William Strickland (architect)

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For other persons named William Strickland, see William Strickland (disambiguation).

William Strickland (1788 - April 6, 1854), born in Navesink, New Jersey, was a noted architect in 19th century Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is noted as one of the founders of the Gothic revival movement when in 1823 he built Saint Stephen's Church in Philadelphia. Other notable architectural works are the Second Bank of the United States (Philadelphia) and the restoration of the tower of Independence Hall (Philadelphia). He was primarily a Greek Revival architect, using the plates of The Antiquities of Athens for his inspiration, but stylistically he was a revivalist, using Gothic, Egyptian, Saracenic and Italianate styles. Strickland was also a civil engineer and one of the first to advocate the use of steam locomotives on railways. In his youth he was a landscape painter, illustrator for periodicals, theatrical scene painter, engraver, and pioneer aquatintist. He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where his Egyptian-influenced design of the First Presbyterian Church (now the Downtown Presbyterian Church) was controversial but today is widely recognized as a masterpiece and an important evocation of the Egyptian Revival style. He is buried within the walls of his final, arguably greatest, work, the Tennessee State Capitol.

Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church

Strickland's design for the Second Bank of the U.S. in Philadelphia (1819-1824) beat out the design of Strickland's teacher, Benjamin Latrobe. Although Strickland was still copying classical prototypes at this point, the Second Bank is an ambitious copy of the greatest Greek design: The Parthenon of Athens. The competition had called for "chaste" Greek style: Strickland's elegant Greek temple design is a fitting result.

Comparison of the Second Bank of the U.S. with the later Merchant's Exchange (1836), also in Philadelphia, reveals the growth of Strickland's talent and confidence as an architect. With the Merchant Exchange, Strickland still had a classical example in mind (the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates), but created a unique building, specifically styled to fit the siting. The Merchant's Exchange was to be placed in a slightly awkward location, at the intersection of two major thoroughfares, in between the waterfront and the business district. The elegant curved façade reflects the carriage and foot traffic that would have been circulating in front of the building. This elevation, which faces toward the waterfront, is unique, Greek Revival, but modern, while the more formal elevation can be found on the opposite side of the building, facing the rest of Philadelphia. Strickland's maturity as an architect is demonstrated in this building, showing that America's architects were truly innovating, rather than copying old European classics.