William C. Brocklesby: A Connecticut Valley Architect in the Gilded Age

Bill Ranauro

Description

The late nineteenth century, known commonly as the "Gilded Age," produced some of the most beautiful yet controversial architecture in America's history. The great influencers of the period, including Richard Upjohn, Henry Hobson Richardson, and Charles McKim, each spread the gospel of his own architectural style. The result was an eclectic mix of styles that some detested but that others embraced. Caught in the struggle to find an architecture America could claim as its own, Hartford, Connecticut architect William Brocklesby carved out his own stylistic path. In an age when the taste for ostentation and pretension was adopted by many, William Brocklesby produced some of the most dignified and beautiful architecture in the Connecticut Valley. His churches, libraries, and theaters remain as artistic landmarks throughout western New England, and his work at colleges from Hartford to Amherst, Massachusetts make for some of the most picturesque college campuses in America. This book serves as a companion to the author's earlier book, Asher Benjamin, American Architect, Author, Artist. Taken together, the two books provide a view of developments in American architecture from 1790 to 1910. 

The Architecture of William C. Brocklesby 

Hailing from Hartford, Connecticut, architect William C. Brocklesby (1847-1910) spent his career designing beautiful yet dignified churches, libraries, and public buildings throughout the Connecticut River Valley and western New England. Working in an age when ostentation was the rule rather than the exception, Brocklesby maintained a restrained hand in the application of ornament. His design ofForbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts stands out as a monument to his ability as a design architect.  

In addition, William Brocklesby was among a handful of nineteenth century architects who made the Connecticut River Valley the birthplace of the prototypical American college campus. Working largely within the vision of the famed American landscape architects Andrew Jackson Downing and Frederick Law Olmstead, Brocklesby and others built campuses that were meant to mimic the traditional New England village. 

“Through the designs of the college buildings by Peabody and Stearns and William Brocklesby, Smith College's architectural history traces the development of late nineteenth-century styles.” 

- National Register of Historic Places Inventory

Sujets

• Photographers
• Artists
• Architects
• General officer
• List of photographers
• Artist
• Architect
• General
• Architecture

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 07 juillet 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977214195
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

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Also by Bill Ranauro


West of Boston: Growing Up Red Sox in a Yankee Household

Frontier Elegance: The Early Architecture of Walpole, New Hampshire 1750-1850

Northern Light: Essays and True Stories

Asher Benjamin: American Architect, Author, Artist

William C. Brocklesby A Connecticut Valley Architect in the Gilded Age All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2023 Bill Ranauro v2.0
The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
For "GiGi" on her 90th
The purpose of art is either use or beauty, parallel in architecture being function and form. Thus in our fine arts, not imitation but creation is the aim.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Art" (1841)



It’s better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.

- Herman Melville (1850)



A German ought to thank God for being able to proclaim aloud, "That is German architecture, our architecture."

- J.W. Goethe, from On German Architecture (1772)



A town’s architecture, no matter how many centuries old, can affect the very style of its inhabitants.
- Robert Kaplan, from Adriatic (2022)
Table of Contents
Author Note
Introduction
The Connecticut River Valley Maps
PART ONE:TRANSITIONS 1840–1870
1. The Romantic Spirit and the Picturesque
2. Gothic Precedents1840–1860
3. The “Battle of the Styles”
4. The Eclectic Movement Takes Hold: Italianate, Second Empire, and Stick Style 1855–1870
PART TWO: THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN 1847–1876
5. 155 Washington Street
6. Trinity College
7. The Professionalization of Architecture
8. New York and the Office of Upjohn
PART THREE: THE ARCHITECTURE OF WILLIAM C. BROCKLESBY 1870–1910
9. First Commissions
10. Settling In
11. Breaking Through 1884–1891
12. The Jewel of Northampton: Forbes Library, Castle on the Hill
13. Seizing Opportunity and Finding Tranquility 1895–1901
PART FOUR: LAST YEARS 1901–1910
14. Taking Stock and Smelling the Roses
15. Brocklesby and Smith and Final Days 1904–1910
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Photograph and Illustration Credits
Glossary of Architectural Terms
APPENDICES
Appendix I - American Architecture Timeline 1700-1900
Appendix II - A Timeline of Key Events, Including Selected Architectural Designs by William C. Brocklesby
Appendix III - A Contract For a Student Entering Richard Upjohn’s Office
Bibliography
About the Author
Author Note
All quoted primary source material will be left as originally printed or stated. Therefore, irregular spelling (e.g., "alumnae" for "alumni," and "theatre" for "theater"), capitalization, and grammar may show up from time to time. The Latin abbreviation [ sic ] indicating the exact transcription of irregular spellings and usage will be used, though sparingly.
Introduction
When first visiting the Forbes Library in Northampton, Massachusetts, I was moved to begin asking questions about the very handsome building I had just entered. I quickly learned the Forbes Library was designed by William C. Brocklesby (1847–1910), an architect from Hartford, Connecticut. Everything about the Romanesque Revival style of the Forbes, which was completed in 1894, suggests stability and confidence, from its solid limestone blocks to its prominent hilltop setting. Yet architecture in the late nineteenth century was in the throes of change. I was compelled to wonder how Brocklesby was able to avoid the turmoil long enough to design such an elegant and substantial civic monument.
The subject of William Brocklesby and his architecture intrigued me, though the circumstances of American architecture in the late nineteenth century was a key factor in pushing further investigation. In time it became apparent how unprepared I was to deal with the architecture of this period. Confusion reigned. My previous book had taken as its subject the early American architect Asher Benjamin (1773–1845). Benjamin, like William Brocklesby, hailed from the Connecticut Valley. He worked in what is commonly referred to as the Federal, or "Adamesque," a style made popular by his principal mentor, the Boston architect Charles Bulfinch (1763–1843). Benjamin was heavily influenced by Bulfinch, but over time established his own distinct style. Indeed, the Federal style would become dominant throughout the United States and lasted for most of Benjamin’s career. 1 Writing about William Brocklesby and the period he worked in proved to be no less interesting but would be complicated by factors not encountered in Benjamin’s time.
Writing about America’s architecture in the second half of the nineteenth century provides a very different, and in some ways, more complex task. Changes of all kinds were occurring throughout the country and at breakneck speed. Dynamic economic growth coupled with dramatic technical and innovative advances to make America a country of great possibilities. In addition, these changes were accompanied by numerous social transformations due to the Civil War (1861–65) and the period of Reconstruction that came after. Overlaying all these changes was a growing nationalism, a feeling that manifested itself in politics as well as culture. Many felt a national architecture was needed to give the country a unique identity apart from anything "European," though any number of obstacles stood in the way of this goal. Together, these factors, and others, would make their marks in shaping America and its architecture after 1865.
The impact of this multiplicity of changes has been referred to by one prominent twentieth-century architectural historian as "A Confusion of Tongues," 2 an apt but perhaps overly general description of the era. Another eminent author published a popular architectural guide, listing no less than fifteen styles prevalent in the eastern United States in the period between 1850 and 1910 3 (see Appendix I). The term "Eclecticism" became a kind of catch all term for historians and critics attempting to describe the architecture of the late nineteenth century. Used by some as a pejorative term, Eclecticism reflects the multitude of styles and forms that arose during the period. 4
For critics, among other things, it indicates an excessive regard for past styles, i.e., designs were prone to imitation and literalness rather than to artistic originality. Despite the criticisms, Eclecticism also had its defenders. Said author Walter Kidney, "The Eclectic studied all aspects of the style in which he proposed to design. He then felt free to introduce variations of his own. Like McKim, Cram, and Goodhue, he could ‘synthesize’ several styles to create a hybrid." 5
Many hoped the era would yield a single style Americans could call their own, though all efforts toward adopting a national style were frustrated. Among the factors working against this effort was the profusion of changes in architectural taste. The multitude of styes being practiced made this goal almost impossible to achieve. Keeping track of all these styles, including their principal architects, their varied attributes and details, and their sources and motivations, is a very large job indeed. In order to deal with the abundance of styles, many unschooled Americans have taken to applying the label "Victorian" to just about any house or structure built in the second half of the nineteenth century. Using this term to describe the period is technically correct, though even a casual observer of American architecture would have to admit the term "Victorian" to be inadequate when discussing the architectural style(s) of this period. 6 There are simply too many stylistic variations to use this "one size fits all" approach.
While the primary subject of this project is the life and work of William C. Brocklesby, a wider aim will be to recognize and highlight the rich, unique, and varied character of American architecture from 1840 to 1910. Even those who are critical of the period’s architecture must admit to its enduring influence and contribution to the character and personality of the many towns and cities where it is to be found. Because Brocklesby’s career spanned much of this era, he lines up as an ideal guide to escort us through the period. Indeed, he was a good example of the Eclectic architect, designing many buildings in a variety of styles contemporary with the period.
William Brocklesby would come under the influence of some of America’s most important architects of the late nineteenth century. The location of his home and office in Hartford, Connecticut offered easy access to the work of Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886) and Charles Follen McKim (1847–1909), both of whom had strong ties to Boston and New York City. This was a fortunate circumstance for Brocklesby, who received his early training working in the office of another titan of American architecture, Richard Upjohn (1802–1878). Upjohn’s Trinity Church in New York City (Fig. 1) introduced America to Gothic church architecture in the 1840s. The Gothic style had arrived in America from Europe, where Upjohn had first seen it. Though Brocklesby learned from architects whose work existed predominantly in large cities, his own work would be concentrated in and around the Connecticut Valley, from greater Hartford north to the area around Amherst, Massac