Arnold Brunner
Encyclopedia
Arnold William Brunner (September 25, 1857 – February 14, 1925) was an American
architect
who was born and died in New York City
. Brunner was educated in New York and in Manchester
, England
. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, where he studied under William R. Ware. Early in his career, he worked in the architectural office of George B. Post
. He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
after 1892 and was appointed by Theodore Roosevelt to the National Commission on Fine Arts in Washington D.C. He was a member of the New York Fine Arts Commission, the American Civic Association, The Century Association
, The Engineer's Club, The Players
, the Cosmos Club
in Washington D.C., the National Institute of Arts and Letters, The Union Club of Cleveland, and several other organizations. Brunner was also known as a city planner, and made significant contributions to the city plans of Cleveland, Ohio
, Rochester, New York
, , Baltimore, Maryland, Denver, Colorado
, Trenton, New Jersey
, and Albany, New York
. Brunner was, for a short time, partnered with Thomas Tryon
as the firm Brunner & Tryon.
, on Central Park West
, New York, to house the United States' oldest Jewish congregation, founded in 1654. No attempt was made to convey an "eastern" vocabulary, as was often being done for other Jewish congregations: Brunner and Tryon provided a forthright Roman Baroque temple with a projecting three-bay center that contrasts with the windowless ashlar masonry flanking it and contains a recessed loggia
entrance under three large arch-headed windows, articulated by a colossal order of Corinthian columns surmounted by a pediment over a paneled attic frieze.
Another synagogue designed by Brunner was Temple Israel
at 201 Lenox Avenue, at 120th Street
, in 1907. The limestone building was not designed in the typical Moorish Revival style of other synagogues of the time; Brunner argued that "synagogues have no traditional lines of architectural expression". According to David W. Dunlap, the building "looks like a Roman temple
until you notice the Stars of David
in the column capitals
, fanlight
s, and spandrel
panels", and "may rank as the single best Neoclassical
synagogue in Manhattan".
Brunner also designed improvements at the Pennsylvania State Capitol
in Harrisburg, the Stadium of the College of the City of New York - also known as Lewisohn Stadium
, Mount Sinai Hospital
in New York City, and the U.S. Post Office, Custom House and Courthouse (1910, illustrated) in the Group Plan conceived by Daniel Burnham
, John Carrère, and Brunner in 1903 to create a new urbanistic center for Cleveland, Ohio
, which was a rare realisation of a "City Beautiful" plan. Other work in Ohio included the Monumental Bridge in Toledo
and Denison University
in Granville, Ohio
. He also won the competition for the design of the U.S. State Department Building in Washington D.C.
Students' Hall
at Barnard College
was built in 1916 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 2003.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
who was born and died in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Brunner was educated in New York and in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He attended Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, where he studied under William R. Ware. Early in his career, he worked in the architectural office of George B. Post
George B. Post
George Browne Post was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition.-Biography:Post was a student of Richard Morris Hunt , but unlike many architects of his generation, he had previously received a degree in civil engineering...
. He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
after 1892 and was appointed by Theodore Roosevelt to the National Commission on Fine Arts in Washington D.C. He was a member of the New York Fine Arts Commission, the American Civic Association, The Century Association
Century Association
__notoc__The Century Association is a private club in New York City. It evolved out of an earlier organization – the Sketch Club, founded in 1829 by editor and poet William Cullen Bryant and his friends – and was established in 1847 by Bryant and others as a club to promote interest in...
, The Engineer's Club, The Players
The Players
The Players may refer to:* The Players , Edwin Booth's historic actors' club in New York* The Players , an amateur actor's club in Detroit* The Players , a British band* The Players , a Norwegian boyband...
, the Cosmos Club
Cosmos Club
The Cosmos Club is a private social club in Washington, D.C., founded by John Wesley Powell in 1878. In addition to Powell, original members included Clarence Edward Dutton, Henry Smith Pritchett, William Harkness, and John Shaw Billings. Among its stated goals is "The advancement of its members in...
in Washington D.C., the National Institute of Arts and Letters, The Union Club of Cleveland, and several other organizations. Brunner was also known as a city planner, and made significant contributions to the city plans of Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, , Baltimore, Maryland, Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
, and Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. Brunner was, for a short time, partnered with Thomas Tryon
Thomas Tryon (architect)
Thomas Tryon was an American architect who practiced during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a member of the New York Architectural League, the American Institute of Architects and a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects....
as the firm Brunner & Tryon.
Notable works
Brunner designed several notable buildings including, with Tryon, the 1897 Congregation Shearith IsraelCongregation Shearith Israel
Congregation Shearith Israel, often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue, is the oldest Jewish congregation in the United States. It was established in 1654....
, on Central Park West
Central Park West
Central Park West is an avenue that runs north-south in the New York City borough of Manhattan, in the United States....
, New York, to house the United States' oldest Jewish congregation, founded in 1654. No attempt was made to convey an "eastern" vocabulary, as was often being done for other Jewish congregations: Brunner and Tryon provided a forthright Roman Baroque temple with a projecting three-bay center that contrasts with the windowless ashlar masonry flanking it and contains a recessed loggia
Loggia
Loggia is the name given to an architectural feature, originally of Minoan design. They are often a gallery or corridor at ground level, sometimes higher, on the facade of a building and open to the air on one side, where it is supported by columns or pierced openings in the wall...
entrance under three large arch-headed windows, articulated by a colossal order of Corinthian columns surmounted by a pediment over a paneled attic frieze.
Another synagogue designed by Brunner was Temple Israel
Temple Israel of the City of New York
-References:*Dunlap, David W. From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship, Columbia University Press, 2004. ISBN 978-0-231-12542-0...
at 201 Lenox Avenue, at 120th Street
120th Street (Manhattan)
120th Street runs from Riverside Drive, overlooking the Hudson River, to the East River, through the New York City borough of Manhattan. It traverses the neighborhoods of Morningside Heights, Harlem, and Spanish Harlem; the street is interrupted by Morningside Park...
, in 1907. The limestone building was not designed in the typical Moorish Revival style of other synagogues of the time; Brunner argued that "synagogues have no traditional lines of architectural expression". According to David W. Dunlap, the building "looks like a Roman temple
Roman temple
Ancient Roman temples are among the most visible archaeological remains of Roman culture, and are a significant source for Roman architecture. Their construction and maintenance was a major part of ancient Roman religion. The main room housed the cult image of the deity to whom the temple was...
until you notice the Stars of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
in the column capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
, fanlight
Fanlight
A fanlight is a window, semicircular or semi-elliptical in shape, with glazing bars or tracery sets radiating out like an open fan, It is placed over another window or a doorway. and is sometimes hinged to a transom. The bars in the fixed glazed window spread out in the manner a sunburst...
s, and spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
panels", and "may rank as the single best Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
synagogue in Manhattan".
Brunner also designed improvements at the Pennsylvania State Capitol
Pennsylvania State Capitol
The Pennsylvania State Capitol is the seat of government for the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and is in downtown Harrisburg. It was designed in 1902 in a Beaux-Arts style with Renaissance themes throughout...
in Harrisburg, the Stadium of the College of the City of New York - also known as Lewisohn Stadium
Lewisohn Stadium
Lewisohn Stadium was an amphitheater and athletic facility built on the campus of the City College of New York. It opened in 1915 and was demolished in 1973.-History:...
, Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
in New York City, and the U.S. Post Office, Custom House and Courthouse (1910, illustrated) in the Group Plan conceived by Daniel Burnham
Daniel Burnham
Daniel Hudson Burnham, FAIA was an American architect and urban planner. He was the Director of Works for the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. He took a leading role in the creation of master plans for the development of a number of cities, including Chicago and downtown Washington DC...
, John Carrère, and Brunner in 1903 to create a new urbanistic center for Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, which was a rare realisation of a "City Beautiful" plan. Other work in Ohio included the Monumental Bridge in Toledo
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
and Denison University
Denison University
Denison University is private, coeducational, and residential college of liberal arts and sciences founded in 1831. It is located in Granville, Ohio, United States, approximately 30 miles east of Columbus, the state capital...
in Granville, Ohio
Granville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 3,167 people, 1,309 households, and 888 families residing in the village. The population density was 790.4 people per square mile . There were 1,384 housing units at an average density of 345.4 per square mile...
. He also won the competition for the design of the U.S. State Department Building in Washington D.C.
Students' Hall
Students' Hall
Students' Hall, now known as Barnard Hall, is a historic educational building located on the campus of Barnard College in Morningside Heights, New York, New York. It was designed by Arnold Brunner and built in 1916 and contains classrooms. It is four stories on a raised basement built of dark red...
at Barnard College
Barnard College
Barnard College is a private women's liberal arts college and a member of the Seven Sisters. Founded in 1889, Barnard has been affiliated with Columbia University since 1900. The campus stretches along Broadway between 116th and 120th Streets in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough...
was built in 1916 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2003.