Upjohn, Richard

Upjohn, Richard

▪ American architect
born Jan. 22, 1802, Shaftesbury, Dorset, Eng.
died Aug. 17, 1878, Garrison, N.Y., U.S.
 British-American architect who was the most active exponent in his time of the Gothic Revival style in ecclesiastical architecture.

      Although his parents wished him to enter one of the “learned professions,” Upjohn became apprenticed to a British cabinetmaker. In 1829, having amassed debts in England, he went to the United States and settled in New Bedford, Mass. Soon afterward he became an architect, working from 1834 to 1839 in Boston, where he employed a variety of styles. His first Gothic church, St. John's, was built in Bangor, Maine (1837). In 1839 he moved to New York City, where he began to design in his mature style. His first example is Trinity Church, New York City (1839–46), a building that became renowned for the beauty and purity of its Perpendicular Gothic lines.

      Upjohn's success with Trinity Church led to many other church commissions, as well as houses (Edward King residence, Newport, R.I., 1845) and offices (Trinity Building, New York City, 1852), both in Italian Renaissance style. The Gothic style soon became inseparable from his religious and moral convictions. Although most of his churches were Episcopalian, he accepted commissions for other denominations (Madison Square Presbyterian Church). But so strong was his belief that Gothic was the expression of Christian architecture that he refused to design a church for Unitarians, a sect he considered anti-Christian. He usually contributed designs for at least one mission church a year. For poor parishes he published in Upjohn's Rural Architecture (1852; reprinted 1975) an unpretentious design in wood, remarkable for its structural honesty and its liturgical character.

      In 1853 Upjohn took his son Richard Mitchell into full partnership. The latter became more and more influential in the firm as public tastes changed from pure Gothic to picturesque eclecticism. In 1857 Upjohn helped found the American Institute of Architects and served as its president until he resigned in 1876.

Additional Reading
Everard M. Upjohn, Richard Upjohn, Architect and Churchman (1939, reprinted 1968), contains illustrations and plans.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Upjohn,Richard — Up·john (ŭpʹjŏn ), Richard. 1802 1878. British born American architect who was a leader of the Gothic revival. His designs include Trinity Church in New York City (1846). * * * …   Universalium

  • UPJOHN, Richard — (1802 1878)    See GOTHIC REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE …   Historical Dictionary of Architecture

  • Richard Upjohn — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Richard Upjohn Información personal Nombre Richard Upjohn Nacimiento 22 de enero de 1802 Shaftesbury (Inglaterra) Defunción 16 de agosto de …   Wikipedia Español

  • Richard Upjohn — (* 22. Januar 1802 in Shaftesbury, England; † 16. August 1878 in Garrison, New York) war ein US amerikanischer Architekt, der vor allem für seine neugotischen Kirchenbauten bekannt wurde. Es ist zumindest teilweise sein Verdienst, dass dieser… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Richard Upjohn — Infobox Architect image size = caption = A bird s eye view of Trinity Church in 1912. name = Richard Upjohn nationality = birth date = 22 January, 1802 birth place = Shaftesbury, England death date = 16 August, 1878 death place = Putnam County,… …   Wikipedia

  • Richard Upjohn — né le 22 janvier 1802 à Shaftesbury (Royaume Uni) et mort le 16 août 1878 dans le comté de comté de Putnam (États Unis) est un architecte américain d origine britannique. Il a participé au lancement du mouvement néogothique au …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Richard Upjohn Light — (1902 1994) was a U.S. neurosurgeon, aviator, cinematographer, and former president of the American Geographical Society.Early lifeAfter studying at Culver Military Academy, he earned an undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1924 and a M.D …   Wikipedia

  • Richard Upjohn Light — (1902 1994) était un neurochirurgien américain, aviateur et cinématographe. Il fut président de la Société Américaine de Géographie. Un neurochirurgien chercheur Après avoir fréquenté les Culver Academies, il obtint en 1924 un diplôme… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Richard Outram — Richard Daley Outram (April 9, 1930 – January 21, 2005) was a Canadian poet. Biography Outram was born in Oshawa, Ontario. His mother, née Mary Muriel Daley, was the daughter of a Methodist minister centrally involved in the negotiations which… …   Wikipedia

  • Richard M. Upjohn — Infobox Architect image size = caption = The Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford, Connecticut. name = Richard Michell Upjohn nationality = birth date = 7 March 1828 birth place = Shaftesbury, England death date = 1903 death place = practice… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”