Born in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Ammi B. Young was the son of Rebecca Burnham and Samuel Young, a builder-designer of churches, courthouses and academy buildings in the Lebanon area. He showed a talent for mathematics and drawing, and at the age of 14, began work in his father's trade. In 1823, Young married his first wife, Mary Hough of Lebanon. Like many aspiring builder-designers of the day, he learned the classical orders from pattern books by New England architect Asher Benjamin. Indeed, his design for the Federal style First Congregational Church, built in Lebanon in 1828, borrows significantly from Plate K of The American Builder's Companion. Early commissions included dormitories at nearby Dartmouth College, where his brother, Ira Young, was Professor of Natural Philosophy. But the novice architect also learned from working in the Boston office of Alexander Parris, whose characteristic work in granite influenced Young's subsequent governmental commissions.
In 1830, Young opened his own office in Burlington, Vermont, a trade center growing fast since the 1823 opening of the Champlain Canal which connected Lake Champlain with the Hudson River and New York City. Here he designed the 1832 St. Paul's Church in the Gothic Revival style. His first monumental work was the Second Vermont State House, a cruciform Greek Revival structure built between 1833 and 1838, which combined a Doric portico modeled on the Temple of Theseus in Athens, with a low saucer dome inspired by the Pantheon in Rome. The building's granite blocks were hauled to Montpelier on the frozen Winooski River from quarries at Barre. But a fire in 1857 destroyed much of the building, except for the portico and some of the walls. With considerable respect for Young's original design, the Vermont State House was rebuilt, although now with wings extended by a bay, and a cupola crowning the roof – the plan of Thomas Silloway, trained in Young's office from 1847 until 1851. The result was considered by architect Stanford White the finest example of the Greek Revival style in the country.
Entering the 1837 competition to design the Boston Custom House, Young submitted another cruciform scheme combining a Greek Doric portico with a Roman dome. Planned on a large scale at what was then the waterfront, the building reflected the strength and confidence of the young, growing nation. It won, defeating several other entries, including one by Asher Benjamin. Young was appointed supervisor of construction, which took from 1837 until 1847. In 1838, he established a Boston drafting room. The building's 32 columns were each carved from a single piece from Quincy granite. They measured 5 foot 4 inches in diameter, stood 32 feet high, and weighed 42 tons. Purists decried the Roman dome on a Greek form. Far less sympathetic to the building's Greek form, however, would be the soaring Custom House Tower which replaced the dome from 1913 to 1915. Boston's first skyscraper, it was designed by Peabody & Stearns to add both office space and presence to a building obscured by later others.
Supervising Architect of the Treasury
Young entered the 1850 competition to design enlargements to the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Although considered a leading competitor, he lost to Thomas U. Walter. As a sort of compensation, he was appointed in 1852 as the first Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, a position created by Thomas Corwin, Secretary of the Treasury during the Fillmore administration. From a studio in the Treasury, Young produced designs and specifications for federal buildings ordered by the government to facilitate its various functions throughout the nation. Mandated to be fire-proof, the custom houses, post offices, courthouses and hospitals he built featured masonry foundations, walls and vaulting, with cast iron interior structural and decorative elements, including columns, stairways and railings. Heavy iron shutters were mounted on the inside of windows. Floors and treads were marble, and roofs were galvanized metal. Column capitols, fascia and pediments on the exterior, when not stone, were cast iron painted to look like stone—which drew criticism of parsimony by the federal architect. Cast iron components were manufactured to Young's specifications in New York state, then shipped to building sites.
At the same time, ongoing modifications to the Treasury Building concerned Young, expected to create working drawings based on plans by Walter. For the South Wing, he invented a column capital which symbolized the department, substituting acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order with eagles and a fist holding a key. Young held the role until he retired on July 24, 1862, dismissed by Salmon P. Chase of the Lincoln administration. Chase's friend from Cincinnati, Isaiah Rogers, succeeded him as Supervising Architect, although the Civil War curtailed the department's activities. Several of Young's buildings would play a part in the rebellion, particularly his custom house in Richmond, Virginia, which served as the Confederate Treasury. When Richmond in April 1865 was evacuated by the Army of Northern Virginia, with orders to burn warehouses and factories, the Richmond Custom House survived the conflagration—a testament to its fire-proofing. Indeed, from its courtroom Jefferson Davis was indicted for treason in May 1866.
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This article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations August 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Ammi Burnham Young June 19 1798 March 14 1874 a was a 19th century American architect whose commissions transitioned from the Greek Revival to the Neo Renaissance styles His design of the second Vermont State House brought him fame and success which eventually led him to become the first Supervising Architect of the U S Treasury Department As federal architect he was responsible for creating across the United States numerous custom houses post offices courthouses and hospitals many of which are today on the National Register His traditional architectural forms lent a sense of grandeur and permanence to the new country s institutions and communities Young pioneered the use of iron in construction Ammi B YoungBorn 1798 06 19 June 19 1798Lebanon New Hampshire U S DiedMarch 14 1874 1874 03 14 aged 75 Washington D C U S Resting placeOak Hill CemeteryWashington D C U S OccupationArchitectBuildingsVermont State HouseShattuck ObservatoryProjectsOversaw design and construction of all federal buildings as the first Supervising Architect Contents 1 Early life and works 2 Supervising Architect of the Treasury 3 Buildings 4 Gallery 5 Notes 6 ReferencesEarly life and works EditBorn in Lebanon New Hampshire Ammi B Young was the son of Rebecca Burnham and Samuel Young a builder designer of churches courthouses and academy buildings in the Lebanon area He showed a talent for mathematics and drawing and at the age of 14 began work in his father s trade In 1823 Young married his first wife Mary Hough of Lebanon Like many aspiring builder designers of the day he learned the classical orders from pattern books by New England architect Asher Benjamin Indeed his design for the Federal style First Congregational Church built in Lebanon in 1828 borrows significantly from Plate K of The American Builder s Companion Early commissions included dormitories at nearby Dartmouth College where his brother Ira Young was Professor of Natural Philosophy But the novice architect also learned from working in the Boston office of Alexander Parris whose characteristic work in granite influenced Young s subsequent governmental commissions In 1830 Young opened his own office in Burlington Vermont a trade center growing fast since the 1823 opening of the Champlain Canal which connected Lake Champlain with the Hudson River and New York City Here he designed the 1832 St Paul s Church in the Gothic Revival style His first monumental work was the Second Vermont State House a cruciform Greek Revival structure built between 1833 and 1838 which combined a Doric portico modeled on the Temple of Theseus in Athens with a low saucer dome inspired by the Pantheon in Rome The building s granite blocks were hauled to Montpelier on the frozen Winooski River from quarries at Barre But a fire in 1857 destroyed much of the building except for the portico and some of the walls With considerable respect for Young s original design the Vermont State House was rebuilt although now with wings extended by a bay and a cupola crowning the roof the plan of Thomas Silloway trained in Young s office from 1847 until 1851 The result was considered by architect Stanford White the finest example of the Greek Revival style in the country Entering the 1837 competition to design the Boston Custom House Young submitted another cruciform scheme combining a Greek Doric portico with a Roman dome Planned on a large scale at what was then the waterfront the building reflected the strength and confidence of the young growing nation It won defeating several other entries including one by Asher Benjamin Young was appointed supervisor of construction which took from 1837 until 1847 In 1838 he established a Boston drafting room The building s 32 columns were each carved from a single piece from Quincy granite They measured 5 foot 4 inches in diameter stood 32 feet high and weighed 42 tons Purists decried the Roman dome on a Greek form Far less sympathetic to the building s Greek form however would be the soaring Custom House Tower which replaced the dome from 1913 to 1915 Boston s first skyscraper it was designed by Peabody amp Stearns to add both office space and presence to a building obscured by later others Supervising Architect of the Treasury EditYoung entered the 1850 competition to design enlargements to the U S Capitol in Washington Although considered a leading competitor he lost to Thomas U Walter As a sort of compensation he was appointed in 1852 as the first Supervising Architect of the U S Treasury Department a position created by Thomas Corwin Secretary of the Treasury during the Fillmore administration From a studio in the Treasury Young produced designs and specifications for federal buildings ordered by the government to facilitate its various functions throughout the nation Mandated to be fire proof the custom houses post offices courthouses and hospitals he built featured masonry foundations walls and vaulting with cast iron interior structural and decorative elements including columns stairways and railings Heavy iron shutters were mounted on the inside of windows Floors and treads were marble and roofs were galvanized metal Column capitols fascia and pediments on the exterior when not stone were cast iron painted to look like stone which drew criticism of parsimony by the federal architect Cast iron components were manufactured to Young s specifications in New York state then shipped to building sites At the same time ongoing modifications to the Treasury Building concerned Young expected to create working drawings based on plans by Walter For the South Wing he invented a column capital which symbolized the department substituting acanthus leaves of the Corinthian order with eagles and a fist holding a key Young held the role until he retired on July 24 1862 dismissed by Salmon P Chase of the Lincoln administration Chase s friend from Cincinnati Isaiah Rogers succeeded him as Supervising Architect although the Civil War curtailed the department s activities Several of Young s buildings would play a part in the rebellion particularly his custom house in Richmond Virginia which served as the Confederate Treasury When Richmond in April 1865 was evacuated by the Army of Northern Virginia with orders to burn warehouses and factories the Richmond Custom House survived the conflagration a testament to its fire proofing Indeed from its courtroom Jefferson Davis was indicted for treason in May 1866 Young was awarded honorary degrees M A from the University of Vermont 1839 and Dartmouth College 1841 citation needed He died in Washington D C and is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington D C 1 Buildings Edit1828 First Congregational Church Lebanon New Hampshire Thornton Hall Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire Wentworth Hall Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire 1832 St Paul s Church Burlington Vermont burned 1971 1833 1838 Second Vermont State House Montpelier Vermont 1836 1842 Treasury Building Washington D C 1837 Moor s Charity School Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire Remodeled 1871 as Chandler Hall razed 1936 Great Stone Dwelling Enfield Shaker Museum New Hampshire built 18371837 1841 The Great Stone Dwelling Enfield Shaker Village New Hampshire 1837 1847 Boston Custom House Massachusetts 1839 1840 Reed Hall Dartmouth College Hanover New Hampshire 1841 Timothy Follett House Burlington Vermont 1842 John Wheeler House Burlington Vermont 1843 Worcester County Courthouse Worcester Massachusetts 1845 Campbell Carter House Lebanon New Hampshire 1848 Middlesex County Courthouse Cambridge Massachusetts 1849 City Hall Lawrence Massachusetts 1850 Courthouse Lowell Massachusetts 1852 Loring Hall Hingham Massachusetts 1853 1889 Territorial Capital Building Santa Fe New Mexico 1854 Shattuck Observatory Dartmouth College Hanover New HampshireBuildings while Supervising Architect of the U S Treasury Department 1855 Custom House Wilmington Delaware 1856 Appraisers Store San Francisco California Custom House amp Post Office Mobile Alabama Custom House amp Post Office Barnstable Massachusetts Federal Courthouse Buffalo New York 2 1857 Cape Flattery Lighthouse Tatoosh Island Washington Custom House amp Post Office Belfast Maine Custom House amp Post Office Bristol Rhode Island Custom House amp Post Office Burlington Vermont Custom House amp Post Office Providence Rhode Island Custom House amp Post Office Sandusky Ohio Custom House amp Post Office Waldoboro Maine Custom House amp Post Office Windsor Vermont New Dungeness Lighthouse Sequim Washington 1858 Custom House Charleston South Carolina Custom House amp Post Office Alexandria Virginia Custom House amp Post Office Bath Maine Custom House amp Post Office Ellsworth Maine Custom House amp Post Office Galena Illinois Custom House amp Post Office Georgetown Washington D C Custom House amp Post Office Gloucester Massachusetts Custom House amp Post Office Norfolk Virginia Custom House amp Post Office Oswego New York Custom House amp Post Office Richmond Virginia Marine Hospital Chelsea Massachusetts 1859 Courthouse amp Post Office Rutland Vermont Now Rutland Free Library Custom House amp Post Office Cleveland Ohio Custom House amp Post Office Petersburg Virginia Now Petersburg City Hall Custom House amp Post Office Wheeling West Virginia Marine Hospital Portland Maine 1860 Courthouse amp Post Office Indianapolis Indiana Custom House Detroit Michigan Custom House amp Post Office Chicago Destroyed in Great Fire of 1871 Custom House amp Post Office New Haven Connecticut Custom House amp Post Office Portsmouth New Hampshire 1861 Custom House Galveston TexasGallery Edit Second Vermont State House as it appeared before the 1857 fire Boston Custom House showing transverse section plan Corinthian based carved capital by Young for the U S Treasury Custom House Boston Massachusetts c 1905 Custom House and Post Office Mobile Alabama in 1901 Custom House and Post Office Waldoboro Maine c 1908 Custom House Charleston South Carolina Custom House and Post Office Galena Illinois c 1912 Custom House and Post Office Norfolk Virginia in 1900 Post Office Georgetown Washington D C Old Customshouse Wilmington Delaware U S Custom House Barnstable Massachusetts U S Custom House Bath Maine 1991 U S Custom House Bristol Rhode Island 1901 U S Custom House Ellsworth Maine 1901 U S Custom House Gloucester Massachusetts U S Custom House New Haven Connecticut 1901 U S Custom House Broad at Academy Streets Newark New Jersey U S Customhouse and Post Office Portsmouth New HampshireNotes Edit According to his cemetery information his birth date is June 19 1799 and his death date is March 13 1874 References Edit The Funeral of Mr Ammi B Young Evening Star 1874 03 16 p 4 Retrieved 2022 08 13 via Newspapers com History of the Federal Judiciary Federal Judicial Center www fjc gov Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ammi Burnham Young Daniel Bluestone Civic and Aesthetic Reserve Ammi Burnham Young s 1850s Federal Customhouse Designs Winterthur Portfolio Vol 25 No 2 3 Summer Autumn 1990 pp 131 156 Lawrence Woodhouse Ammi Burnham Young Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians Vol XXV No 4 December 1966Preceded byRobert Mills as Federal Architect Federal Architectural Advisor1842 1852 Succeeded byAmmi B Young as Supervising ArchitectPreceded byAmmi B Young as Federal Architectural Advisor Office of the Supervising Architect1852 1862 Succeeded byIsaiah Rogers Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ammi B Young amp oldid 1157755700, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
