George Wyman
Encyclopedia
George Herbert Wyman was an American
architect
, most noted for designing the Bradbury Building
(304 South Broadway) in Los Angeles
.
Wyman was born in Dayton
and on leaving school was apprenticed in the architects office of his uncle, Luthor Peters. He moved to Los Angeles in 1891 where he worked as a draughtsman in the offices of Sumner Hunt
.
In 1892 Hunt was approached by the mining millionaire Lewis Bradbury to construct a landmark building for a site in down town Los Angeles. Disappointed with Hunt's design, Bradbury took the surprising step of asking the young Wyman to design the building, despite the fact that Wyman had no formal qualifications as an architect and hadn't previously designed a building. Quite why Bradbury did this is not clear, but it is possible that whilst visiting Hunt's offices, he met Wyman and was inspired by some sketches that Wyman had been working on.
Wyman had been toying with the design of a futuristic building described in Edward Bellamy
's science fiction novel and social commentary, Looking Backward
:From 2000-1887 (chapter 10)http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/BELLAMY/toc.html. In the utopia
n society of the year 2000 the hero is taken to visit a commercial store:
With the exception of the fountain, the description neatly fits the interior which Wyman achieved in the Bradbury building just six years after Bellamy's book was published.
According to a story told by Wyman's grandson, the famous sci-fi figure Forrest J Ackerman
, Wyman was troubled by the responsibility of taking on the commission. Both he and his wife Belle were Spiritualists and the couple decided to consult the spirits for guidance. Using a planchette
, a device similar to a Ouija board
, they traced out the message
Mark Wyman was George's younger brother who had died aged 8. At first they had trouble reading the final word, as it was written upside down in relation to the rest of the message http://4forry.best.vwh.net/ouija.htm.
As a result, Wyman accepted the commission, and Bradbury was pleased with the drawings and plans for a five story building at the corner of Broadway and Third Street. The building was completed a year later in 1893 although costs spiralled from $175,000 to $500,000, largely as a result of Bradbury specifying the best quality materials for all aspects of the construction.
The Bradbury building was met with critical acclaim including a positive review in Arts and Architecture magazine. However it was Wyman's only major success. In the following years, Wyman received numerous commissions for new buildings. He decided to bolster his qualification with an architectural correspondence course, but this seems to have turned him away from using interior light as an architectural element. His office buildings took on a heavy solid style and most have subsequently been demolished, whilst the Bradbury building is still much celebrated.
's science fiction movie Blade Runner
, where the decayed and dilapidated interior was used at the location for the home of the toymaker and android designer Sebastien. The building has since been restored, and the exterior is completely different from the sets used in the film.
The Bradbury Building has also featured as a location in several other Hollywood films, including Double Indemnity, "Marlowe", D.O.A., Chinatown, The Perfect Sleep, "Wolf" and Lethal Weapon 4
and TV shows like City of Angels
and The Outer Limits
.
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...
, most noted for designing the Bradbury Building
Bradbury Building
The Bradbury Building is an architectural landmark in Los Angeles, California. The building was built in 1893 and is located at 304 South Broadway in downtown.-History:...
(304 South Broadway) in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Wyman was born in Dayton
Dayton
Dayton is a city in Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, United States.Dayton may also refer to:-United States:*Dayton, Alabama*Dayton, California, in Butte County*Dayton, Lassen County, California*Dayton, Idaho*Dayton, Indiana...
and on leaving school was apprenticed in the architects office of his uncle, Luthor Peters. He moved to Los Angeles in 1891 where he worked as a draughtsman in the offices of Sumner Hunt
Sumner Hunt
Sumner P. Hunt was an architect in Los Angeles from the 1890s to the 1930s.-Practice:In partnership with architect Silas Reese Burns he designed such regional landmarks as the original building of the Southwest Museum, the Casa de Rosas, Ebell of Los Angeles, the Bradbury Building, the Los Angeles...
.
In 1892 Hunt was approached by the mining millionaire Lewis Bradbury to construct a landmark building for a site in down town Los Angeles. Disappointed with Hunt's design, Bradbury took the surprising step of asking the young Wyman to design the building, despite the fact that Wyman had no formal qualifications as an architect and hadn't previously designed a building. Quite why Bradbury did this is not clear, but it is possible that whilst visiting Hunt's offices, he met Wyman and was inspired by some sketches that Wyman had been working on.
Edward Bellamy
Edward Bellamy was an American author and socialist, most famous for his utopian novel, Looking Backward, set in the year 2000. He was a very influential writer during the Gilded Age of United States history.-Early life:...
's science fiction novel and social commentary, Looking Backward
Looking Backward
Looking Backward: 2000-1887 is a utopian science fiction novel by Edward Bellamy, a lawyer and writer from western Massachusetts; it was first published in 1887...
:From 2000-1887 (chapter 10)http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/BELLAMY/toc.html. In the utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n society of the year 2000 the hero is taken to visit a commercial store:
- It was the first interior of a twentieth-century public building that I had ever beheld, and the spectacle naturally impressed me deeply. I was in a vast hall full of light, received not alone from the windows on all sides, but from the dome, the point of which was a hundred feet above. Beneath it, in the centre of the hall, a magnificent fountain played, cooling the atmosphere to a delicious freshness with its spray. The walls and ceiling were frescoed in mellow tints, calculated to soften without absorbing the light which flooded the interior. Around the fountain was a space occupied with chairs and sofas, on which many persons were seated conversing.
With the exception of the fountain, the description neatly fits the interior which Wyman achieved in the Bradbury building just six years after Bellamy's book was published.
According to a story told by Wyman's grandson, the famous sci-fi figure Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman
Forrest J Ackerman was an American collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and a science fiction fan...
, Wyman was troubled by the responsibility of taking on the commission. Both he and his wife Belle were Spiritualists and the couple decided to consult the spirits for guidance. Using a planchette
Planchette
A planchette , from the French for "little plank", is a small, usually heart-shaped flat piece of wood that one moves around on a board to spell out messages or answer questions. Paranormal advocates believe that the planchette is moved by some extra-normal force. The motion is due to the...
, a device similar to a Ouija board
Ouija Board
Ouija Board is a Thoroughbred mare racehorse owned by Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby and trained by Ed Dunlop. In a career spanning four seasons, she won 10 of her 22 races, 7 of them Group 1s, including the Epsom Oaks in 2004 and the Hong Kong Vase in 2005...
, they traced out the message
- Mark Wyman take the Bradbury building and you will be... Successful.
Mark Wyman was George's younger brother who had died aged 8. At first they had trouble reading the final word, as it was written upside down in relation to the rest of the message http://4forry.best.vwh.net/ouija.htm.
As a result, Wyman accepted the commission, and Bradbury was pleased with the drawings and plans for a five story building at the corner of Broadway and Third Street. The building was completed a year later in 1893 although costs spiralled from $175,000 to $500,000, largely as a result of Bradbury specifying the best quality materials for all aspects of the construction.
The Bradbury building was met with critical acclaim including a positive review in Arts and Architecture magazine. However it was Wyman's only major success. In the following years, Wyman received numerous commissions for new buildings. He decided to bolster his qualification with an architectural correspondence course, but this seems to have turned him away from using interior light as an architectural element. His office buildings took on a heavy solid style and most have subsequently been demolished, whilst the Bradbury building is still much celebrated.
Cultural influence
Fittingly, given its original inspiration from 19th century science fiction, the building is perhaps best known for its appearance in Ridley ScottRidley Scott
Sir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
's science fiction movie Blade Runner
Blade Runner
Blade Runner is a 1982 American science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, and Sean Young. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K...
, where the decayed and dilapidated interior was used at the location for the home of the toymaker and android designer Sebastien. The building has since been restored, and the exterior is completely different from the sets used in the film.
The Bradbury Building has also featured as a location in several other Hollywood films, including Double Indemnity, "Marlowe", D.O.A., Chinatown, The Perfect Sleep, "Wolf" and Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American action film directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. It is the third sequel in the Lethal Weapon series of films. -Plot:...
and TV shows like City of Angels
City of Angels (1976 TV series)
City of Angels is a 1976 television series created by Stephen J. Cannell and Roy Huggins, who had previously worked together on The Rockford Files...
and The Outer Limits
The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)
The Outer Limits is an American television series that originally aired on Showtime,the Sci Fi Channel and in syndication between 1995 and 2002...
.