Samuel Sloan
Encyclopedia
Samuel Sloan was a Philadelphia
-based architect and best-selling author of architecture books in the mid-19th century. He specialized in Italianate
villas and country houses, churches, and institutional buildings. His most famous building—the octagonal mansion "Longwood"
in Natchez
, Mississippi
—is unfinished; construction was abandoned during the American Civil War
.
, Pennsylvania
, the son of William Sloan and Mary Kirkwood, Sloan trained as a carpenter and came to Philadelphia in the mid-1830s. He is said to have worked with John Haviland on Eastern State Penitentiary
and with Isaac Holden
on the former Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane.
Samuel Sloan married Mary Pennell in 1843. Their children were Ellwood Pennell, Howard L., Laura W., and Ada. He had three grandchildren by his eldest son, Ellwood. They were Maurice, Helen and Samuel A. Sloan.
By 1851, Sloan had won a commission for the Delaware County, Pennsylvania
, courthouse and jail, and designed Andrew Eastwick's villa near the site of Bartram's Garden
in Philadelphia. These successes prompted him to begin to list his vocation as "architect".
Sloan became a prolific author on architecture most notably for The Model Architect as well as City and Suburban Architecture and Sloan's Constructive Architecture (1859). In 1861, he wrote Sloan's Homestead Architecture and American Houses, and A Variety of Designs for Rural Buildings. Sloan also reached thousands of potential customers through the pages of Godey's Lady's Book
, which began publishing his designs in 1852.
"The man who has a home," wrote Sloan in 1871, "feels a love for it a thankfulness for its possession and a proportionate determination to uphold and defend it against all invading influences. Such a man is, of necessity . . . a good citizen; for he has a stake in society."
Economic downturns in the late 1850s as well as the American Civil War
put a halt to his professional success and Sloan briefly left Philadelphia for New York in 1867. Important examples of his later work are found outside Pennsylvania, notably in Morganton
, North Carolina
's Western State Asylum for the Insane. Sloan ended up building about 20 hospitals for the insane based on the "Kirkbride Plan
System".
Sloan enjoyed some later success in North Carolina, opening an office in Raleigh
, where he died on July 19, 1884. His body was buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Lot 11 Sec 20.
Architects associated with Sloan include: Charles M. Autenrieth
(1828–1906), Edward Collins (1821–1902), Willis G. Hale
(1848–1907), Addison Hutton
(1834–1916), John S. Stewart and Thomas Webb Richards (1836–1911), and Isaac Pursell
(1853–1910).
Designated U.S. National Historic Landmarks:
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
-based architect and best-selling author of architecture books in the mid-19th century. He specialized in Italianate
Italianate architecture
The Italianate style of architecture was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. In the Italianate style, the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italian Renaissance architecture, which had served as inspiration for both Palladianism and...
villas and country houses, churches, and institutional buildings. His most famous building—the octagonal mansion "Longwood"
Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi)
Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is an historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The mansion is on the U.S...
in Natchez
Natchez, Mississippi
Natchez is the county seat of Adams County, Mississippi, United States. With a total population of 18,464 , it is the largest community and the only incorporated municipality within Adams County...
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
—is unfinished; construction was abandoned during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Biography
Born on March 7, 1815, in Honeybrook Township, Chester CountyChester County, Pennsylvania
-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, the son of William Sloan and Mary Kirkwood, Sloan trained as a carpenter and came to Philadelphia in the mid-1830s. He is said to have worked with John Haviland on Eastern State Penitentiary
Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary is a former American prison in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is located on 2027 Fairmount Avenue between Corinthian Avenue and North 22nd Street in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia and was operational from 1829 until 1971...
and with Isaac Holden
Isaac Holden
Sir Isaac Holden, 1st Baronet was an inventor and manufacturer, who is known both for his work with wool-combing and with matches....
on the former Pennsylvania Hospital for the Insane.
Samuel Sloan married Mary Pennell in 1843. Their children were Ellwood Pennell, Howard L., Laura W., and Ada. He had three grandchildren by his eldest son, Ellwood. They were Maurice, Helen and Samuel A. Sloan.
By 1851, Sloan had won a commission for the Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, courthouse and jail, and designed Andrew Eastwick's villa near the site of Bartram's Garden
Bartram's Garden
Bartram's Garden which covers is the oldest surviving botanic garden in North America, including an historic botanical garden and arboretum , located on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Fairmount Park, near the intersection of 54th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
in Philadelphia. These successes prompted him to begin to list his vocation as "architect".
Godey's Lady's Book
Godey's Lady's Book, alternatively known as Godey's Magazine and Lady's Book, was a United States magazine which was published in Philadelphia. It was the most widely circulated magazine in the period before the Civil War. Its circulation rose from 70,000 in the 1840s to 150,000 in 1860...
, which began publishing his designs in 1852.
"The man who has a home," wrote Sloan in 1871, "feels a love for it a thankfulness for its possession and a proportionate determination to uphold and defend it against all invading influences. Such a man is, of necessity . . . a good citizen; for he has a stake in society."
Economic downturns in the late 1850s as well as the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
put a halt to his professional success and Sloan briefly left Philadelphia for New York in 1867. Important examples of his later work are found outside Pennsylvania, notably in Morganton
Morganton, North Carolina
Morganton is a city in Burke County, North Carolina, United States. Reader's Digest included Morganton in its list of top ten places to raise a family. The town was recently profiled in The 50 Best Small Southern Towns. The population was 17,310 at the 2000 census...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
's Western State Asylum for the Insane. Sloan ended up building about 20 hospitals for the insane based on the "Kirkbride Plan
Kirkbride Plan
The Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
System".
Sloan enjoyed some later success in North Carolina, opening an office in Raleigh
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, where he died on July 19, 1884. His body was buried in Mount Moriah Cemetery, Philadelphia, Lot 11 Sec 20.
Architects associated with Sloan include: Charles M. Autenrieth
Charles M. Autenrieth
Charles M. Autenrieth was a successful American architect whose practice was centered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1852 to 1902, he was in partnership with Edward Collins, and thereafter with his son, Charles M. Autenrieth, Jr....
(1828–1906), Edward Collins (1821–1902), Willis G. Hale
Willis G. Hale
Willis Gaylord Hale was a late-19th century architect who worked primarily in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania...
(1848–1907), Addison Hutton
Addison Hutton
Addison Hutton was a Philadelphia architect who designed prominent residences in Philadelphia and its suburbs, plus courthouses, hospitals, and libraries, including the Ridgway Library and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania...
(1834–1916), John S. Stewart and Thomas Webb Richards (1836–1911), and Isaac Pursell
Isaac Pursell
Isaac Pursell was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based architect.He was born at Trenton, New Jersey in 1853 and attended public schools. He received architectural training in the Philadelphia offices of Samuel Sloan. He was a prolific designer of churches located in the eastern United States. Many...
(1853–1910).
Designated U.S. National Historic Landmarks:
- Asa Packer MansionAsa Packer MansionThe Asa Packer Mansion, in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was the home of Asa Packer , coal and railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh University. It is one of the best preserved Italianate Villa homes in the United States.-History:...
, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania (1859–61) - "Longwood"Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi)Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is an historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The mansion is on the U.S...
, Haller Nutt Mansion, Natchez, Mississippi (designed in 1859, it was never finished due to the Civil War) - Additions to Mills Building, South Carolina State HospitalMills Building, South Carolina State HospitalMills Building, South Carolina State Hospital, formerly known as the South Carolina Lunatic Asylum, is a building designed by Robert Mills in Columbia, South Carolina....
, Columbia, South Carolina
Philadelphia buildings
- "Bartram Hall", residence of Andrew M. Eastwick, 54th St. & Lindburgh Blvd., Philadelphia PA – 1850 (demolished)
- Workman’s Housing Rows (2), in association with Joseph Harrison, Jr., Philadelphia, PA - 1853
- John Piper house, 129 Bethlehem Pike, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, PA - 1854
- Joseph Harrison Jr. residence, 221 S. 18th St. (East Rittenhouse Square), Philadelphia, PA - 1855 (demolished)
- Masonic Hall, 700 block Chestnut St., Philadelphia - 1855, burned 1886
- Episcopal Church of the Savior, 38th & Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA - 1856 (destroyed by fire 1902, rebuilt within surviving stone walls)
- Institute of the Pennsylvania Hospital, Department for Males (Kirkbride's Insane Asylum), 49th & Market Sts., Philadelphia - 1856-59
- Polite Temple Baptist Church (Germantown), Philadelphia – date not known
- "Woodland Terrace", 501-519, 500-520 Woodland Terrace, Philadelphia, PA; suburban development built for Charles M. S. Leslie - 1861
Other Pennsylvania buildings
- Delaware County Courthouse, Media, PA (considered his first commission) - 1849
- Chester County municipal buildings – 1849
- Lancaster CountyLancaster County, PennsylvaniaLancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
Court House, Lancaster, PA - 1852 - Fulton Opera HouseFulton Opera HouseThe Fulton Opera House, also known as the Fulton Theatre or simply The Fulton, is a League of Regional Theatres class C regional theater located in historic downtown Lancaster, Pennsylvania.-Building:...
, (Originally named Fulton Hall), Lancaster, PA - 1852 - Residence, NE corner of Church & Miner Sts., West Chester, PA – 1854
- The High Street School, Gettysburg, PA - 1857
- Church of St. James the Greater (Bristol)Church of St. James the Greater (Bristol)The Church of St. James the Greater is an Episcopal church located in the heart of the Bristol Historic District in Bristol Borough, Pennsylvania...
, Bristol, PA - 1857 - Asa Packer MansionAsa Packer MansionThe Asa Packer Mansion, in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, was the home of Asa Packer , coal and railroad magnate and founder of Lehigh University. It is one of the best preserved Italianate Villa homes in the United States.-History:...
, Jim Thorpe, PA - 1859-61 - "Faunbrook", residence of William Baldwin, 699 Rosedale Ave., West Chester, PA – 1860
- (Old) Lycoming County Courthouse (destroyed), Williamsport, PA - 1861
- Eli Slifer house, 1 River Rd., Lewisburg, PA – 1861
- Venango County Courthouse, Franklin, PA (with Addison HuttonAddison HuttonAddison Hutton was a Philadelphia architect who designed prominent residences in Philadelphia and its suburbs, plus courthouses, hospitals, and libraries, including the Ridgway Library and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania...
) - 1868 - Clinton County Courthouse, Lock Haven, PA (with Addison HuttonAddison HuttonAddison Hutton was a Philadelphia architect who designed prominent residences in Philadelphia and its suburbs, plus courthouses, hospitals, and libraries, including the Ridgway Library and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania...
) - 1869 - East Hall (The Academy Building), Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, PA – 1872
- Forks of the Brandywine Presbyterian Church, Glenmoore, PA - 1875
- Westmoreland County CourthouseWestmoreland County CourthouseThe Westmoreland County Courthouse is a government building of Westmoreland County located in the county seat, Greensburg, Pennsylvania. It is a contributing property to the Downtown Greensburg Historic District, but was listed separately on the National Register of Historic Places on March 30, 1978...
, Greensburg, PA - 1883
New Jersey and Delaware buildings
- Town Plan, Riverton, NJRiverton, New JerseyRiverton is a Borough located in Burlington County, New Jersey. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough had a total population of 2,759....
- 1851 - St Paul’s Methodist Episcopal Church, Odessa, DEOdessa, DelawareOdessa is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 364 at the 2010 census. Originally founded as Cantwell's Bridge in the 18th century, the name was changed in the 19th century, after the Ukrainian port city of the same name...
- 1852 - Camden CountyCamden County, New Jersey-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census the population of Camden County was 60.28% Non-Hispanic white, 18.45% Non-Hispanic black, 1.12% Hispanic blacks, 0.17% Non-Hispanic Native American, 0.15% Hispanic Native Americans, 5.07% Non-Hispanic Asian, and 0.14% non-Hispanics reporting some other race...
Court House, Camden, NJ – 1852 - Sheriff's House and Jail, 2nd St., New CastleNew Castle, DelawareNew Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, six miles south of Wilmington, situated on the Delaware River. In 1900, 3,380 people lived here; in 1910, 3,351...
, DE - 1857 - Dr. Peter Campbell house, Shrewsbury, NJ - c.1860
- George Allen house, 720 Washington St. Cape May, NJCape May, New JerseyCape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States...
– 1863 (based on a published Sloan design) - West Presbyterian Church, NE corner W. Commerce & Giles Sts., Bridgeton, NJ - 1868-1877
- Town Hall, Middletown, DE – 1869
- Additions to New Jersey State Capitol (new wings), Trenton, NJ - 1871
- Greystone Park Psychiatric HospitalGreystone Park Psychiatric HospitalGreystone Park Psychiatric Hospital refers to both the former psychiatric hospital and the historic building that it occupied in Parsippany-Troy Hills Township .A new facility was built on the large Greystone campus and bears...
, (a Kirkbride PlanKirkbride PlanThe Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
building), Morristown, NJ – 1871
Buildings elsewhere
- The Southern OhioOhioOhio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
Lunatic Asylum; Dayton, OhioDayton, OhioDayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
- 1852 - “Winter PlaceWinter PlaceWinter Place is a historic complex of two conjoined houses and three outbuildings in Montgomery, Alabama.The buildings were constructed from the 1850s through the 1870s. The Italianate style North House was built in the 1850s and was the home of the Joseph S. Winter family...
”, residence of Col. Joseph Samuel Winter, Montgomery, AL - 1855 - "Dunleith", residence of Robert P. Dick, 677 Chestnut St., Greensboro, NCGreensboro, North CarolinaGreensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
- 1856 - RosedaleRosedale (Columbus, Mississippi)Rosedale is a historic Italianate style house that was built in 1855, near Columbus, Mississippi.It was built according to designs of noted architect Samuel Sloan , perhaps from a pattern-book. It was renovated by preservationist firm Volz Associates.It was listed on the U.S. National Register of...
, near Columbus, Mississippi - 1856 - First Baptist Church, 101 W. McBee Ave., Greenville, SC - 1858
- “Longwood”Longwood (Natchez, Mississippi)Longwood, also known as Nutt's Folly, is an historic antebellum octagonal mansion located at 140 Lower Woodville Road in Natchez, Mississippi, USA. The mansion is on the U.S...
, Haller Nutt mansion, Natchez, MS – 1859-1862 (unfinished) - First Baptist Church, 5th & Market Streets, Wilmington, NC – 1859-1870
- Bank of New Hanover (demolished), NW corner Front & Princess Sts., Wilmington NC – circa 1860
- First Presbyterian Church, 125 S. 3rd St., Wilmington, NC – 1861 (destroyed by fire in 1925, the present building is by architect Hobart Upjohn)
- ”McNeal Place”, Bolivar, TN – 1862
- Bryce Hospital, (a Kirkbride PlanKirkbride PlanThe Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
building), Tuscaloosa, ALTuscaloosa, AlabamaTuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
- 1861 (endangered) - Sylvan Building (Central National Bank), 1500 Main St., Columbia, SC – circa 1868
- Broughton State Hospital, (aka Western North Carolina Insane Asylum; a Kirkbride PlanKirkbride PlanThe Kirkbride Plan refers to a system of mental asylum design advocated by Philadelphia psychiatrist Thomas Story Kirkbride in the mid-19th century.-History:The establishment of state mental hospitals in the U.S...
building), Morganton, NC – 1883 - North Carolina Executive MansionNorth Carolina Executive MansionThe North Carolina Executive Mansion is the official residence of the Governor of North Carolina and his or her family. Building began in the year 1883 and it was designed by noted architects Samuel Sloan and A.G. Bauer. The first occupants, Governor Daniel G. Fowle and his family, moved into the...
, 201 N. Blount St , Raleigh, NCRaleigh, North CarolinaRaleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
; (completed by his associate Adolphus BauerA.G. BauerAdolphus Gustavus Bauer was an architect in North Carolina. He worked with the more famous architect Samuel Sloan and helped him build the Executive Mansion in Raleigh.-Life:...
) - 1883 - Mistletoe VillaMistletoe VillaThe Hughes-Young house, most commonly known as Mistletoe Villa, is a historic house in Henderson, NC. The house is often cited for its ornate Victorian detail and architectural elements. The first house on the site was built for William H. Hughes and completed in 1855. From 1883 to 1885 the house...
in Henderson, NC is said to have been designed by Sloan but that fact has never been officially documented although historians believe that the style and details are consistent with his other designs - c. 1883-1885 - Bell Building (New Bern Graded School), 517 Hancock St., New Bern, NCNew Bern, North CarolinaNew Bern is a city in Craven County, North Carolina with a population of 29,524 as of the 2010 census.. It is located at the confluence of the Trent and the Neuse rivers...
- c. 1884-85 - (Old) Memorial Hall (demolished), University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC – completed 1885
- Walker Hall, South Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind, Spartanburg County, SC - 1884-1885
- New South Carolina State Asylum; Babcock Building at the South Carolina State Hospital, Richland County, Bull St., Columbia, SC - 1885
Books
- Samuel Sloan, The Model Architect, Volume One: A Series of Original Designs for Cottages, Villas, Suburban Residences, Etc. ISBN 0-923891-85-4
- Samuel Sloan, The Model Architect, Vol. 2 ISBN 0-923891-86-2
- Harold N. Cooledge, Samuel Sloan: Architect of Philadelphia, 1815-1884 (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986) ISBN 0-923891-64-1