Gustave E. Steinback

Gustave E. Steinback

Church of the Blessed Sacrament, Front portal, photographed December 2008
Born September 29, 1878[1]
New York City[1]
Died September 21, 1959
Stamford, Connecticut
Nationality USA
Known for Architect

Gustave E. Steinback, AIA, (1878–1959) was an American architect practicing in New York City in the early and mid twentieth century. He was particularly known as a designer of Roman Catholic schools and churches, particularly Our Lady of All Saints in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. His offices were located at 157 West 74th Street in the 1920s, and 271 Hunting Ridge Road, Stamford, Connecticut in the 1940s. [2]

Contents

Early life and career

Steinback was sent to Germany for his elementary education. He later studied at the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn, New York City, and later received a B.S. from from Columbia University of Architecture in New York City, class of 1900. After graduation, he traveled throughout Europe, spent three years in Germany, and one year in France working for Atelier Bernard.[1] He claimed at the end of his career to have started his practice in 1903 but this may have been a mistake, as he had earlier claimed 1904 as his first year.[1] In 1904, he then entered into a partnership with fellow Columbia graduate Robert J. Reiley. The firm, known as Reiley and Steinback continued in practice from 1904 through 1913 and was responsible for many buildings for Roman Catholic clients throughout the Eastern United States.[3]

Architectural practice

After the partnership was dissolved, both men went on to lengthy careers designing Roman Catholic churches.[4] He was licensed to practice architecture in New Jersey in 1905, and in New York in 1916, suggesting he only had to get his New York license after his partnership was dissolved with the more successful Reiley.[1] He was an associate of the American Institute of Architects from until 1931. He was also a member of the Associated Stamford Architects.[1]

One of Steinback's most admired buildings is the Chapel of St. James, part of the Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary in downtown Chicago. Architect Zachary T. Davis of Chicago who would later design the baseball statium for the Chicago Cubs known as Wrigley Field was named associate architect. The commission to build the Seminary came from the recently installed Cardinal George Mundelein, who had worked with Steinback on the development of the Queen of All Saints Church in Brooklyn and who admired his work sufficiently to actually request the plans from Steinback before his installation as archbishop. Loosely based on the 13th century Saint-Chapelle in Paris, the building has been highly acclaimed and compared favorably to the 1914 Fourth Presbyterian Church of Ralph Adams Cram, which is close by.[5]

Personal life

Steinback was active in civic affairs and was for many years a member of the Stamford City Planning Board. He was a member of Stamford Museum and Nature Group, the American Museum of Naturral History and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He died at Stamford Hospital on September 21, 1959 from injuries sustained when he was struck by an automobile.[6]

The partnership of Reiley and Steinback was dissolved in the years leading up to America's entry into World War I. Unlike many other of his contemporaries, including his former partner Robert J. Reiley,[3] Steinback continued to work in private practice during World War I, not completing any service until World War II when he work engineering on Stewart's Field (Newburg, New York) and at Rye Lake Airport.[1]

Work as Reiley and Steinback (1904-1913)

Works as Gustave E. Steinback (1913-1959)

References

Steinback, Gustave E.. "AIA Architect Roster Questionnaire, 1946, 1947, 1953". http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/AIA%20scans/Rosters/SteinbGustaE_roster.pdf. Retrieved 11 January 2011. 

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Gustave E. Steinback, scans/Rosters/SteinbGustaE roster.pdf AIA Architect Roster Questionnaire, 1946, 1947, 1953 (Accessed 13 January 2011)
  2. ^ a b c Office for Metropolitan History, "Manhattan NB Database 1900-1986," (Accessed 25 Dec 2010).
  3. ^ a b Robert J. Reiley, AIA Architect Roster Questionnaire, 1946, 1953 (Accessed 11 January 2011)
  4. ^ a b Francis Morrone and James Iska, An Architectural Guidebook to Brooklyn, p.276
  5. ^ Denis R. McNamara, Heavenly City: The Architectural Tradition of Catholic Chicago (Chicago: LTP, 2005). pages 6-9
  6. ^ Kervick, Francis W.. Architects in America of Catholic tradition. pp. 128. 
  7. ^ Description of the Blessed Sacrament Church, architecture and organ (Accessed 12 January 2011)
  8. ^ Norval White and Elliot Willensky, AIA Guide to New York City, rev. ed., (New York City: Collier Books, 1978), p.314.
  9. ^ Although Steinback claims St. Anselm Church as his work (see the AIA Questionnaire), the design of the building is frequently attributed to architect Anton Kloster, possibly an employee of Mr. Steinback.
  10. ^ http://www.gsapp.org/Archive/HP/2005-2006/pdf/The_Handout.pdf Our Lady of Guadalupe
  11. ^ http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60D15FA3858137B93C7AB1782D85F4D8585F9 St. Cecelia mentioned in Steinback obit.
  12. ^ http://stcath.org/new/church-history.htm St. Catherine of Sienna Church History