Thomas Hastings (architect)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Hastings was an American architect
.
to Thomas Samuel Hastings, a Presbyterian
minister, and Fanny de Groot. Hastings came from a colonial Yankee background, his ancestor Thomas Hastings (colonist)
having come from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
in 1634. Hastings's father was president of the Union Theological Seminary
. His grandfather, also named Thomas Hastings
, was the composer of the hymn
Rock of Ages. He married Helen Benedict of Greenwich, Connecticut
. Lawrence White, the young son of fellow New York
architect Stanford White
, served as page at the wedding.
Hastings abandoned his college preparation courses to work with the chief designer at Herter Brothers
, the premier New York furnishers and decorators. He later traveled to Paris to study in the atelier of Louis-Jules André
, returned to the U.S. to found the firm of Carrère and Hastings
with John Merven Carrère. Their first major commissions came from a parishioner of Hastings' father, Florida
developer Henry Flagler. The partners undertook two hotels for Flagler, the Ponce de Leon Hotel
(1885–1888) in St. Augustine, Florida
(now part of Flagler College
) and the Hotel Alcazar (now the Lightner Museum
), followed by a succession of St. Augustine hotels and churches.
The firm's most famous project was the New York Public Library
building. His second most accomplished work was a house known as "the Knole". It was built in 1903 and was purchased as a gift by the steel magnet Henry Phipps. After Carrère's death in 1911, Hastings went on to design the Arlington Cemetery
Tomb of the Unknowns
and Henry Clay Frick
's Louis XVI mansion on Fifth Avenue, now the Frick Collection
, as well as residences for such distinguished names as Guggenheim, duPont, Harriman, even a 'poultry cottage' for William K. Vanderbilt
. He also designed the Fort Washington Presbyterian Church
(1913).
After World War I
, Hastings designed the American Monument in Paris
that memorializes the defeat of Germany
at the Second Battle of the Marne
.
Hastings outlived the Beaux-Arts world. Though he dressed up the Manhattan Bridge
in a Beaux-Arts skin and helped clad conservative office buildings in Roman masonry, he denounced skyscrapers as "bad in style, definitely bad for city traffic and the health of the citizenry". He felt a zoning law should have been passed to limit their height to a maximum of eight stories as has been done successfully in Paris.
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...
.
Biography
He was born in New York CityNew 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...
to Thomas Samuel Hastings, a Presbyterian
Presbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
minister, and Fanny de Groot. Hastings came from a colonial Yankee background, his ancestor Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings (colonist)
Thomas Hastings was a prominent English immigrant to New England, one of the approximately 20,000 immigrants who came as part of the Great Migration. A Deacon of the church, among his many public offices he served on the Committee of Colony Assessments in 1640 and as Deputy for Watertown to the...
having come from the East Anglia region of England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony was an English settlement on the east coast of North America in the 17th century, in New England, situated around the present-day cities of Salem and Boston. The territory administered by the colony included much of present-day central New England, including portions...
in 1634. Hastings's father was president of the Union Theological Seminary
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York
Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York is a preeminent independent graduate school of theology, located in Manhattan between Claremont Avenue and Broadway, 120th to 122nd Streets. The seminary was founded in 1836 under the Presbyterian Church, and is affiliated with nearby Columbia...
. His grandfather, also named Thomas Hastings
Thomas Hastings (composer)
Thomas Hastings was an American composer, primarily an author of hymn tunes of which the best known is Toplady for the hymn Rock of Ages. He was born to Dr. Seth and Eunice Hastings in Washington, Connecticut...
, was the composer of the hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
Rock of Ages. He married Helen Benedict of Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
. Lawrence White, the young son of fellow New York
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...
architect Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
, served as page at the wedding.
Hastings abandoned his college preparation courses to work with the chief designer at Herter Brothers
Herter Brothers
The firm of Herter Brothers, New York, , founded by Gustave and Christian Herter , begun as an upholstery warehouse, became one of the first firms of furniture makers and interior decorators in the United States after the Civil War...
, the premier New York furnishers and decorators. He later traveled to Paris to study in the atelier of Louis-Jules André
Louis-Jules André
Louis-Jules André was a French academic architect and the head of an important atelier at the École des Beaux-Arts.- Biography :...
, returned to the U.S. to found the firm of Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings
Carrère and Hastings, the firm of John Merven Carrère and Thomas Hastings , located in New York City, was one of the outstanding Beaux-Arts architecture firms in the United States. The partnership operated from 1885 until 1911, when Carrère was killed in an automobile accident...
with John Merven Carrère. Their first major commissions came from a parishioner of Hastings' father, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
developer Henry Flagler. The partners undertook two hotels for Flagler, the Ponce de Leon Hotel
Ponce de León Hotel
The Ponce de León Hotel was an exclusive hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, built by millionaire developer and Standard Oil co-founder Henry M. Flagler and completed in 1888. The Hotel Ponce de Leon was designed in the Spanish Renaissance style by the New York architects John Carrere and Thomas...
(1885–1888) in St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine is a city in the northeast section of Florida and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Founded in 1565 by Spanish explorer and admiral Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, it is the oldest continuously occupied European-established city and port in the continental United...
(now part of Flagler College
Flagler College
Flagler College, is a private four-year liberal arts college in St. Augustine, Florida, USA and celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2008.The college has been named in recent years by US News & World Report as one of the southeast region's best comprehensive liberal arts colleges, and is included on...
) and the Hotel Alcazar (now the Lightner Museum
Lightner Museum
The Lightner Museum is a museum of antiquities, mostly American Victorian, housed within a historic hotel building in downtown St. Augustine, Florida, USA. The building, in a Spanish Renaissance Revival style, is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.The museum occupies three...
), followed by a succession of St. Augustine hotels and churches.
The firm's most famous project was the New York Public Library
New York Public Library Main Branch
The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building of the New York Public Library, more widely known as the Main Branch or simply as "the New York Public Library," is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system and a prominent historic landmark in Midtown Manhattan. The branch, opened in 1911, is...
building. His second most accomplished work was a house known as "the Knole". It was built in 1903 and was purchased as a gift by the steel magnet Henry Phipps. After Carrère's death in 1911, Hastings went on to design the Arlington 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...
Tomb of the Unknowns
Tomb of the Unknowns
The Tomb of the Unknowns is a monument dedicated to American service members who have died without their remains being identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in the United States...
and Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick
Henry Clay Frick was an American industrialist, financier, and art patron. He founded the H. C. Frick & Company coke manufacturing company, was chairman of the Carnegie Steel Company, and played a major role in the formation of the giant U.S. Steel steel manufacturing concern...
's Louis XVI mansion on Fifth Avenue, now the Frick Collection
Frick Collection
The Frick Collection is an art museum located in Manhattan, New York City, United States.- History :It is housed in the former Henry Clay Frick House, which was designed by Thomas Hastings and constructed in 1913-1914. John Russell Pope altered and enlarged the building in the early 1930s to adapt...
, as well as residences for such distinguished names as Guggenheim, duPont, Harriman, even a 'poultry cottage' for William K. Vanderbilt
William Kissam Vanderbilt
William Kissam Vanderbilt was a member of the prominent American Vanderbilt family. He managed railroads and was a horse breeder.-Biography:...
. He also designed the Fort Washington Presbyterian Church
Fort Washington Presbyterian Church
Fort Washington Presbyterian Church, also known as Iglesia Presbiteriana Fort Washington Heights, is a historic Presbyterian church complex located in Washington Heights, New York, New York. The complex consists of a long rectangular three-by-seven-bay church with an attached Sunday school wing...
(1913).
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Hastings designed the American Monument in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
that memorializes the defeat of Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
at the Second Battle of the Marne
Second Battle of the Marne
The Second Battle of the Marne , or Battle of Reims was the last major German Spring Offensive on the Western Front during the First World War. The German attack failed when an Allied counterattack led by France overwhelmed the Germans, inflicting severe casualties...
.
Hastings outlived the Beaux-Arts world. Though he dressed up the Manhattan Bridge
Manhattan Bridge
The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan with Brooklyn . It was the last of the three suspension bridges built across the lower East River, following the Brooklyn and the Williamsburg bridges...
in a Beaux-Arts skin and helped clad conservative office buildings in Roman masonry, he denounced skyscrapers as "bad in style, definitely bad for city traffic and the health of the citizenry". He felt a zoning law should have been passed to limit their height to a maximum of eight stories as has been done successfully in Paris.