Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (1869-1924), Architect
Born April 28, 1869 in Pomfret, Connecticut, Bertram Goodhue became one of the best American draftsmen.[2] At the age of 15, he started working for Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell in New York, after attending Edwin Russell's Collegiate and Commercial Institute in New Haven. Two years later, at the age of 17, Goodhue became the head draftsman of the firm. One of the firm's partners, James Renwick, was a much-hailed architect of the Gothic Revival style, and took Goodhue under his tutelage. Goodhue met Ralph Cram in 1891, when he came to work for the Boston firm Cram & Wentworth, using money he had won for winning first prize in a competition for the Cathedral of Dallas. The two developed a long professional relationship, with Goodhue becoming a partner of the firm in 1897.[2]
As the partnership matured, Goodhue, once the rookie, rose to a place of prominence among his contemporaries, sparking a fierce rivalry with Cram. In 1903, Goodhue returned to New York City and opened a new branch of the firm; this was in response to the firm's selection to design the campus for the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. The New York branch of the firm grew more independent from the Boston branch, and Goodhue and Cram dissolved their partnership in 1914. Goodhue went on to practice architecture independently, evolving his style to be more of a modernist, with touches of classicism, rather than continuing his gothic approach.[2]
Goodhue was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1901, and a fellow from 1906, until his death on April 21, 1924.[2][4]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Lincoln, Nebraska, 1925
Educational & Professional Associations
ca. 1884-ca. 1886: Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell, New York.[2]
ca. 1886-____: head draftsman, Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell, New York.[2]
1891-1897: draftsman, Cram & Wentworth, Boston, Massachusetts.[2]
1897-1899: draftsman and partner, Cram, Goodhue & Wentworth, Boston, Massachusetts.[2]
1899-1903: draftsman and partner, Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, Boston, Massachusetts.[2]
1903-1914: draftsman and partner, Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson, New York City, New York.[2]
Selected Buildings & Projects
St. Thomas Church (1909-1914), New York, New York.[2][b]
West Point Chapel (1910), United State Military Academy, West Point, New York.[2][a]
California Tower (1911-1915), Panama-California Exposition, Balboa Park, San Diego, California.
Rockefeller Chapel (1918-1928), University of Chicago Campus, Chicago, Illinois.
Nebraska State Capitol, (1919-1932), 1445 K St., Lincoln, Nebraska.[2][3][c] (LC13:D08-001)
National Academy of Sciences Building (1924), 2101 Constitution Ave, Washington, D.C.[2]
Los Angeles Public Library (1921-1926), Los Angeles, California.[2]
Honors & Awards
AIA Gold Medal (1925).
Notes
a. This was a project undertaken by the firm Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson.[2]
b. This was the last project to be completed by the partnership between Cram and Goodhue.[2]
c. Upon Goodhue's death in 1924, his firm reorganized as Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue Associates to complete this building and other work.
References
1. Charles Harris Whitaker (Ed.) Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue: Architect and Master of Many Arts (New York: American Institute of Architects, Inc., 1925).
2. David Gebhard and Deborah Nevins, 200 Years of American Architectural Drawing (New York: Watson-Guptill Publishers, 1977), 167.
3. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places. NHL database report
4. AIA Historical Directory of American Architects: A Resource Guide to Finding Information About Past Architects. Accessed, May 5, 2014. http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1016433.aspx
Other Sources
Luebke, Frederick C., ed. A Harmony of the Arts: The Nebraska State Capitol (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1990).
Moore, Kathryn Cates, “Building on the Past: Architecture in Lincoln Strengthens the fabric of the City,” Lincoln Journal Star (May 23, 2004), 1K-2K.
Oliver, Richard. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, for the Architectural History Foundation, 1983).
Wilson, Richard Guy. The AIA Gold Medal (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1984).
Withey, Henry F., A.I.A., and Elsie Rathburn Withey. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956. Facsimile edition, Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970).
Page Citation
D. Murphy, “Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (1869-1924), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, December 16, 2014. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, November 22, 2024.
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