William A. Boring
Encyclopedia
William Alciphron Boring (1859–1937) was an American architect
noted for codesigning the Immigration Station at Ellis Island
in New York harbor
.
Boring studied first at the University of Illinois, then spent an additional year (1885) as a student at Columbia University
. From 1887 to 1890 Boring studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts
in Paris along with his friend Edward Lippincott Tilton. Boring and Tilton returned to New York in 1890 to work in the office of McKim, Mead, and White
.
In 1891 Boring and Tilton left McKim, Mead, and White
to form their own architectural partnership. Among their notable works were the Casino in Belle Haven, Connecticut (1891) and the Hotel Colorado
in the resort town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado
(1891). The partnership's work culminated in the 1897 design for the new federal Immigration Station at Ellis Island
. This work was honored with a gold medal for Architecture at the Exposition Universelle, Paris (1900); a gold medal at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo (1901); and a silver medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis (1904). The partnership of Boring & Tilton ended in 1904. The men started working independently of one another but continued to share offices and equipment until 1915.
In 1916, Boring joined the faculty of the Columbia School of Architecture, where he eventually became Director in 1919 and Dean from 1931 through 1932. As dean of Architecture at Columbia Boring, and especially his successor Joseph Hudnut, encouraged the then-nascent modernism and incorporated studies in town planning.
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...
noted for codesigning the Immigration Station at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
in New York harbor
New York Harbor
New York Harbor refers to the waterways of the estuary near the mouth of the Hudson River that empty into New York Bay. It is one of the largest natural harbors in the world. Although the U.S. Board of Geographic Names does not use the term, New York Harbor has important historical, governmental,...
.
Boring studied first at the University of Illinois, then spent an additional year (1885) as a student at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. From 1887 to 1890 Boring studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris along with his friend Edward Lippincott Tilton. Boring and Tilton returned to New York in 1890 to work in the office of McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead & White was a prominent American architectural firm at the turn of the twentieth century and in the history of American architecture. The firm's founding partners were Charles Follen McKim , William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White...
.
In 1891 Boring and Tilton left McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead, and White
McKim, Mead & White was a prominent American architectural firm at the turn of the twentieth century and in the history of American architecture. The firm's founding partners were Charles Follen McKim , William Rutherford Mead and Stanford White...
to form their own architectural partnership. Among their notable works were the Casino in Belle Haven, Connecticut (1891) and the Hotel Colorado
Hotel Colorado
Hotel Colorado is an 1893 Italianate structure in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA, and one of the oldest hotels in Colorado.-History:Established by silver magnate and banker Walter Devereux, construction began in 1891 at a cost of $350,000. Edward Lippincott Tilton designed the building as a...
in the resort town of Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
The City of Glenwood Springs is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Garfield County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimated that the city population was 8,564 in 2005...
(1891). The partnership's work culminated in the 1897 design for the new federal Immigration Station at Ellis Island
Ellis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
. This work was honored with a gold medal for Architecture at the Exposition Universelle, Paris (1900); a gold medal at the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo (1901); and a silver medal at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, St. Louis (1904). The partnership of Boring & Tilton ended in 1904. The men started working independently of one another but continued to share offices and equipment until 1915.
In 1916, Boring joined the faculty of the Columbia School of Architecture, where he eventually became Director in 1919 and Dean from 1931 through 1932. As dean of Architecture at Columbia Boring, and especially his successor Joseph Hudnut, encouraged the then-nascent modernism and incorporated studies in town planning.
Works
With Edward Lippincott Tilton
- 1891 Casino, Belle Haven, Connecticut
- 1891-1893 Hotel ColoradoHotel ColoradoHotel Colorado is an 1893 Italianate structure in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, USA, and one of the oldest hotels in Colorado.-History:Established by silver magnate and banker Walter Devereux, construction began in 1891 at a cost of $350,000. Edward Lippincott Tilton designed the building as a...
, Glenwood Springs, Colorado (placed on the List of Registered Historic Places in Colorado) - 1897-1901 United States Immigration Station, Ellis IslandEllis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
(added to Liberty National Monument in 1965, placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1966Ellis IslandEllis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the... - 1899 Town Hall, East Orange, New JerseyEast Orange, New JerseyEast Orange is a city in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census the city's population 64,270, making it the state's 20th largest municipality, having dropped 5,554 residents from its population of 69,824 in the 2000 Census, when it was the state's 14th most...
- 1902-1903 Astor Warehouse, 29-35 Ninth Avenue, Manhattan, New York City
- 1900-1905 Tome SchoolTome SchoolThe Tome School is a private school located in North East in Cecil County in Maryland, USA and is one of the oldest schools in the state of Maryland.-Port Deposit:...
for Boys, Port Deposit, Maryland - 1901 Marine barracks, Brooklyn Navy YardBrooklyn Navy YardThe United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
, Brooklyn, New York City - 1904-1905 Brooklyn Heights Casino, Fort Hill Estate, Brooklyn, New York City
Working alone
- 1906 apartment building at 520 Park Avenue in Manhattan (demolished in 1932)
- 1907-1908 American Seamen's Friend Society Sailors' Home and Institute, 505-507 West Street, Manhattan
- 1909 apartment building at 540 Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York City
- 1910 Casino Mansion Apartments, 200 Hicks Street, Brooklyn, New York City
- 1911 apartment building at 521 Park Avenue in Manhattan, New York City
External links
- http://www.cuarts.com/legacy/
- http://www.arch.columbia.edu/index.php?pageData=28
- http://www.thecityreview.com/carpcand.html
- http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=940DE0D8103FE233A25754C0A9659C946796D6CF
- http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek07/0406/0406n_ellis.cfm
- http://www.nps.gov/elis/historyculture/index.htm
- http://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/peabody/about/Tiltonmonograph.pdf
- http://www.thecityreview.com/ues/parkave/park521.htm
- http://www.you-are-here.com/pueblo/fire_house.html