Ithiel Town
Ithiel Town | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | June 13, 1844 | (aged 59)
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Architect |
Awards | National Academy of Design; Yale honorary degree |
Practice | Town and Davis |
Buildings | Center Church Trinity Church Wadsworth Atheneum |
Design | Lattice truss bridge |
Ithiel Town (October 3, 1784 – June 13, 1844) was an American
Life and works
Town was born in Thompson, Connecticut, to Archelaus Town, a farmer, and Martha (Johnson) Town. He trained with the eminent Asher Benjamin in Boston and began his own professional career with the Asa Gray House (1810).
His earliest important architectural works include Center Church (1812–1815), and Trinity Church (1813–1816), both on the
In 1825, Town became one of the original members of the National Academy of Design and was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from Yale University.
Town's lattice bridge
On January 28, 1820, Town was granted a patent for a wooden lattice truss bridge, which became known as the Town Bridge. The design was of great importance because it could be built quickly by relatively unskilled workers from readily available material. The design also avoided the need for the heavy piers needed for stone arches. The design was widely known throughout the world and made Town wealthy (Town is said to have charged one to two dollars per foot in royalties for his designs).[1] Town's design can still be seen in two of Connecticut's remaining covered bridges, Bull's Bridge in Kent and West Cornwall Covered Bridge in Cornwall and Sharon, and in the Eagleville Bridge and the Shushan Bridge in Washington County, New York. Many other extant covered bridges also employ Town's basic design. The lattice is sometimes called a truss, although it lacks vertical members.
Town and Davis
In 1829, Town formed one of the first professional architectural firms in the United States with Alexander Jackson Davis, together producing notable buildings in a range of new Revival styles, including Greek, Gothic, Tuscan, and Egyptian. Town also traveled in Europe during this period (1829–30).
The firm lasted until 1835; for eighteen months in 1832 and 1833, it operated as Town, Davis, and Dakin, when
Home and library
Town designed his New Haven home on
In 1839, Town commissioned noted American painter Thomas Cole to execute a painting called The Architect's Dream, which now hangs in the Toledo Museum of Art.
Town's house was later owned by Joseph Earl Sheffield, benefactor of the Sheffield Scientific School and modified by Austin. Town designed a number of other stately homes on Hillhouse.
Death
Town died in New Haven on June 13, 1844, and is interred in Grove Street Cemetery, New Haven, Connecticut.
Selected works
- Asa Gray House, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1810. Federal
- Center Church, New Haven, Connecticut, 1812–1815. Federal
- Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven, Connecticut, 1813–1816, Gothic Revival
- Groton Monument, obelisk, 1826.
- Samuel Wadsworth Russell House, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut, 1828. Greek revival.
- West Presbyterian Church (New York City)." It has since been demolished.[4]
- Skinner House, New Haven, Connecticut (now Yale International Center of Finance), Town and Davis, 1832. Greek revival.
- Colonnade Row, New York, New York, 1832. Greek Revival.
- North Carolina State Capitol, Raleigh, North Carolina, Town and Davis, 1840. Greek revival.
- U. S. Custom House, now Federal Hall National Memorial, New York City, Town and Davis, 1833–1842. Greek revival.
- Apthorp House, New Haven, Connecticut (now Evans Hall, Yale School of Management), Town and Davis, 1836
- State capitol, New Haven, Connecticut, 1837. Greek revival. Razed
- Indiana Statehouse, Town and Davis, 1840. Demolished in 1877.
- Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut, 1842. Gothic revival
- New York, New York, 1843. Greek revival[5]
- Ithiel Town (Sheffield) Mansion, New Haven, Connecticut. Greek revival. Razed
Selected writings
- A Description of Ithiel Town's Improvement in the Construction of Wood and Iron Bridges (New Haven, 1821)
- A Detail of Some Particular Services Performed in America, During the Years 1776, 1777, 1778, and 1779, Compiled from Journals and Original Papers...taken from the Journal Kept on Board of the Ship 'Rainbow' Commanded By Sir George Collier (New York, 1835)
- Atlantic Steamships. Ideas and Statements, The Result of Considerable Reflection on the Subject of Navigating the Atlantic Ocean with Steam-Ships of Large Tonnage. Also, the Arrival, Description, and Departure of the Two First British Steam-Ships (Wiley & Putnam/J. P. Wright, New York, 1838)
See also
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 158: Cornish-Windsor Bridge
- New Hampshire Historical Marker No. 190: Haverhill-Bath Bridge
References
- ^ a b c Seymour, G. D. "Ithiel Town", Dictionary of American Biography Base Set, American Council of Learned Societies, 1928-1936. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich.: Thomson Gale. 2008.
- ^ Bilger, Burkhard, "Mystery on Pearl Street," The New Yorker, Jan. 7, 2008, p. 64.
- ^ Byars, Mel. "Town, Ithiel" in American National Biography, American Council of Learned Societies, 2000.
- ^ New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. "Designation List 425" Archived 2017-02-01 at the Wayback Machine
- New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-25.
External links
- Ithiel Town papers (MS 499). Manuscripts and Archives, Yale University Library. [1]
- Media related to Ithiel Town at Wikimedia Commons