Joseph Lyman Silsbee (November 25, 1848 – January 31, 1913) was a significant American architect during the 19th and early 20th centuries. He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles. His most prominent works ran through Syracuse, Buffalo and Chicago. He was influential as mentor to a generation of architects, most notably architects of the Prairie School including the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright.
After graduating from Harvard and MIT, he served an apprenticeship with Boston architects William Robert Ware & Henry Van Brunt and William Ralph Emerson, respectively. Silsbee traveled around Europe before moving to Syracuse, New York in 1874. In 1875, he married Anna Baldwin Sedgwick, daughter of influential lawyer and politician Charles Baldwin Sedgwick. He had a prolific practice and at one point had three simultaneously operating offices. He had offices in Syracuse (1875–1885), Buffalo (Silsbee & Marling, 1882–1887), and Chicago (Silsbee and Kent, 1883–1884). From 1883 to 1885, his Syracuse office was a partnership with architect Ellis G. Hall. Silsbee's Chicago office had a number of architects who were later to become known in their own right, including:
Silsbee was one of the first professors of architecture at Syracuse University, another one of the earliest schools of architecture in the nation. He was a founding member of the Chicago and Illinois Chapters of the American Institute of Architects. In 1894, Silsbee was awarded the Peabody Medal by the Franklin Institute for his design for a Moving Sidewalk.[1] This invention had its debut at the Worlds Columbian Exposition and saw usage in subsequent Worlds Fairs.
Style of architecture
Among his most prominent architectural works is the landmark Syracuse Savings Bank Building (1876). Built next to the Erie Canal on Clinton Square in Syracuse, it is often referred to as a textbook example of the High Victorian Gothic style. Silsbee also designed the White Memorial Building (1876), the Amos Block (1878), and the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel (1879–80), all extant in Syracuse. Upland Farm (1892), the lost mansion designed for Frederick R. and Dora Sedgwick Hazard in nearby Solvay, New York, is an example of the fashionable residential work that Silsbee was best known for. Silsbee also designed various dwellings around New York State in Ballston Spa, Albany, and Peekskill (in the latter place for Henry Ward Beecher)[7]
Silsbee designed the lavish interiors of Potter Palmer's "castle" in Chicago. Several of his residential designs survive in Riverside and Evanston Illinois. His most prominent surviving work in Chicago is the Lincoln Park Conservatory. Considerably smaller in scale but filled with such elegant details as mosaic floors and a graceful oak roof with "hammer-beams trusses and curved brackets" is his Horatio N. May Chapel on the grounds of Rosehill Cemetery.[8] Silsbee designed the movable walkway at the World's Columbian Exposition pier in 1893, and submitted plans to provide this improvement for the Brooklyn Bridge in 1894,[9] although these plans were never executed.
In his 1941 autobiography, Frank Lloyd Wright wrote:
Silsbee could draw with amazing ease. He drew with soft, deep black lead-pencil strokes and he would make remarkable free-hand sketches of that type of dwelling peculiarly his own at the time. His superior talent in design had made him respected in Chicago. His work was a picturesque combination of gable turret and hip with broad porches quietly domestic and gracefully picturesque. A contrast to the awkward stupidities and brutalities of the period elsewhere.[10]
Silsbee practiced architecture until his death in 1913.
Built in 1886 on Maine Street in a blend of the Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne styles. The house features a stone exterior with terra cotta decorations, a massive plan, and a large western porch as well as several smaller porches throughout.[11]
Designed by Silsbee and constructed around 1891, with minor alterations in 1899,[13] the brick and limestone home is cast in Classical Revival style.[13]
Its roof had a "unique double-gable, a motif also seen on Silsbee's Thomas Drummond Home, built about a year later." Was built for Silsbee's brother-in-law, Charles Hamilton Sedgwick.[18]
Thomas Drummond Home
Gallery
Lincoln Park Conservatory, Chicago, IL
Syracuse Savings Bank Building
White Memorial Building, in Syracuse, New York
Upland Farm, the Frederick R. Hazard residence built in 1891
^LaChiusa, Chuck. "Falconwood". buffaloah.com. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
^"Costly Tombs of the Rich." Chicago Tribune. August 19, 1900.
^"Movable Walk for the Big Bridge - Chicago Speed to be Applied to the present Slow Transportation Facilities". Chicago Daily Tribune: 8. April 20, 1894.
^Wright, Frank Lloyd (1941). Frank Lloyd Wright On Architecture: Selected writings on architecture between 1894 and 1940. Duell, Sloan and Pearce. p. 275. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
^Karlowicz, Titus M. (October 1978). (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-06. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
^Miller, Ellen R. (August 30, 1978). . Archived from the original on December 10, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-26. and Accompanying 18 photos, exterior and interior, from 1977, 1978, and undated 2011-12-10 at the Wayback Machine
^Waite, Diana S. (August 1970). . Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2009-05-04.
^T. Robins Brown (April 1972). . Archived from the original on 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2010-01-08. and Accompanying two HABS photos, exterior, from 1962
^"Unity Chapel". National Register or State Register. Wisconsin Historical Society. January 2012. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
Angela Hess. at the Wayback Machine (archived June 27, 2004)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joseph Lyman Silsbee.
at buffalo.edu
Joseph Lyman Silsbee, Syracuse
White Memorial Building photographs
Amos Block photographs
Oakwood Memorial Chapel photographs
May 05, 2023
joseph, lyman, silsbee, november, 1848, january, 1913, significant, american, architect, during, 19th, early, 20th, centuries, well, known, facility, drawing, gift, designing, buildings, variety, styles, most, prominent, works, through, syracuse, buffalo, chic. Joseph Lyman Silsbee November 25 1848 January 31 1913 was a significant American architect during the 19th and early 20th centuries He was well known for his facility of drawing and gift for designing buildings in a variety of styles His most prominent works ran through Syracuse Buffalo and Chicago He was influential as mentor to a generation of architects most notably architects of the Prairie School including the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright Joseph Lyman SilsbeeBornNovember 25 1848Salem MassachusettsDiedJanuary 31 1913 aged 64 Chicago IllinoisNationalityAmericanAlma materHarvardMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyOccupationArchitectSpouseAnna Baldwin SedgwickAwardsPeabody Medal 1894 1 BuildingsLincoln Park ConservatoryUnity ChapelSyracuse Savings Bank BuildingWhite Memorial BuildingOakwood Cemetery ChapelFalconwood ClubProjectsAmos Block Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Style of architecture 2 2 Works 3 Gallery 4 References 4 1 Notes 4 2 Further reading 5 External linksEarly life EditJoseph Lyman Silsbee was born on November 25 1848 in Salem Massachusetts Silsbee graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1865 2 and Harvard in 1869 2 In 1870 3 he became an early student of the first school of architecture in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT Career EditAfter graduating from Harvard and MIT he served an apprenticeship with Boston architects William Robert Ware amp Henry Van Brunt and William Ralph Emerson respectively Silsbee traveled around Europe before moving to Syracuse New York in 1874 In 1875 he married Anna Baldwin Sedgwick daughter of influential lawyer and politician Charles Baldwin Sedgwick He had a prolific practice and at one point had three simultaneously operating offices He had offices in Syracuse 1875 1885 Buffalo Silsbee amp Marling 1882 1887 and Chicago Silsbee and Kent 1883 1884 From 1883 to 1885 his Syracuse office was a partnership with architect Ellis G Hall Silsbee s Chicago office had a number of architects who were later to become known in their own right including Frank Lloyd Wright 4 George Grant Elmslie 5 George W Maher Irving J Gill Henry G Fiddelke 6 circular reference Silsbee was one of the first professors of architecture at Syracuse University another one of the earliest schools of architecture in the nation He was a founding member of the Chicago and Illinois Chapters of the American Institute of Architects In 1894 Silsbee was awarded the Peabody Medal by the Franklin Institute for his design for a Moving Sidewalk 1 This invention had its debut at the Worlds Columbian Exposition and saw usage in subsequent Worlds Fairs Style of architecture Edit Among his most prominent architectural works is the landmark Syracuse Savings Bank Building 1876 Built next to the Erie Canal on Clinton Square in Syracuse it is often referred to as a textbook example of the High Victorian Gothic style Silsbee also designed the White Memorial Building 1876 the Amos Block 1878 and the Oakwood Cemetery Chapel 1879 80 all extant in Syracuse Upland Farm 1892 the lost mansion designed for Frederick R and Dora Sedgwick Hazard in nearby Solvay New York is an example of the fashionable residential work that Silsbee was best known for Silsbee also designed various dwellings around New York State in Ballston Spa Albany and Peekskill in the latter place for Henry Ward Beecher 7 Silsbee designed the lavish interiors of Potter Palmer s castle in Chicago Several of his residential designs survive in Riverside and Evanston Illinois His most prominent surviving work in Chicago is the Lincoln Park Conservatory Considerably smaller in scale but filled with such elegant details as mosaic floors and a graceful oak roof with hammer beams trusses and curved brackets is his Horatio N May Chapel on the grounds of Rosehill Cemetery 8 Silsbee designed the movable walkway at the World s Columbian Exposition pier in 1893 and submitted plans to provide this improvement for the Brooklyn Bridge in 1894 9 although these plans were never executed In his 1941 autobiography Frank Lloyd Wright wrote Silsbee could draw with amazing ease He drew with soft deep black lead pencil strokes and he would make remarkable free hand sketches of that type of dwelling peculiarly his own at the time His superior talent in design had made him respected in Chicago His work was a picturesque combination of gable turret and hip with broad porches quietly domestic and gracefully picturesque A contrast to the awkward stupidities and brutalities of the period elsewhere 10 Silsbee practiced architecture until his death in 1913 Works Edit Works include Building Image Dates Location City State DescriptionWilliam S Warfield House 1886 built1979 NRHP listed 1624 Maine St 39 55 53 N 91 23 23 W 39 931389 N 91 389722 W 39 931389 91 389722 William S Warfield House Quincy Illinois Built in 1886 on Maine Street in a blend of the Richardsonian Romanesque and Queen Anne styles The house features a stone exterior with terra cotta decorations a massive plan and a large western porch as well as several smaller porches throughout 11 Bryant H and Lucie Barber House c 1901 built1993 NRHP listed 103 North Barber Avenue41 59 11 N 89 34 54 W 41 986389 N 89 581667 W 41 986389 89 581667 Bryant H and Lucie Barber House Polo Illinois Constructed around 1901 the house has brick walls a stone foundation and incorporates steel into its construction 12 Henry D Barber House c 1891 built1974 NRHP listed 410 West Mason Street41 59 11 N 89 34 56 W 41 986482 N 89 58236 W 41 986482 89 58236 Henry D Barber House Polo Illinois Designed by Silsbee and constructed around 1891 with minor alterations in 1899 13 the brick and limestone home is cast in Classical Revival style 13 Amos Block 1878 built1978 NRHP listed 210 216 West Water Street43 03 02 N 76 09 17 W 43 050556 N 76 154722 W 43 050556 76 154722 Amos Block Syracuse New York Romanesque Revival building formerly fronting on the Erie Canal from which goods were loaded and unloaded from boats 14 Syracuse Savings Bank 1875 built1971 NRHP listed 102 N Salina St 43 03 03 N 76 09 08 W 43 050833 N 76 152222 W 43 050833 76 152222 Syracuse Savings Bank Downtown Syracuse New York Designed by Silsbee built in 1875 adjacent to the Erie Canal its passenger elevator the first in Syracuse was an attraction 15 White Memorial Building 1876 built1973 NRHP listed 100 E Washington St 43 02 58 N 76 09 09 W 43 049444 N 76 1525 W 43 049444 76 1525 White Memorial Building Syracuse New York Prominent 1876 built Gothic building with exceedingly pleasant dissimilatudes 16 Unity Chapel 1886 built1974 NRHP listed S of Spring Green off WI 2343 07 57 N 90 03 39 W 43 1325 N 90 060833 W 43 1325 90 060833 Unity Chapel Spring Green Wisconsin Shingle style chapel designed by Silsbee with assistance from his protege Frank Lloyd Wright for Wright s Unitarian minister uncle Jenkin Lloyd Jones 17 Charles H Sedgwick House 1884 builtc 1925 demolished James St Sedgwick neighborhood Syracuse New York Its roof had a unique double gable a motif also seen on Silsbee s Thomas Drummond Home built about a year later Was built for Silsbee s brother in law Charles Hamilton Sedgwick 18 Thomas Drummond HomeGallery Edit Lincoln Park Conservatory Chicago IL Syracuse Savings Bank Building White Memorial Building in Syracuse New York Upland Farm the Frederick R Hazard residence built in 1891 Amos Block also in Syracuse Falconwood Club in Grand Island New York Mortuary chapel Oakwood Cemetery Syracuse New YorkReferences EditNotes Edit a b JOSEPH L SILSBEE fi edu 11 January 2014 Retrieved 12 February 2016 a b General catalogue of officers and students 1783 1903 page 10 of 31 Phillips Exeter Academy Retrieved 2011 01 13 Joseph Lyman Silsbee Archived from the original on 2022 01 02 Andrews Wayne November 6 1966 Paperbacks Architecture The New York Times Retrieved 31 March 2016 Joseph L Silsbee Archived from the original on 2020 08 10 Retrieved 2007 01 01 John L Pentecost House LaChiusa Chuck Falconwood buffaloah com Retrieved 31 October 2015 Costly Tombs of the Rich Chicago Tribune August 19 1900 Movable Walk for the Big Bridge Chicago Speed to be Applied to the present Slow Transportation Facilities Chicago Daily Tribune 8 April 20 1894 Wright Frank Lloyd 1941 Frank Lloyd Wright On Architecture Selected writings on architecture between 1894 and 1940 Duell Sloan and Pearce p 275 Retrieved 12 February 2016 Karlowicz Titus M October 1978 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form William S Warfield Residence PDF Illinois Historic Preservation Agency Archived from the original PDF on 2016 03 06 Retrieved July 30 2015 Bryant H and Lucie Barber House permanent dead link Property Information Report HAARGIS Database Illinois Historic Preservation Agency accessed January 22 2011 a b Henry D Barber House permanent dead link Property Information Report HAARGIS Database Illinois Historic Preservation Agency accessed January 22 2011 Miller Ellen R August 30 1978 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Amos Block Archived from the original on December 10 2011 Retrieved 2008 12 26 and Accompanying 18 photos exterior and interior from 1977 1978 and undated Archived 2011 12 10 at the Wayback Machine Waite Diana S August 1970 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Syracuse Savings Bank Archived from the original on 2011 12 10 Retrieved 2009 05 04 T Robins Brown April 1972 National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination White Memorial Building Archived from the original on 2011 12 10 Retrieved 2010 01 08 and Accompanying twoHABS photos exterior from 1962 Unity Chapel National Register or State Register Wisconsin Historical Society January 2012 Retrieved 2013 01 20 Home for Charles H Sedgwick 2011 Further reading Edit Syracuse Onondaga County Planning Agency 1975 Onondaga Landmarks Harley McKee Patricia Earle Paul Malo 1964 Architecture Worth Saving in Onondaga County Syracuse Syracuse University Press Angela Hess Joseph Lyman Silsbee at the Wayback Machine archived June 27 2004 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joseph Lyman Silsbee Joseph Lyman Silsbee at buffalo edu Joseph Lyman Silsbee Syracuse Syracuse Savings Bank photographs White Memorial Building photographs Amos Block photographs Oakwood Memorial Chapel photographs Hazard Mansion photographs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Joseph Lyman Silsbee amp oldid 1148002603, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
