The John Stevens Shop
Encyclopedia
The John Stevens Shop, founded in 1705, is a stone carving
business in Newport, Rhode Island
that is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in America.
for several years before moving to Newport, Rhode Island, where he set up shop at 30 Thames Street in 1705. The shop moved across the street to 29 Thames Street in the mid-eighteenth century. John Stevens, his sons John II and William, and his grandson John III produced what are arguably some of colonial America's most beautiful gravestones, many of which are still viewable in the nearby Common Burying Ground. The Stevens family ran the Shop for more than 220 years. In 1927, it was purchased by John Howard Benson.
A Newport native, John H.Benson studied at the Newport Art Association, the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York. He became an internationally renowned stone carver, designer and calligrapher. He taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and, along with his business partner, Graham Carey, wrote the instructional book "The Elements of Lettering". He designed and carved inscriptions for Yale University, Harvard University and Brown University, and designed the inscriptions on the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
. In 1955, he was awarded the Craftsmanship medal by the American Institute of Architects. He died in 1956, passing the business to his son John Everett Benson.
John Everett Benson began working for his father at the age of fifteen. He studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1964, he was commissioned to design and carve the inscriptions for the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. He carved gravestones for Tennessee Williams
, Lillian Hellman
and George Balanchine
; designed and carved inscriptions for the Prudential Center in Boston, the Boston Public Library, the National Gallery of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center and the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles; and carved the date stones of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
He designed site-specific fonts and incised inscriptions on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama; the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
in Washington, D.C.; and the Federal Courthouse in Boston. During his 40 years at the John Stevens Shop, Benson he was awarded the Craftsmanship medal by the American Institute of Architects, the National Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts and he was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree by the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2000, he received the Presidential Design Award for Excellence in the Arts for his work on the FDR Memorial. In 1993, he turned over the business to his son Nicholas Benson, who continues to produce hand-carved inscriptions in stone. In 2007, Nicholas Benson was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts
National Heritage Fellowship
and in 2010 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
Stone carving
Stone carving is an ancient activity where pieces of rough natural stone are shaped by the controlled removal of stone. Owing to the permanence of the material, evidence can be found that even the earliest societies indulged in some form of stone work....
business 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...
that is one of the oldest continuously operating businesses in America.
History
John Stevens was born in Oxfordshire, England. He immigrated to the American Colonies in 1698 and lived in BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
for several years before moving to Newport, Rhode Island, where he set up shop at 30 Thames Street in 1705. The shop moved across the street to 29 Thames Street in the mid-eighteenth century. John Stevens, his sons John II and William, and his grandson John III produced what are arguably some of colonial America's most beautiful gravestones, many of which are still viewable in the nearby Common Burying Ground. The Stevens family ran the Shop for more than 220 years. In 1927, it was purchased by John Howard Benson.
A Newport native, John H.Benson studied at the Newport Art Association, the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League of New York. He became an internationally renowned stone carver, designer and calligrapher. He taught at the Rhode Island School of Design and, along with his business partner, Graham Carey, wrote the instructional book "The Elements of Lettering". He designed and carved inscriptions for Yale University, Harvard University and Brown University, and designed the inscriptions on the Iwo Jima Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
. In 1955, he was awarded the Craftsmanship medal by the American Institute of Architects. He died in 1956, passing the business to his son John Everett Benson.
John Everett Benson began working for his father at the age of fifteen. He studied sculpture at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 1964, he was commissioned to design and carve the inscriptions for the John F. Kennedy Memorial in Arlington National Cemetery. He carved gravestones for Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
and George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
; designed and carved inscriptions for the Prudential Center in Boston, the Boston Public Library, the National Gallery of Art, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange Center and the Armand Hammer Museum of Art in Los Angeles; and carved the date stones of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
He designed site-specific fonts and incised inscriptions on the Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama; the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial
The memorial's design concept of four outdoor "rooms" and gardens is animated by water, stone, and sculpture.The 1974 design competition was won by Lawrence Halprin; but for more than 20 years Congress failed to appropriate the funds to move beyond this conceptual stage...
in Washington, D.C.; and the Federal Courthouse in Boston. During his 40 years at the John Stevens Shop, Benson he was awarded the Craftsmanship medal by the American Institute of Architects, the National Pell Award for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts and he was awarded an honorary Doctorate degree by the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2000, he received the Presidential Design Award for Excellence in the Arts for his work on the FDR Memorial. In 1993, he turned over the business to his son Nicholas Benson, who continues to produce hand-carved inscriptions in stone. In 2007, Nicholas Benson was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
National Heritage Fellowship
National Heritage Fellowship
The National Heritage Fellowship is a lifetime honor presented to master folk and traditional artists by the National Endowment for the Arts. Similar to Japan's Living National Treasure award, the Fellowship is the United States' highest honor in the folk and traditional arts...
and in 2010 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.