Ernest Flagg
Encyclopedia
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...
in the Beaux-Arts style. He was also an advocate for urban reform and architecture's social responsibility
Social responsibility
Social responsibility is an ethical ideology or theory that an entity, be it an organization or individual, has an obligation to act to benefit society at large. Social responsibility is a duty every individual or organization has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the...
.
Biography
Flagg was born in Brooklyn, New York, and left school at 15 to work as an office boy on Wall Street. After working with his father and brothers in real estate for a few years, he designed duplex apartment plans in 1880 with the architect Philip Gengembre HubertPhilip Gengembre Hubert
Philip Gengembre Hubert, Sr., AIA, was a founder of the New York City architectural firm Hubert & Pirsson with James W. Pirsson...
, for the co-operative apartment buildings Hubert was known for.
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II
Cornelius Vanderbilt II was an American socialite, heir, businessman, and a member of the prominent United States Vanderbilt family....
, Flagg’s cousin through his marriage to Alice Claypoole Gwynne, was impressed by Flagg’s work and sent him to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The most famous is the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, now located on the left bank in Paris, across the Seine from the Louvre, in the 6th arrondissement. The school has a history spanning more than 350 years,...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
from 1889–1891, under his patronage. In 1891, Flagg began his architectural practice in New York, greatly influenced by his knowledge of the French ideas of architectural design, such as structural rationalism.
During this time he joined with John Prentiss Benson
John Prentiss Benson
John Prentiss Benson was an American architect and artist noted for his maritime paintings.-Early life:...
to create Flagg & Benson, which later became Flagg, Benson & Brockway with the addition of Albert Leverett Brockway. FB&B designed St. Luke’s Hospital
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center
St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, an academic affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a 1,076-bed, full-service community and tertiary care hospital serving New York City’s Midtown West, Upper West Side and parts of Harlem....
in New York City.
In 1894, he established the architectural firm of Flagg & Chambers with Walter B. Chambers
Walter B. Chambers
Walter Boughton Chambers was a successful New York architect whose buildings continue to be landmarks in the city’s skyline and whose contributions to architectural education were far-reaching....
, whom he met in Paris. Usually, Flagg alone credited for some of the work he and Chambers worked on together, such as the Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
.
His contributions to zoning
Zoning
Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...
and height regulations were essential to New York's first laws governing this aspect of the city's architecture. Flagg argued in favor of zoning laws which would regulate the height and setback of buildings, to allow light and air to reach the streets below them. He was a president of the New York Society of Beaux-Arts Architects. A small collection of Flagg's personal and professional papers is held in the Department of Drawings & Archives at Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
The Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library is one of twenty-five libraries in the Columbia University Library System and is located in Avery Hall on the Morningside Heights campus of Columbia University in the City of New York. It is the largest architecture library in the world...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
.
Ernest Flagg married Margaret E. Bonnell on June 27, 1899 in New York City. They had one daughter, Betsey Flagg, who married John Melcher and become a well-respected small-scale portrait painter.
In 1912, Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Flagg were on their way to a party held by Stowe Phelps, a fellow architect, when their limousine struck and killed a boy (James McNamara) who had suddenly skated in front of the car. The couple drove the boy to the hospital but he died en route.
Projects
- Scribner BuildingScribner BuildingThe Scribner Building, also known as Old Scribner Building, was designed by Ernest Flagg in a Beaux Arts style and was built in 1893. It is located at 153-157th Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, at 21st Street...
, New York CityNew York CityNew 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...
, 1893 - Unused plan for the Washington State CapitolWashington State CapitolThe Washington State Capitol or Legislative Building in Olympia is the home of the government of the state of Washington. It contains chambers for the Washington State Legislature and offices for the governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state and treasurer and is part of a campus consisting...
at Olympia, WashingtonOlympia, WashingtonOlympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, 1893 - Gov. Samuel J. Tilden MonumentGov. Samuel J. Tilden MonumentGov. Samuel J. Tilden Monument is a historic funeral monument located in Cemetery of the Evergreens at New Lebanon in Columbia County, New York. It was designed by noted architect Ernest Flagg and built in 1895-1896. It contains the remains of New York State Governor Samuel J. Tilden...
, New Lebanon, New YorkNew Lebanon, New YorkNew Lebanon is a town in Columbia County, New York, U.S., southeast of Albany. In 1910, 1,378 people lived in New Lebanon, New York. The population was 2,454 at the 2000 census.The town of New Lebanon is in the northeast part of Columbia County...
, 1895–1896 - St. Nicholas Skating RinkSt. Nicholas RinkThe St. Nicholas Rink, also called the St. Nicholas Arena, was an indoor ice rink, and later a boxing arena in New York, New York, from 1896 until 1962. The rink was the second ice rink utilizing mechanically frozen ice for its surface in North America, , enabling a longer season for skating sports...
, 69 West 66th Street, New York – 1896 - St. Luke’s HospitalSt. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital CenterSt. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital Center, an academic affiliate of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, is a 1,076-bed, full-service community and tertiary care hospital serving New York City’s Midtown West, Upper West Side and parts of Harlem....
, New York City, 1896 - Hotel Greenwich/Mills Hotel No. 1, New York City, 1896
- Mills Hotel No. 2, New York City, 1897
- Corcoran Gallery of ArtCorcoran Gallery of ArtThe Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, 1897 - Indian Neck HallIndian Neck HallIndian Neck Hall was a country residence of Frederick Gilbert Bourne, president of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. Located on the Great South Bay in Oakdale, New York, it was reputed to have been the largest estate on Long Island when it was built in 1897. The Georgian-style home was designed...
, estate of Frederick Gilbert BourneFrederick Gilbert BourneFrederick Gilbert "Commodore" Bourne was President of the Singer Manufacturing Company between 1889 and 1905. He made the business "perhaps the first modern multinational industrial enterprise of any nationality." Bourne greatly expanded global production as well as international sales of the...
, Oakdale, New YorkOakdale, New YorkOakdale is a hamlet in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 8,075 at the 2000 census. Oakdale is in the Town of Islip.- History :...
, 1897 - Engine Co. No. 33, New York City, 1898
- Ernest Flagg residence, gatehouse and gateFlagg PlaceFlagg Place is a residential yet important north-south artery in the Dongan Hills and Todt Hill neighborhoods of New York City, in the borough of Staten Island, New York. Flagg Place begins at Four Corners Road, just west of its intersection with Richmond Road and Seaview Avenue...
, Staten IslandStaten IslandStaten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York, 1900 - Cherokee Apartments, New York City, 1900
- Armenian General Benevolent Union of America, New York City, c. 1900
- Charlesbank Apartments, Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1900, demolished c. 1960
- Sheldon Library (now admissions office), St. Paul's SchoolSt. Paul's School (Concord, New Hampshire)St. Paul's School is a highly selective college-preparatory, coeducational boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire affiliated with the Episcopal Church. The school is one of only six remaining 100% residential boarding schools in the U.S. The New Hampshire campus currently serves 533 students,...
, Concord, New HampshireConcord, New HampshireThe city of Concord is the capital of the state of New Hampshire in the United States. It is also the county seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2010 census, its population was 42,695....
, 1901 - Lawrence Library, Pepperell, MassachusettsPepperell, MassachusettsPepperell is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,497 at the 2010 census. It includes the village of East Pepperell.-History:...
, 1901 - Regency Whist Club, New York City, 1904
- The Towers, a "castle" on Dark IslandDark IslandDark Island, a prominent feature of the St. Lawrence Seaway, is located in the lower Thousand Islands region, near Chippewa Bay. A historic landmark here, "The Towers" was long known as Dark Island Castle until recently renamed "Singer Castle". The island itself sits only a few yards south of...
, St. Lawrence Seaway, 1905 - Buildings at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis, MarylandAnnapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
, including Bancroft HallBancroft HallBancroft Hall at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, is the largest single dormitory in the world. Bancroft Hall, named after former Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft, is home for the entire brigade of 4,000 midshipmen, and contains some 1,700 rooms, of corridors, and of...
(1901–1906), the Naval Academy ChapelNaval Academy ChapelThe United States Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, is one of two houses of worship on the grounds of the Navy's service academy. Protestant and Catholic services are held there. The Naval Academy Chapel is a focal point of the Academy and the city of Annapolis...
(1908), Mahan Hall, Maury Hall, Sampson Hall, and the Superintendent's residence - Clark Memorial Chapel, Pomfret SchoolPomfret SchoolPomfret School is an independent coeducational boarding and day school in Pomfret, Connecticut, United States for grades 9 through 12 plus a post-graduate year. Pomfret School was founded in 1894, on the principles of intellectual rigor and the development of character...
, Pomfret, ConnecticutPomfret, ConnecticutPomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,798 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
, 1907 - "Little" Singer Building, New York City, 1907
- Singer BuildingSinger BuildingThe Singer Building or Singer Tower at Liberty Street and Broadway in Manhattan, was a 47-story office building completed in 1908 as the headquarters of the Singer Manufacturing Company. It was demolished in 1968 and is now the site of 1 Liberty Plaza....
, New York City, 1908, demolished 1968 - Charles Scribner Residence, later Polish Delegation to the United NationsUnited NationsThe United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, New York City, 1912 - Charles Scribner's Sons BuildingCharles Scribner's Sons BuildingCharles Scribner's Sons Building is a building in Manhattan at 597 Fifth Avenue, built 1912-13 to house the Scribner's Bookstore.It was designed by Ernest Flagg in a Beaux Arts style...
, New York City, 1913 - Merrill House, Vinegar Hill Historic DistrictVinegar Hill Historic DistrictThe Vinegar Hill Historic District is a historic district and neighborhood in Bloomington, Indiana, United States. Built primarily in the second quarter of the twentieth century, Vinegar Hill has been the home of leading Indiana University faculty members, it has inspired literary attention, and...
, Bloomington, IndianaBloomington, IndianaBloomington is a city in and the county seat of Monroe County in the southern region of the U.S. state of Indiana. The population was 80,405 at the 2010 census....
, 1928 - Celtic Park apartments, Queens, New York, 1930
- Flagg Court housing development, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York, 1933–36
Selected writings
- Small Houses: Their Economic Design and Construction (1922)
- Le Naos du Parthenon (1928)
Further reading
- Mardges Bacon, Ernest Flagg: Beaux-Arts Architect and Urban Reformer, MIT Press (1986)
- Paul Malo, "Boldt Castle," Laurentian Press (2001)
- Paul Malo, "Fools' Paradise," Laurentian Press (2003)
External links
- Ernest Flagg at NYC Architecture
- Ernest Flagg at MIT PressMIT PressThe MIT Press is a university press affiliated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts .-History:...
- Buildings by Ernest Flagg at the Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
's Historic American Buildings SurveyHistoric American Buildings SurveyThe Historic American Buildings Survey , Historic American Engineering Record , and Historic American Landscapes Survey are programs of the National Park Service established for the purpose of documenting historic places. Records consists of measured drawings, archival photographs, and written...
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