John Rudolph Niernsee
| John Rudolph Niernsee | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1814 Vienna, Austria |
| Died |
1885 Baltimore, Maryland |
| Nationality | United States |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | South Carolina State House |
| Projects | Baltimore and Ohio Railroad structures |
John Rudolph Niernsee (1814–1885) was an American architect. He served as the head architect for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B. & O.).
Career
He was born as Johann Rudolph Niernsee in Vienna, Austria and immigrated to the United States in 1837, at age 22. He apprenticed to Benjamin Henry Latrobe, II, (1806-1878), engineer and manager at the B. & O. and other railroads, (and son of another well-known architect, his father Benjamin Henry Latrobe, 1764-1820).[1] In 1847, with James Crawford Neilson, (1816-1900), he formed the Niernsee & Neilson architectural firm that largely served the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, (B. & O.).[1]
He is credited with having mentored Ephraim Francis Baldwin, (1837-1916), another well-known Maryland and Baltimore architect (and formed the similarly locally-famous firm Baldwin & Pennington with Josias Pennington, [1854-1929]), who also designed buildings and stations for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B. & O.).
During the American Civil War Niernsee served in the Confederate States Army as a Major.
Selected works
Works by Niernsee or by the firm (with attribution) are:
- Grace Episcopal (later called Grace & St. Peters) Park Ave & Monument st 1850-52 designed with Nielsen
- Emmanuel Episcopal Cathedral & Eager St, 1857, designed with Nielsen
- The Green Mount Cemetery hilltop chapel, in Baltimore, Maryland, which he designed with Nielsen, is a Gothic Revival work.
- Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Colored Children Orphan Asylum.
- 1855-56: St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church (by Niernsee & Neilson), Baltimore. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1982.[2][3]
- 1855: Saint Paul's Church, 102 N. Union St., Petersburg, Virginia (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed.
- c. 1855, Villa Anneslie, 529 Dunkirk Rd. Towson, Maryland (Niernsee, John Rudolph), NRHP-listed.
- 1856 Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Camden Station, 301 West Camden Street, Baltimore, Maryland (Niernsee & Neilson)[4]
- 1868: Aigburth Vale, in Towson (by Niernsee & Neilson), listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1999.[5]
- 1870: Churchville Presbyterian Church (Italianate clock tower by Niernsee & Neilson), Churchville, Maryland, listed on the NRHP in 1986.[2]
- ca. 1870: Clifton Mansion, at Clifton Park, Baltimore (by Niernsee & Neilson), listed on the NRHP in 2007.[2]
- The Greek Revival South Carolina State House, in Columbia, is another National Historic Landmark building which Niernsee designed, c. 1851, although full implementation was delayed. From 1888 to 1891, a time when much of the interior work was completed, it was in fact Niernsee’s son, Frank McHenry Niernsee, who served as architect. NRHP-listed.[2]<-- Grace Church, Baltimore Sun Paper 12/3/1852 pg1—unclear fragment -->
- The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops which he designed with engineer Albert Fink, were declared a National Historic Landmark in 2003.[1]
Not in date order:
- Church of the Most Holy Trinity, 720 Telfair St., Augusta, Georgia (Niernsee, John Rudolph), NRHP-listed
- St. Mary's Catholic Church (1858) located in the Edgefield Historic District, located along both sides of U.S. Highway 25 through the town of Edgefield, South Carolina (Niernsee,John R.), NRHP-listed.
- Emmanuel Church, U.S. Highway 301, Port Conway, Virginia. (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed/
- Evergreen House, 4545 N. Charles St., Baltimore. (Niernsee & Nielson), NRHP-listed.
- Martin's Brandon Church, Virginia Highways 10 and 1201, Burrowsville. (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed.
- Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church and Asbury House, 2-10 E. Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore, (Niernsee & Neilson), NRHP-listed.
Personal life
Niernsee was buried at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Columbia, South Carolina.
References
- 1 2 3 Michael Caplinger and John Bond (October 2003). "National Historic Landmark Nomination: Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Martinsburg Shops" (pdf). National Park Service. and Accompanying 18 photos, exterior and interior, from 2001 and undated. (5.00 MB)
- 1 2 3 4 National Park Service (2008-04-15). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
- ↑ Note: NRIS indicates that this was designed by Niernsee & Baldwin
- ↑ Potter, Janet Greenstein (1996). Great American Railroad Stations. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. p. 131. ISBN 978-0471143895.
- ↑ "Maryland Historical Trust". National Register of Historic Places: Aigburth Vale. Maryland Historical Trust. 2009-03-21.