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Richardsonian Romanesque at Tulane University
Anthony DelRosario
History of the Architecture in the Americas II
Professor Ann Masson
Master in Preservation Studies
Tulane School of Architecture
1 PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Introduction
Tulane University has been set in the picturesque setting of Uptown New Orleans
for 115 years. Many have seen the face of the university from the streetcar, from an
automobile, or on foot from St. Charles Avenue. (Fig. 1) What people see is a scenic
entrance filled with buildings of limestone “creating a strong collegiate atmosphere”
(Lousiana Department of Historic Preservation – LDHP – Tulane University). The
building that provides the greatest portion of the sense of academia as seen from the
avenue is the Richardsonian Romanesque Gibson Hall. This paper will investigate the
Romanesque buildings found on the front campus of Tulane University, with emphasis
on those that are specifically of the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
H. H. Richardson: A Background
Richardsonian Romanesque is named for Henry Hobson Richardson, a
prominent architect of the 19th century. H. H. Richardson is often considered one of the
three greatest architects born in the United States of America and is the only architect
for whom a style is named (Masson). Born in Louisiana in St. James Parish at the
Priestly Plantation in 1838, Richardson left the South to attend Harvard College in 1856.
In 1859 after graduating from Harvard, he went to Europe where he travelled around
Great Britain for the summer before attending the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris
becoming the second American to attend the school following in the steps of Richard
Morris Hunt. Due to family economic woes brought on by the Civil War, Richardson
was not able to stay in Paris to graduate from the École. However, after the six years in
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Europe, he returned to the United States influenced by the medieval-inspired John
Ruskin and William Morris, by the education received from the École, and by the
Romanesque architecture of southern France. Richardson first began integrating
Romanesque forms in 1869 on the designs for the Brattle Square Church in Boston
(Ochsner). For the rest of his career, Richardson continued his exploration of the
Romanesque style which was the heart of the first truly American style that was not a
direct copy or revival of another style. By his early death in 1886, Richardson left a
legacy that included masterpieces such as Trinity Church in Boston, the Glessner
House in Chicago (Fig. 2), the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, and the
Marshall Field Warehouse Building in Chicago (Masson). Despite having been born in
Louisiana, Richardson did not have a building designed by him built in the South before
his death.
Richardsonian Romanesque
The term Richardsonian Romanesque can be used in two different contexts.
First, the term can refer to the Romanesque buildings designed by H. H. Richardson
himself. Features of buildings that Richardson designed in the Romanesque style
include:
• Massive blocks of stone – sometimes rusticated, sometimes smooth • Patterns created by using contrasting stone sizes and stone finishes • Wide arched openings • Grouped windows that are often set back • Low springing arches • Towers (on about 75% of his buildings) • Richly detailed stone accents
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
• Picturesque yet harmonious • Fortress-like yet graceful with nuance (Masson)
Second, the term can be applied to the buildings designed by other architects using the
ideas first developed by Richardson. In a 1936 article from Time magazine, Richardson
versus Richardsonian is discussed. About the topic, the author states:
No man was ever more betrayed by his imitators. What the trade knew as "Richardsonian Romanesque" are the banks, schools, churches, libraries, jails which still dot the land, built of the knobbiest of rough-cut masonry, with livid tile roofs, arched windows and a profusion of useless squat towers. What his admirers have never ceased to point out is that Richardson himself was very seldom Richardsonian. (Time)
The author is making the point that buildings in the Richardsonian style may have the
features that Richardson himself used but do not convey the complete sense of
beautiful organic architecture created by Richardson. His original works were
“heavyset, impressive buildings befitting a stolid age, but all were well-planned,
magnificently proportioned and still serve as an inspiration to young architects” (Time).
The Richardsonian Romanesque style remained prominent in the United States
for about twenty years following the death of Richardson. The style was faithfully
carried on by several architects including some that had worked in Richardson’s office
such as George Shepley and Charles Coolidge. His ideas also influenced several
notable architects such as Charles Follen McKim, Stanford White, Louis Sullivan, John
Wellborn Root, and Frank Lloyd Wright (Howe). Ironically, some of his followers were
the cause of Richardsonian Romanesque going out of style with their design of the
White City at the 1893 Columbian Exposition which propagated the City Beautiful
movement and the Beaux-Arts movement.
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Richardsonian Romanesque in New Orleans
While Richardson was still alive, the Richardsonian Romanesque was found
mainly in the Northeast from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts. “The style never made
much of an impact in the Deep South and even less in Louisiana” (LDHP Howard
Memorial Library). The first building of Richardsonian Romanesque style in Louisiana
was the Howard Library which was built after Richardson had died. (Fig. 3) Of the
Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in Louisiana which are all located in New
Orleans, the Howard Library, begun in 1887 and dedicated in 1889, “is the only one of
these to have any connection with the master himself, Henry Hobson Richardson”
(LDHP Howard Library). The design of the Howard Library is an enlarged version of a
design prepared by the Richardson office a few months before Richardson’s death for
the Hoyt Memorial Library in East Saginaw, Michigan. “Although Richardson was quite
ill at the time, a surviving letter to his assistant Shepley dated March 6, 1886 reveals
that he was very much involved in the project” (LDHP Howard Memorial LIbrary).
The use of the Richardsonian Romanesque style in residential architecture was
very rare. Due to the cost of building a house with limestone, very few people could
afford a fully realized Richardsonian home. The first such house in New Orleans was
the Isidore Newman house located at 3607 St. Charles and designed in 1890 by local
architects Thomas Sully and Albert Toledano but was demolished in 1972. (Fig. 4) The
next Richardsonian Romanesque homes to be built in New Orleans were constructed in
the early 1900s as the style was fading from fashion and were also built on St. Charles
Avenue. Next to be built was the William Perry Brown residence located at 4717 St.
Charles and designed in 1904 by local architects Charles Favrot and Louis Livaudais.
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
(Fig. 5) Finally, in 1905 the Kiefer house was built at 3804 St. Charles based on a
design by Emile Weil (Friends of the Cabildo VII: 73). (Fig. 6)
In 1893, the Board of Administrators of Tulane University chose a Richardsonian
Romanesque proposal from the office of Harrod and Andry as the design to promote the
school as “an institution with elevated aspirations seeking to establish itself in post-Civil
War New Orleans” (Heard and Lemann 10). As the school continued to grow, the
Richardsonian Romanesque style was used for the buildings at the very front of campus
to keep continuity along the St. Charles front.
A New Era for Tulane University
The site on which Tulane University sits today was not the original location of the
school. From its beginnings in 1834 as the Medical College of Louisiana, the school
was located downtown. In 1891, ten years after the school was endowed by and
renamed for Paul Tulane, the Board of Administrators purchased land that had been
part of the Foucher tract and fronted St. Charles Avenue across from Audubon Park.
This area had been decided upon after physics professor Brown Ayers plotted trends in
New Orleans’ population and found that Audubon Park was the neighborhood of the
future (Friends of the Cabildo VIII: 60).
In a November 1891 meeting with the Board of Administrators, President Preston
Johnson reported that he had travelled to the Northeast to visit several colleges and had
been advised to consult the highly regarded New York firm of McKim, Mead, and White.
The firm’s proposal in 1892, which consisted of buildings in the Italian Renaissance
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style and was the firm’s first design for a college, exceeded the school’s budget (Friends
of the Cabildo VIII: 61).
Foregoing the plans from McKim, Mead, and White, the Board instead called for
proposals from regional firms (Friends of the Cabildo VIII: 61). The original chosen plan
by local firm Harrod and Andry consisted of three buildings. The Daily Picayune
reported on May 28, 1893:
The new home of Tulane will prove one of the attractions of the city, and its erection will be a giant stride forward in the advancement of that institution to the foremost ranks of the country’s (illegible) institutions. Already it has a name far and abroad for the excellence of its training, and the superiority of its facilities being so much more, will enable the institution to attain larger (illegible) in the future.
The style chosen by Harrod and Andry was Richardsonian Romanesque and the choice
set the style for the remainder of the front campus of Tulane.
Harrod and Andry: The Men behind the Design
Benjamin Morgan Harrod and Paul Andry were partners in the local firm chosen
to create the new face for the university. The firm was formed in the early 1890s when
senior member Harrod took on the neophyte architect Andry. In 1892, when Tulane
made a call for proposals for the new home of the school, Harrod and Andry designing
for the Orleans School Board since Harrod was the City Engineer of New Orleans
(Maygarden et al.).
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Benjamin Morgan Harrod (1837-1912) was educated as an architect and as a
civil engineer at Harvard College. For the Civil War, Harrod enlisted in the Confederate
Army and served as an engineer during his commission. After the war, he began
practicing in New Orleans as architect and engineer. Documents for houses and
warehouses from 1866 to 1876 have Harrod stated as architect. During the latter part
of the 1880s, Harrod created an Italianate fire house design as City Engineer. (Fig. 7)
In 1893, after leaving his position as City Engineer, he was named to the Drainage
Advisory Board which drafted the plans for the modern drainage system in New
Orleans. Two years later Harrod was chosen as Chief Engineer for the Drainage
Commission, a position he kept until 1902. During his time as Chief Engineer for the
Drainage Commission, Harrod focused on designing pumping stations for the system
and left the firm of Harrod & Andry in 1900. Harrod’s architectural work was firmly
based in the classical and renaissance styles (Maygarden et al.).
Less is known about Paul Andry (1868-1946) before joining the firm. A project
on which Andry worked early in his career was the renovation and expansion of Belle
Alliance plantation house on Bayou Lafourche in Assumption Parish, Louisiana (LDHP
Belle Alliance). (Fig. 8) As a young recent graduate, Andry partnered with Harrod who
was thirty years his senior. The firm worked on projects not only in New Orleans. In St.
James Parish, Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church at Vacherie was designed by Harrod
and Andry (Our Lady of Peace Parish). (Fig. 9) At Napoleonville, the Assumption
Parish Courthouse was designed by the firm (LDHP Assumption Parish Courthouse).
(Fig. 10)
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
In addition to the buildings of Tulane University during the initial construction,
Harrod and Andry designed a Richardsonian Romanesque building in Alabama. In
1894, the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Convent and Academy of Visitation in Mobile was
built (National Park Service). Coincidentally, this was the same year as construction at
Tulane University.
In 1898 Albert Bendernagel joined the firm as a junior partner. After Harrod left
in 1900, Bendernagel became a senior partner of the firm called Andry and
Bendernagel. The new firm was contracted to work with Tulane University when
additional buildings were needed.
The author surmises that Paul Andry is likely to have been the architect to
suggest the Richardsonian Romanesque aspect to the Tulane University design as well
as to the Sacred Heart Chapel. (Fig. 11) He would have been about twenty four years
old at the time and open to newer architectural styles. In addition, Benjamin Harrod
would have been busy with the new drainage system in New Orleans.
Phase I of Tulane University
Work on the first phase of construction at Tulane University began in 1893 after
the Richardsonian Romanesque design of Harrod and Andry was chosen to fulfill the
vision of the Board of Administrators. On May 28, 1893 The Daily Picayune reported
that “the plans and specifications by Messrs. Harrod & Andry, and adopted by the
board, call for three buildings, which will constitute the home of the university”. On
September 26, 1893 The Daily Picayune reported that contracts were awarded to
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Thomas Nicholson of Chicago for construction of the first three buildings - the arts and
sciences building, the physical laboratory, and an engineering complex which are now
known as Gibson Hall (Fig. 12), F. Edward Hebert Hall (Fig. 13), and Walter E. Blessey
Hall (Fig. 14) and Engineering Work Shops Complex (Fig. 15). One interesting fact is
that the physical laboratory was placed to face north and south for the convenience of
magnetic instruments and to take advantage of the natural light (Heard and Lemann
15). This in turn influenced the placement of the chemical laboratory.
In December of the same year, Tulane announced that a fourth building, a
chemical laboratory (now known as Richardson Building (Fig. 16)), would be built since
construction of the first three was well under budget. On December 8, 1893 The Daily
Picayune updated the progress of construction:
Though there is little appearance of activity at the grounds the work is being pushed with great rapidity. The stone is prepared in Chicago, and shipped hither by car loads, each piece carefully numbered. It is delivered within a short distance of the grounds by the belt railroads, and transferred by large teams. This is rather a novelty in architecture, that the material should be sent, like children’s building blocks, ready to be placed in position, and from so great a distance. For this reason there is no delay on the grounds, and the task of building can be pushed with remarkable rapidity.
In January of 1894 on Washington’s Birthday, the corner stone for the arts and
sciences building was dedicated. In March of 1894 The Daily Picayune reported:
Even now, when the grounds are littered with the trash of the builders, it is possible to see the general beauty of the design through the roughness of the work. As one approaches from the avenue, the arts and sciences building is perceived in its incomplete state, still impressive. Its architecture is picturesque, combining many of the more graceful details of Renaissance, with something of modernized Gothic, thus producing once an effect of richness and dignity.
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Notice that the writer mistakenly refers to the style as “Gothic.”
The buildings were completed for the fall session of classes at the university.
The Daily Picayune in October of 1894 reported that at the formal opening of the
buildings, “the magnificence of the buildings was dwelt upon, telling how much the arts
and sciences building resembled the great Chicago University, only Tulane’s is the
grander.” (Fig. 17)
Of the first four buildings, Gibson Hall is the only one that is truly Richardsonian
Romanesque. Hebert Hall and Richardson Building, which have similar fronts, vaguely
echo some of the features of Gibson. Both have arched windows on the lower floor and
an arched main entrance. (Fig. 18) The two buildings also have dormers on either side
of a center gable at the roofline. On Blessey Hall, the lone Romanesque feature is the
arched main entrance. (Fig. 19) The Richardsonian Romanesque features of Gibson
Hall will be discussed in a later section.
Phase II of Tulane University
Work of the second phase of construction at Tulane University began in 1901 to
accommodate students to live on campus. In October of 1901 The Daily Picayune
reported that “plans have been made and submitted by Messrs. Andry and Bendernagel
for the new dormitory that the board of administrators have decided to build.” The first
dormitory was a three-story brick building which is now the School of Social Work
building. (Fig. 20) As a companion building to provide meals for the residents, a
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
refectory was also built. This building is now Robert C. Cudd Hall and currently houses
the offices of Newcomb-Tulane College. (Fig. 21)
These two buildings were designed by the firm of Andry and Bendernagel, the
firm that progressed from the firm of Harrod and Andry after Harrod’s departure in 1900.
Andry and Bendernagel implemented a Dutch Renaissance style modeled after
University of Pennsylvania’s Houston Hall dormitory (Heard and Lemann 16). The only
similarity between these two buildings and buildings from the first phase can be seen
with Hebert Hall and Richardson Building. All four buildings were constructed with
orange brick. Also, the newer buildings echo the older buildings’ arched windows and
window hoods. (Fig. 22)
The third building in the second phase of construction was the F. W. Tilton
Memorial Library, endowed by the widow of a local iron merchant. (Fig. 23) The design
from Andry and Bendernagel was chosen over local architects such as Favrot &
Livaudais and Diboll & Owen. The Daily Picayune reported in November of 1900:
The design selected is peculiarly adapted for the purpose contemplated and for the situation in which the building is to stand. It is in perfect harmony with the main building of the university, with which it is to stand in close juxtaposition. The material is to be the same, and is to have the same chaste yet imposing style.
The building, while in the same general style as the main building of the university, will be somewhat more ornate, the main entrance being particularly beautiful, its decoration consisting of columns, whose capitals are to be surmounted with heraldic designs.
In June of the following year The Daily Picayune reported:
The handsome building already begins to show its shape and proportions, and when the university begins its next session will stand ready for use, erected out
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
of the same character of stone and of the same handsome design and workmanship as the college of arts and sciences, and when it is equipped with books it will be a most useful addition to the college group.
The Richardsonian Romanesque features of Tilton Memorial Hall will be discussed and
compared to Gibson Hall in a later section.
Phase III of Tulane University
Third and last major phase of construction for the very front of the campus began
in 1907. A decision had been made to relocate the first two years of medical school to
the uptown campus. The Daily Picayune reported in August 1907:
The Board of Administrators of the Tulane Educational Fund, at their regular monthly meeting, decided to erect a new Richardson Memorial building on the Tulane campus, and authorized the Building Committee to make a contract with Messrs. Andry & Bendernagel for the preparation of plans and specifications for the said building, which is to be of stone and in style of architecture somewhat similar to the present Gibson Hall.
The new building was funded by the donation from the widow of Dr. Tobias Gibson
Richardson, former dean of the medical school. (Fig. 24)
DeBuys, Churchill and Labouisse designed the dormitory to house the medical
students. (Fig. 25) This Italian Renaissance building now houses the Environmental
Sciences department and is known as Alcee Fortier Hall. The building exhibits no
Romanesque features but is constructed with orange brick similar to the building next to
which it sits, the School of Social Work building.
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Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
The Richardsonian Romanesque features of Richardson Memorial will be
discussed and compared to Gibson Hall in a later section.
The Remainder of the Front Campus
From 1911 to 1942, the final three buildings that comprise the traditional front
campus of Tulane University were constructed. These buildings range from slightly
Romanesque to heavily Richardsonian Romanesque.
Stanley Thomas Hall was designed by Andry and Bendernagel as a new
engineering building. (Fig. 26) This building which was completed in 1911 has little in
common with the other buildings on the front campus. The brick color matches neither
Blessey Hall nor Richardson Building, the two nearest neighbors. The building does
however feature arched entrances with delicate carving that slightly echo entrances at
Gibson Hall and Tilton Hall. (Fig. 27) Also, the roof has dormers on either side of a
center gable at the roofline like Gibson Hall, but the building cannot be described as
Richardsonian Romanesque.
The next decade, a new science building designed by Moise Goldstein and
Associates was built on the downtown side of Gibson Hall. The building, now known as
Dinwiddie Hall, was constructed of Alabama limestone and was completed in 1923.
(Fig. 28) Most sources describe the building as Elizabethan which is a misnomer. The
stepped out main entrance of the building is one feature that is Elizabethan in nature.
(Fig. 29) However, disregarding that feature, the building can be described more
correctly as Richardsonian Romanesque with the rusticated masonry, arched windows,
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and dormers and gable at the roofline. (Fig. 30) Currently the building is undergoing a
major renovation.
The final building constructed on the front campus was the Norman Mayer
Building. (Fig. 31) Completed in 1942, the building was designed by Diboll and Kessels
designed “to conform to the style of the early campus buildings” (Tulane University
Campus Map). The building has many of the same features as Gibson Hall and was
intentionally designed to be full Richardsonian Romanesque. With the wide arched
entrance (Fig. 32), successive floors of smaller arched windows above larger arched
windows (Fig. 33), and limestone from the same quarry, the Norman Mayer Building is
almost a junior version of Gibson Hall.
Gibson Hall
As the face of the university along St. Charles, Gibson Hall is the most fully
realized building in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. The building exhibits a sense
of the base, shaft, capital feeling captured in two of Richardson’s own masterpieces, the
Marshall Field Wholesale Store in Chicago (Fig. 34) and the Allegheny Courthouse in
Pittsburgh (Fig. 35). This is especially evident in either end of Gibson Hall. The partially
raised basement acts as the base of the building. The first and second floors comprise
the shaft with smaller arched windows atop larger arched windows (which is repeated in
the Norman Mayer Building). (Fig. 36) On the ends of the building, the third floor is the
capital with the smaller rectangular windows. The dormers of Gibson Hall are similar to
those found on several buildings designed by Richardson himself. Examples include
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Trinity Church in Boston (Fig. 37) and the Allegheny Courthouse. The gabled façade is
another common feature of Richardson’s architecture that is found on Gibson Hall. (Fig.
38) A gable façade can be found on Trinity Church as well as many of the libraries
designed by Richardson. (Fig. 39)
Gibson Hall was also constructed with rusticated limestone from the area of the
country near Bedford, Indiana that supplied many of Richardson’s projects. The
contractor of the project, Thomas Nicholson, was based in Chicago where several
buildings designed by Richardson were constructed. If Nicholson was not associated
with any of Richardson’s projects, he was at least aware of the high quality of limestone
from Indiana. In 2004, several new structures were added to Gibson Circle. The center
piece was a 46 foot long gently curving wall of limestone with Tulane University in
bronze lettering. (Fig. 43) The design company specifically chose limestone from the
quarries of southern Indiana so that the wall would seamlessly fit in with Gibson Hall
and the two other buildings on Gibson Circle.
The detail and ornament of the limestone also reflected styles of Richardson.
Much of the details on buildings designed by Richardson contained intricate organic
carving. The main entrance of Gibson Hall is ornamented with beautiful carving. (Fig.
40) The very top of the front gable is carved with “Arts and Sciences” surrounded by
the same foliage pattern found above the entrance. (Figs. 41 and 42)
F.W. Tilton Memorial Hall
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Tilton Memorial is another building that exemplifies the Richardsonian
Romanesque style. The building shares several of the same features as Gibson Hall.
Both are constructed with rusticated masonry. Each building has a row of large arched
windows on the first floor that provide a sense of strength. Being a floor shorter, Tilton
does not have smaller arched windows on the second floor. (Fig. 44) However, Tilton
has similar but skinnier dormers and has a center gabled façade. (Fig. 45)
Where the two building differ the most is in the detail. The entrance of Tilton is
much more ornate that Gibson. (Fig. 46) On Tilton, the entrance features more intricate
carving and additional carved items such as faces, lions, and the Tulane shield. (Fig.
47) Also the center gable is more elaborate than that of Gibson Hall. (Fig. 48) The
carved details, however, is in tune with the Richardsonian concepts.
Richardson Memorial
Richardson Memorial is Richardsonian Romanesque but lacks the depth of the
style that Gibson Hall embodies. Rusticated masonry was used only on the ground
level and on the center façade on the first main floor around the entrance. (Fig. 49) The
rest of the building was constructed with brick which may have been an economic
choice instead of a design choice. The arched windows on the first main floor are
smaller than those on the first floor of Gibson or Tilton. These smaller windows do not
give the building the same strength seen the others. The smaller arched windows and
two-story pilasters on the front façade give the building a more vertical feel. (Fig. 50)
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Richardson is closer in feel to Tilton Hall than to Gibson Hall. Richardson has
skinny dormers similar to Tilton. (Fig. 51) Both buildings have a well decorated center
gable. The entrance to Richardson is quite comparable to the entrance of Tilton. The
entrances each have a section of very similar carving, followed by a section of smooth
stone, followed by another ring of carving. (Fig. 52)
Conclusion
The design of Gibson Hall set the tone for the front campus of Tulane University
through a half century of expansion and construction. By examining Gibson in detail,
one will find that Harrod and Andry took direct inspiration from the works of Henry
Hobson Richardson to provide the campus with beautiful dignity. Of the two partners,
Andry is more likely to have been the one to fully grasp the Richardsonian Romanesque
ideal and perpetuate the style through the front campus of Tulane.
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Figure 1. Gibson Hall from St. Charles Avenue
Figure 2. Glessner House, Chicago, IL
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Figure 3. Howard Library, New Orleans, LA
Figure 4. 3607 St. Charles Avenue, Isidore Newman House
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Figure 5. 4717 St. Charles Avenue, W. P. Brown House
Figure 6. 3804 St. Charles Avenue, Kiefer House
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Figure 7. Firehouse designed by Harrod, 803 Julia Street
Figure 8. Belle Alliance Plantation, Assumption Parish, LA
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Figure 9. Our Lady Peace Catholic Church, Vacherie, LA
Figure 10. Assumption Parish Courthouse, Napoleonville, LA
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Figure 12. Gibson Hall
Figure 11. Sacred Chapel, Mobile, AL
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Figure 14. Walter E. Blessey Hall
Figure 13. F. Edward Hebert Hall
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Figure 16. Richardson Building
Figure 17. Blessey Hall and Engineering Complex
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Figure 17. Tulane University campus, 1895 - Hebert, Blessey, Richardson, Gibson (left to right)
Figure 18. Entrance to Richardson Building
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Figure 19. Entrance to Blessey Hall
Figure 20. School of Social Work Building
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Figure 22. School of Social Work Building detail
Figure 21. Robert C. Cudd Hall
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Figure 23. F. W. Tilton Memorial Hall
Figure 24. Richardson Memorial
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Figure 25. Alcee Fortier Hall
Figure 26. Stanley Thomas Hall
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Figure 27. Entrance to Stanley Thomas Hall
Figure 28. Dinwiddie Hall
xv PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 29. Entrance to Dinwiddie Hall Figure 30. Dinwiddie Hall detail
Figure 31. Norman Mayer Building
xvi PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 32. Entrance to Norman Mayer Building
Figure 33. Norman Mayer Building detail
xvii PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 34. Marshall Field Wholesale Store, Chicago, IL
Figure 35. Allegheny Courthouse, Pittsburgh, PA
xviii PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 36. Gibson Hall detail
Figure 37. Trinity Church, Boston, MA
xix PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 39. Woburn Public Library, Woburn, MA
Figure 38. Gibson Hall gable and entrance
xx PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 40. Entrance to Gibson Hall
Figure 41. Gibson Hall front gable
xxi PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 42. Gibson Hall gable detail
Figure 43. Gibson Circle wall
xxii PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 45. Tilton Hall dormer detail
Figure 44. Tilton Hall detail
xxiii PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 46. Tilton Hall gable and entrance
Figure 47. Tilton Hall entrance
xxiv PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 48. Tilton Hall gable detail
Figure 49. Richardson Memorial
xxv PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 50. Richardson Memorial gable and entrance
Figure 51. Richardson Memorial dormer detail
xxvi PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Figure 52. Entrance to Richardson Memorial
Figure 53. Aerial view of the front campus of Tulane University
xxvii PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Image Credits
Figure 2 – Library of Congress, <http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il0118.photos.060903p>
Figure 3 –<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Howard_Memorial_New_Orleans_1900.jpg>
Figure 4 – New Orleans Virtual Archive, <luna.ts.tulane.edu:8190/luna>
Figure 8 – State Library of Louisiana Historic Photograph Collection,
<http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/u?/LHP,1278>
Figure 9 – Our Lady of Peace Parish, <www.olopchurch.org>
Figure 10 – Jordan McAlister, courthouselover on flickr, <http://flic.kr/p/xNNzQ>
Figure 11 – Visitation Monastery,
<http://www.visitationmonasterymobile.org/HTMLcode/Tour1.htm>
Figure 17 – Tulane: The Biography of a University 1834-1965, John P. Dyer, New York:
Harper & Row, 1966
Figure 34 –
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marshall_Field_Warehouse_Store.jpg>
Figure 35 – <http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AlleghenyCountyCourthouse.jpg>
Figure 37–
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trinity_Church,_Boston,_Massachusetts
_-_front_oblique_view.JPG>
Figure 39 – SCI Woburn, <http://www.sciwoburn.org/content/life-h-h-richardson-wmhs-
monday>
Figure 53 – http://maps.live.com
All other photographs were taken by the author.
xxviii PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
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Front Campus of Tulane University
Completion Dates and Architects
Phase I
1894 Gibson Hall - Harrod and Andry
1894 Walter F. Blessey Hall and Engineering Complex - Harrod and Andry
1894 Richardson Building - Harrod and Andry
1894 F. Edward Hebert Hall - Harrod and Andry
Phase II
1902 F. W. Tilton Memorial Hall - Andry and Bendernagel
1902 School of Social Work Building - Andry and Bendernagel
1902 Robert C. Cudd Hall - Andry and Bendernagel
Phase III
1908 Richardson Memorial - Andry and Bendernagel
1908 Alcee Fortier Hall - DeBuys, Churchill and Labouisse
Later Construction
1911 Stanley Thomas Hall - Andry and Bendernagel
1923 Dinwiddie Hall - Moise Goldstein and Associates
1942 Norman Mayer Building - Diboll and Kessels
xxix PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Sources
The Daily Picayune. via America's Historical Newspapers (subscription database)
<http://infoweb.newsbank.com >.
“Tulane University. Plans for the New Buildings at Audubon Park Accepted.
Three Buildings to be,” 28 May 1893, pg. 3.
“The New Tulane. Contracts Awarded for the Erection of the Proposed
University Building,” 26 September 1893, pg. 12.
“Tulane University. Work on the New Buildings Progressing Rapidly,” 8
December 1893, pg. 3.
“Tulane's New Home Almost Completed. Four Handsome Structures on St.
Charles Avenue That Are Almost,” 27 March 1894, pg. 3.
“Tulane's Formal Opening. Talks to the Pupils and Officers for the Classes,” 16
October 1894, pg. 3.
“Activity Among Southern Colleges. Tulane's First Dormitory to be a Brick
Structure, Three Stories High,” 2 October 1901, pg. 3.
“Tulane Adopts Library Plans. The Needed and Ornamental Building Made
Possible By the Generous Donation,” 13 November 1900, pg. 3.
“Tilton Memorial Library at Tulane. The Corner-Stone Laid with Ceremony
Inspiring Emulation and Calculated to,” 2 June 1901, pg. 3.
“Tulane Board Decides on New Buildings and Elects Several Professors,” 15
August 1907, pg. 3.
Howe, Jeffery. Digital Archive of American Architetcure. Boston College.
<http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/hhr.html>.
Friends of the Cabildo. New Orleans Architecture Volume VII: Jefferson City. Gretna,
La.: Pelican Publishing, 1989.
xxx PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Friends of the Cabildo. New Orleans Architecture Volume VIII: University Section.
Gretna, La.: Pelican Publishing, 2000.
Heard, Jr., Malcom and Bernard Lemann. Tulane Places. New Orleans: Tulane
University, 1984.
Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation's National Register Website.
<http://crt.louisiana.gov/hp/nationalregister/historicplacesdatabase.aspx>.
Assumption Parish Courthouse National Register document.
<http://crt.louisiana.gov/hp/nationalregister/nhl/document2.asp?name=040
01001.pdf>
Belle Alliance National Register document.
<http://crt.louisiana.gov/hp/nationalregister/nhl/document2.asp?name=04007001.
pdf>
Howard Memorial Library National Register document.
<http://crt.louisiana.gov/hp/nationalregister/nhl/document2.asp?name=36043001.
pdf>
Tulane University of Louisiana National Register document.
<http://crt.louisiana.gov/hp/nationalregister/nhl/document2.asp?name=36101001.
pdf>
Masson, Ann. History of Architecture in the Americas II class notes. April 8, 2009.
Maygarden, Benjamin D., Jill-Karen Yakubik, Ellen Weiss, Chester Peyronnin, and
Kenneth R. Jones, National Register Evaluation of New Orleans Drainage
System, Orleans Parish, Louisiana,
<http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/pao/history/NO_Drainage/NewOrleansDrainage
.htm>.
National Park Service, Catholic Churches of Mobile National Register Document
<http://www.nr.nps.gov/multiples/64500007.pdf>.
xxxi PRST 6620 - History of Architecture in the Americas II – Professor Ann Masson – April 29, 2009
Anthony DelRosario – Masters of Preservation Studies - Tulane School of Architecture
Our Lady of Peace Parish. <http://www.olopchurch.org/about/History.aspx>.
Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. "Richardson, H. H.." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online.
<http://www.oxfordartonline.com/subscriber/article/grove/art/T071968>.
Time. “Richardson V. Richardsonian.” 27 January 1936
<http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,847640,00.html>.
Tulane University Campus Map. <http://tulane.edu/tulane/about/maps/norman-mayer-
building.cfm>.