Howard Greenley

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Howard Greenley (18741963) was an architect who worked from the late 1800s well into the 20th century. He is known mainly for his work in New York City, Long Island, and Newport, Rhode Island.

He served as the president of the Architectural League of New York. Greenley was a prominent figure in the architectural world in his time, having trained initially in the office of Carrere and Hastings and then at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Greenley served as the president of the Architectural League of New York for a quarter of a century.

The American League of Architects awarded Greenley the League's President's medal in 1947. The medal was given for the design of Mr. and Mrs. Edson Bradley's sprawling French Renaissance manor house, one of the last of the Newport, Rhode Island, immense Gilded Age summer palaces to be built.

He was one of the featured architects in the book Long Island Country Houses And Their Architects 1860 to 1940 by Robert Mackay and Brendan Gill.

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[edit] Buildings

[edit] Prince George Hotel

The Prince George Hotel on West 28th Street, one of the New York's largest early 20th century hotels at 14 stories tall. The hotel was constructed in two phases, with the main building going up in 1904 and a northern wing added in 1912. The exterior of the hotel has a Beaux-Arts character, with a rusticated limestone base, red brick and white terra-cotta trim above, and three-dimensional sculptural ornaments. Its ground floor included the Lady's Tearoom, the English Tap Room, and the Hunt Room. One of the centerpieces of the original building is The Ladies’ Tea Room, with its trellised piers and arches, Rook wood faience fountain, lighting set within opalescent glass cartouches, and murals by George Inness, Jr.

The Ballroom at the Prince George is part of the Madison Square North Historic District and the National Register of Historic Places. Designed by Greenley, the ornate ballroom featured Renaissance-inspired murals and reproductions of famous paintings, along with intricate woodwork, marble mosaic floors, ceiling murals, and elaborate carvings. It features neo-Renaissance details, including plasterwork garlands, cherubs, and acanthus leaves. Columns details include cherubim, fruit garlands and faces with leafy walrus mustaches. The room also has herringbone oak floors, and a marble mantelpiece. 18-foot coffered ceilings are heavily ornamented. Its columns are encrusted with plump cherubim, ripe fruit garlands and faces with leafy walrus mustaches.

[edit] SeaView Terrace

The American League of Architects awarded Greenley a medal for the design SeaView Terrace. Conceptualized in 1924 and built between 1927 and 1929, the Bradley home became known as SeaView Terrace. A pre-existing Elizabethan residence know as Seaview (1885) formerly owned by James Kernochan, was incorporated into Greeley's design. In keeping with its seaside location, the 65-room manor house features turrets, stained-glass windows, high, arching doorways and shell motifs that adorn the facade. Rooms imported intact from France were moved from the Bradley home in Washington, D.C. to Newport, and reassembled with the chateau constructed around them. It is now known as Carey Mansion.

[edit] Corning Free Academy

Corning Free Academy was built as a school in 1922 in the classical Romanesque Revival Style. It features elaborate terra cotta, which was produced locally by the Corning Brick and Terra Cotta and Tile Company. A sculptured relief above the main entrance was designed by the New York sculptor Louis Lentelli. Decorative Aurene glass shades were produced by Corning Glass works under the direction of Frederick Carder, a prominent glass designer, member of the community, and President of the Board of Education. The clocks on the central bell tower have been put back in working order recently and the 1873 bell, manufactured in West Troy, New York, continues to ring. Stone and iron work from the Amory A. Houghton house one block away were incorporated into the construction of the school. Corning Free Academy embodies Corning's citizenry and its pride in quality architecture and education at the time of its construction.