Mullett was born at Taunton in Somerset, England. When he was eight years old, his family emigrated to Glendale, Ohio, where in 1843 his father bought an 80-acre (32 hectares) farm. He matriculated at Farmers' College in College Hill, Cincinnati, studied mathematics and mechanical drawing, but left as a sophomore in 1854.[1] He trained in the Cincinnati office of architect Isaiah Rogers and became a partner.
Careeredit
Mullett left Rogers on less than friendly terms in 1860, to establish his own practice. His first known individual design is the Church of the New Jerusalem, a board-and-batten Gothic Revival church built at Glendale in 1861.
After serving with the Union army during the American Civil War, Mullett in 1863 relocated to Washington. He worked again with Rogers, since 1862 the de facto Supervising Architect at the Treasury Department. At that time the Treasury Department oversaw design and construction of all federal buildings.[1] Mullett undermined his superior's position until an exasperated Rogers resigned in 1865.[citation needed] That year Mullet married Pacific Pearl Myrick.
Although widely dismissed as "an obscure draftsman" from Cincinnati, Mullett used his political skills to gain appointment as Supervising Architect in 1866.[citation needed] He designed fireproof federal buildings across the nation, particularly custom houses, post offices and courthouses. Responsible for contracting with local architects and/or construction companies to deal with subcontractors, source materials and other matters, Mullett was known as a micromanagingauthoritarian with an explosive temper.[2]
Mullett reluctantly resigned in 1874 while under attack from reforming Treasury SecretaryBenjamin Bristow and others. When three men were killed on May 1, 1877, by a floor failure at the City Hall Post Office, New York City, which had been constructed under his supervision, Mullett was investigated for negligence.
In 1882, he set up a practice in New York with Hugo Kafka and William G. Steinmetz, later establishing Alfred B. Mullett & Sons to practice with his two elder sons. But the government never paid him for major commissions, and he remained a popular political target. The New York Sun called him "the most arrogant, pretentious, and preposterous little humbug in the United States."[3] In 1890, in financial trouble and ill health, Mullett killed himself in Washington.[4]
Over his career he produced some 40 government buildings. Two of the six huge Second Empire buildings survive in St. Louis and Washington. The New York City Hall Post Office was dubbed "Mullett's monstrosity."[5] Following another shift in popular taste, however, he is recognized since the late 20th century for his contribution to monumental Victorian architecture.
1887 – Major General John A. Logan Mausoleum, U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery, Washington, D.C.
1887 — Sun Building, Washington, D.C., for the publisher of The Baltimore Sun newspaper; it is one of the oldest multistory steel-frame buildings in Washington, D.C.
City Hall Post Office and Courthouse, Broadway, Manhattan, NY
Referencesedit
^ ab"M". Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
^dtcamuseums (10 December 2019). "Lecture tells of Carson City Mint's architect and architecture". NV Museums. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
^ abElliott, Cecil D. (2002). The American Architect from the Colonial Era to the Present. McFarland. pp. 76–78. ISBN9780786413911.
^Lee, Antoinette J. (2000). Architects to the Nation : The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office. Oxford University Press. p. 107. ISBN9780195351866.
^"Historic Post Offices: Architectural Masterpieces That Are More than Just Places to Drop Mail". 6sqft. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
^"Eisenhower Executive Office Building". White House. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
Further readingedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfred B. Mullett.
Craig, Lois A., and the staff of the Federal Architecture Project, The Federal Presence: Architecture, Politics and National Design, 1972
Mullett, A. B., Diaries & C Annotated Documents, Research and Reminiscence Regarding a Federal Architect Engineer Architect (1834-1890), Mullett Smith Printers, 1985.
Smith, D. Mullett. A. B. Mullett: His Relevance in American Architecture and Historic Preservation, Mullett Smith Printers, 1990.
alfred, mullett, alfred, bult, mullett, april, 1834, october, 1890, british, american, architect, served, from, 1866, 1874, supervising, architect, head, agency, united, states, treasury, department, that, designed, federal, government, buildings, work, follow. Alfred Bult Mullett April 7 1834 October 20 1890 was a British American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government buildings His work followed trends in Victorian style evolving from the Greek Revival to Second Empire to Richardsonian Romanesque Alfred B MullettBorn 1834 04 07 April 7 1834Taunton EnglandDiedOctober 20 1890 1890 10 20 aged 56 Washington D C U S NationalityAmericanOccupationArchitectParentAugustine A MullettBuildingsPioneer Courthouse Portland OregonOld Executive Office Building Washington D C Old Custom House and Post Office St Louis MissouriOld San Francisco MintCustom House Knoxville TennesseeFederal Building Raleigh North CarolinaCamp House Contents 1 Biography 2 Career 3 Works 4 Gallery of designs 5 References 6 Further readingBiography editMullett was born at Taunton in Somerset England When he was eight years old his family emigrated to Glendale Ohio where in 1843 his father bought an 80 acre 32 hectares farm He matriculated at Farmers College in College Hill Cincinnati studied mathematics and mechanical drawing but left as a sophomore in 1854 1 He trained in the Cincinnati office of architect Isaiah Rogers and became a partner Career editMullett left Rogers on less than friendly terms in 1860 to establish his own practice His first known individual design is the Church of the New Jerusalem a board and batten Gothic Revival church built at Glendale in 1861 After serving with the Union army during the American Civil War Mullett in 1863 relocated to Washington He worked again with Rogers since 1862 the de facto Supervising Architect at the Treasury Department At that time the Treasury Department oversaw design and construction of all federal buildings 1 Mullett undermined his superior s position until an exasperated Rogers resigned in 1865 citation needed That year Mullet married Pacific Pearl Myrick Although widely dismissed as an obscure draftsman from Cincinnati Mullett used his political skills to gain appointment as Supervising Architect in 1866 citation needed He designed fireproof federal buildings across the nation particularly custom houses post offices and courthouses Responsible for contracting with local architects and or construction companies to deal with subcontractors source materials and other matters Mullett was known as a micromanaging authoritarian with an explosive temper 2 Influenced by the 1864 1868 remodeling of the Louvre s Pavillon de Flore by Hector Lefuel and Richard Morris Hunt Mullett produced six massive fortress like Second Empire federal buildings in St Louis Boston Philadelphia Cincinnati New York and Washington D C What was called the State War and Navy Building rose near the White House These stone and cast iron structures with mansard roofs and multiple tiers of columns were expensive Mullett was dogged by accusations of extravagance and subjected to five separate investigations into his ties to the corrupt Granite Ring 3 Mullett reluctantly resigned in 1874 while under attack from reforming Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow and others When three men were killed on May 1 1877 by a floor failure at the City Hall Post Office New York City which had been constructed under his supervision Mullett was investigated for negligence In 1882 he set up a practice in New York with Hugo Kafka and William G Steinmetz later establishing Alfred B Mullett amp Sons to practice with his two elder sons But the government never paid him for major commissions and he remained a popular political target The New York Sun called him the most arrogant pretentious and preposterous little humbug in the United States 3 In 1890 in financial trouble and ill health Mullett killed himself in Washington 4 Over his career he produced some 40 government buildings Two of the six huge Second Empire buildings survive in St Louis and Washington The New York City Hall Post Office was dubbed Mullett s monstrosity 5 Following another shift in popular taste however he is recognized since the late 20th century for his contribution to monumental Victorian architecture Works edit1861 Church of the New Jerusalem Glendale Ohio 1866 1870 Carson City Mint Carson City Nevada 1867 Courthouse and Post Office Madison Wisconsin 1867 Post Office Portland Maine demolished 1965 1867 1870 Custom House and Post Office Ogdensburg New York 1868 1871 Office Building and U S Light House Depot Complex St George Staten Island New York 1869 1870 Old Custom House and Post Office Wiscasset Maine 1869 1873 Post Office and Sub Treasury Building Boston Massachusetts demolished c 1929 1869 1874 San Francisco Mint San Francisco California NOT destroyed in the San Francisco earthquake 1906 1869 1880 City Hall Post Office and Courthouse New York City demolished 1939 1869 1875 Pioneer Courthouse Portland Oregon 1870 Courthouse and Post Office now City Hall Columbia South Carolina 1871 1888 State War and Navy Building aka Old Executive Office Building aka Eisenhower Executive Office Building Washington D C 6 1871 1881 U S Custom House New Orleans Louisiana 1871 US Assay Office Boise Idaho 1872 Custom House and Post Office Cairo Illinois 1872 US Custom House Portland Maine 1873 1879 Post Office and Customs House Evansville Indiana 1873 1884 Old Post Office St Louis Missouri 1874 Customs House Knoxville Tennessee 1874 1885 Courthouse and Post Office Cincinnati Ohio demolished c 1936 1874 1884 Courthouse and Post Office Philadelphia Pennsylvania demolished c 1942 1874 1878 Federal Building Raleigh North Carolina 1876 1879 Evansville Post Office Evansville Indiana 1877 Custom House and Post Office Port Huron Michigan 1873 1882 Courthouse and Post Office Hartford Connecticut 1887 Major General John A Logan Mausoleum U S Soldiers and Airmen s Home National Cemetery Washington D C 1887 Sun Building Washington D C for the publisher of The Baltimore Sun newspaper it is one of the oldest multistory steel frame buildings in Washington D C 1889 Mullett Rowhouses Washington D C 1890 Camp House mansion Knoxville TennesseeGallery of designs edit nbsp City Hall Post Office and Courthouse Broadway Manhattan NYReferences edit a b M Architectural Foundation of Cincinnati Retrieved 4 November 2015 dtcamuseums 10 December 2019 Lecture tells of Carson City Mint s architect and architecture NV Museums Retrieved 24 April 2023 a b Elliott Cecil D 2002 The American Architect from the Colonial Era to the Present McFarland pp 76 78 ISBN 9780786413911 Lee Antoinette J 2000 Architects to the Nation The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect s Office The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect s Office Oxford University Press p 107 ISBN 9780195351866 Historic Post Offices Architectural Masterpieces That Are More than Just Places to Drop Mail 6sqft Retrieved 4 November 2015 Eisenhower Executive Office Building White House Retrieved 4 November 2015 Further reading edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Alfred B Mullett Craig Lois A and the staff of the Federal Architecture Project The Federal Presence Architecture Politics and National Design 1972 Mullett A B Diaries amp C Annotated Documents Research and Reminiscence Regarding a Federal Architect Engineer Architect 1834 1890 Mullett Smith Printers 1985 Smith D Mullett A B Mullett His Relevance in American Architecture and Historic Preservation Mullett Smith Printers 1990 Preceded byIsaiah Rogers Office of the Supervising Architect1866 1874 Succeeded byWilliam Appleton Potter Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Alfred B Mullett amp oldid 1201058430, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
