Jean Baptiste also known as the Eglise St. Jean Baptiste is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 159 East 76th Street at Lexington Avenue Manhattan, New York City. The parish was established in 1882 and has been staffed by the...
, 163-175 East 75th Street and 170-198 East 76th Street and 1061-1071 Lexington Avenue, a five-storey brick sisters apartment house for $125,000. - 1933: Saints Peter and Paul's Church (Bronx, New York), cost 515,500.
- 1933: Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Brooklyn, New York), cost $155,000.
- 1936: Church of the Epiphany Rectory, 239 East 21st Street, a four-storey brick rectory for $50,000.
- 1936: Keating Hall, Fordham University, Rosehill Campus, FordhamFordham, BronxFordham is a neighborhood of New York City, United States, located in the West Bronx. The neighborhood is part of Bronx Community Board 5. It is bordered by Fordham Road to the north, Webster Avenue to the east, East 183rd Street to the south, and Jerome Avenue to the west...
, Bronx, New York, cost $1,050,000.
- 1939: St. Benedict Joseph School (Queens, New York), in Richmond Hills, Queens, New York City, cost $271,000.
- 1939-1941: St. Andrew's Church (New York City)St. Andrew's Church (New York City)The Church of St. Andrew is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 20 Cardinal Hayes Place, Manhattan, New York City...
, Police Plaza, Lower East Side, ManhattanLower East Side, ManhattanThe Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
, (associate architect, designed with Maginnis & WalshMaginnis & WalshMaginnis & Walsh was an architecture firm started by Charles Donagh Maginnis and Timothy Walsh in 1905. It was known for its innovative design of churches in Boston in the first half of the twentieth century....
, (one of their only known church buildings in New York City), cost $632,153
- 1940: Three buildings for St, Clare's Hospital (Manhattan, New York), 415 West 51st Street, New York City, cost $900,000. Also known as St. Clare's Hospital and Health Center, renamed in 2003 St. Vincent Midtown Hospital, it was closed 2007.
- 1946-1947: The James Weldon Johnson Houses (in association with Julian Whittlesey and Harry PrinceHarry PrinceHarold Prince is an English former footballer.-Playing career:Prince played for Bucknall before graduating through the Port Vale youth side to sign professional forms with the Vale in September 1941. With World War II raging, he transferred to Wolverhampton Wanderers in July 1943 without having...
) budgeted at $10 million dollars. - 1950: Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church, Richmond Hill, QueensRichmond Hill, QueensRichmond Hill is a neighborhood in central-southern Queens, New York City, USA. It is bordered by Kew Gardens to the north, Woodhaven and Ozone Park to the west, South Ozone Park to the south and South Jamaica to the east...
, New York City, cost $363,000 - 1951: Colonial Park Houses (New York City), cost $10 million (ass associate architect).
- 1952: Holy Agony Church and RectoryChurch of the Holy Agony (New York City)The Church of the Holy Agony is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at 1834 Third Avenue and 101st Street, East Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, New York. The parish was established in 1930 as a mission of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal...
, 1828-1834 Third Avenue, for $250,000. - 1952: Junior High School#71 (Manhattan, New York), Avenue B and Fifth Street, New York City, cost $3 million
- 1952: St. Ann's School (Queens, New York), Flushing, QueensFlushing, QueensFlushing, founded in 1645, is a neighborhood in the north central part of the City of New York borough of Queens, east of Manhattan.Flushing was one of the first Dutch settlements on Long Island. Today, it is one of the largest and most diverse neighborhoods in New York City...
, New York City cost $550,000 - 1952: Lavelle School for the Blind (Bronx, New York), cost $228,853.
- 1952 Blessed Sacrament Church, Staten Island NY
- 1952: St. Anastasius' Convent (Brooklyn, New York), cost $247,000.
- 1953 Church of St. Theresa of the Infant Jesus (Staten Island, New York), West New Brigton, Staten Island, New York City, cost $224,000.
- 1953: Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Staten Island, New York)Church of the Blessed Sacrament (Staten Island, New York)The Church of the Blessed Sacrament is a Roman Catholic parish church in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, located at Forest Avenue at Manor Road, Staten Island, New York City, in the neighborhood of West New Brighton, Staten Island. The parish was established in 1910.-Buildings:The...
, West New Brigton, Staten Island, New York City, cost $175,000. - 1954: St. Joseph's Church Rectory, 365-371 Sixth Avenue, a four-storey rectory for $150,000.
- 1953 Junior High School#117 (Brooklyn, New York), cost $3 million.
- St. Finbar's Community Center (Brooklyn, New York), cost $163,660.
Works elsewhere as Robert J. Reiley (1913-1952) and Robert J. Reiley & Associates (1952-1961)
- 1928: Seminary of the Immaculate Conception, Huntington, NY, cost $1,664,000 to 2 million.
- 1931-1951: St. Peter's Hospital and Nurses Home (Albany, New York), cost $1,200,000 to $2,500,000.
- 1932: Nativity School and Convent (Scranton, Pennsylvania), cost $338,400.
- 1938-1939: St. Michael's Novitiate. Englewood Cliffs, NJ, cost $408,000.
- 1939: Mercy Hospital (Rockville Centre, New York), cost $350,000 to $400,000.
- 1940: St. Stephen Church, Kearny, NJ
- 1940: St. Stephen's Church (Arlington, New Jersey)
- 1951: St. Charles' Hosptial (East Toledo, Ohio), cost $4 million.
- 1952: St. Mary's Convent (perth Amboy, New Jersey), cost $240,000.
- 1952: New York State Teacher's College at New Paltz Library, New Paltz, New YorkNew Paltz, New YorkNew Paltz is a town in Ulster County, New York, USA. The population was 14,003 at the 2010 census. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county and is south of Kingston, New York. New Paltz contains a village also with the name New Paltz...
, cost $330,000. - 1953: St. Vincent DePaul Church and Rectory, Yardville NJ, cost $326,500.
- 1953: St. Agnes' Church (Dayton, Ohio)|St. Agnes Church]], Dayton, OH, cost $400,000.
- 1953: School, Milltown, New JerseyMilltown, New JerseyMilltown is a Borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 6,893.Milltown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on January 29, 1889, from portions of North Brunswick Township, based on the...
, cost $350,000. - Seminary of Christ the King, Boneventure, NY, cost $1 million dollars.
- Star of the Sea Convent (Atlantic City, New Jersey), cost $90,157.