Horace Trumbauer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Horace Trumbauer (December 28, 1868 – November 18, 1938) was a prominent American architect of the Gilded Age. Known predominantly for designing residential manors for the wealthy, later in his career he also designed hotels, office buildings, and part of the campus of Duke University. His style is known for including period styles.

Trumbauer was born in Philadelphia, the son of a salesman.^[1] He began his career as an apprentice to G. W. and W. D. Hewitt for six years. He opened his architectural office in 1890 and did some work for developers Wendell and Smith designing homes for middle-class planned communities including the Overbrook Farms development.

Trumbauer's first commission was for Grey Towers Castle, which he designed for the wealthy William Welsh Harrison. Harrison introduced him to Peter A. B. Widener, which launched Trumbauer's successful career.^[1]

In 1903, he married Sara Thomson Williams and became a stepfather to Agnes Helena. Architectural Record published his work in 1904. He had a number of commissions until the Great Depression.

Despite his tremendous success and his apparent ability to impress wealthy clients, Trumbauer suffered from overwhelming shyness and a sense of inferiority about his lack of formal education. He began to drink heavily to help bear his burdens. He died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1938^[1], and is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Contents 1 Buildings 1.1 Philadelphia and suburbs 1.2 Elsewhere 2 References 3 External links

[edit] Buildings

[edit] Philadelphia and suburbs

• Adelphia Hotel, 1914
• Bankers' Trust Office Building, 1922
• Beneficial Savings Fund Society building, 1916
• Ben Franklin Hotel, 1925
• Chelten House, Elkins Park, PA, 1896, 1909
• Elkins Memorial YMCA
• Free Library of Philadelphia
• Georgian Terrace (now Temple University Tyler School of Fine Arts, Elkins Park PA 1905
• Grey Towers Castle, Glenside, PA, 1892
• Hahnemann University Hospital South Tower
• Isle Field, private residence in Villanova, PA, 1911 (now the Home Office of American Missionary Fellowship)
• Irvine Auditorium, 1925
• Jefferson Medical College: Curtis Clinic Building 1931, Jefferson Medical College Building 1929
• Jenkintown Train Station, Jenkintown, PA
• Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA, 1928
• Land Title Building, 1902
• Le Chateau Hotel, 1928
• Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park, PA
• Music Pavilion at Willow Grove Park, Willow Grove, PA, 1895
• Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Public Ledger Building, 1923
• The Racquet Club, 1912
• Saint James Apartments, 1901
• Union League Annex, 1909
• Whitemarsh Hall, Springfield, PA, 1916
• Widener Building, 1914
• Widener Memorial Training School for Crippled Children

[edit] Elsewhere

• Duke Chapel, Durham, NC
• The Elms, Newport, RI
• El Mirasol, Palm Beach, Florida
• James B. Duke House, New York, NY (now home of New York University's Institute of Fine Arts)
• Miramar, Newport RI 1914
• New York Post building, New York NY 1926
• Rose Terrace, 12 Lakeshore Dr., Grosse Pointe, MI 1934-1976
• WesBanco Building, Fairmont, WV 1911
• Widener Library, Harvard University Cambridge, MA
• Wilson Hall, West Long Branch, NJ (administrative building at Monmouth University)

[edit] References

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (February 2008)

[edit] External links

• Biography at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings
• Overview of an archival finding aid on Horace Trumbauer at the the Winterthur Library.
• Residential Designs by Horace Trumbauer
• Commercial and Institutional Designs by the Horace Trumbauer Architectural Firm
• Walnut Square Apartments
• Dixon Estate, Elkin's Park, PA
• Dixon Estate 2, Elkin's Park, PA
• Biography-West Laurel Hill Cemetery web site