Harvey Wiley Corbett
Encyclopedia
Harvey Wiley Corbett was an American architect primarily known for skyscraper
and office building designs in New York and London, and his advocacy of tall buildings and modernism in architecture.
and then was educated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris
. After his graduation in 1900, he started work in the firm of Cass Gilbert
.
One of Corbett's early commissions during the 1910s was for the landmark Springfield Municipal Group
, two large municipal buildings with a tower in Springfield, Massachusetts
As part of the firm of Helmle & Corbett, Harvey Wiley Corbett designed Bush Tower
, a 30-story Neo-Gothic
skyscraper built for the Bush Terminal Company
on 42nd St.
near Times Square
, Manhattan
. The tower, "with its prominent position and slight setbacks in buff, white and black brick, marked his début as an influential skyscraper designer."
Corbett's next major commission was in London
, where again working for Irving T. Bush
and the Bush Terminal Co., he was the architect for Bush House, a massive and essentially American-style office building built within the limits of strict London building codes.
Later in the 1920s, Harvey Wiley Corbett was part of one of the three firms that designed Rockefeller Center
in New York. Corbett however left the Rockefeller Center project in 1928 so he could work on plans for the Metropolitan Life North Building
, designed as a 100-story skyscraper and the world's tallest building, but eventually built as a 32-story tower during the Great Depression
.
H.W. Corbett continued to design some structures during the Great Depression, including the 1939-1941 courthouse structure of the New York City Criminal Courts Building (The Tombs
).
In 1922, Corbett commissioned delineator and architect Hugh Ferriss
to draw a series of four step-by-step perspectives demonstrating the architectural consequences of New York's "setback" zoning law. These four drawings would later be used in Ferriss's 1929 book "The Metropolis of Tomorrow". By demonstrating how architecture might evolve, Corbett's commission and Ferriss's book continue to influence popular culture; the Gotham City
of Batman
and the cities seen in the 2004 movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
both were influenced by Corbett and Ferriss.
In the late 1920s, the impact of skyscrapers on cities and downtowns was still hotly debated. Harvey Corbett defended the benefits of tall buildings against skyscraper detractors in articles published in the New York Times Magazine and the National Municipal Journal in 1927.
In 1930, Corbett described modernism in architecture as a "freeing of the shackles of style that for years have forced architects to erect duplicates of Grecian temples for bank buildings, regardless of modern requirements for light, air, and utility."
H.W. Corbett lectured at the Columbia School of Architecture at Columbia University
in New York from 1907 to the 1930s, further influencing a generation of architects.
(1921) on the U.S.-Canadian
border and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial
in Virginia (cornerstone laid in 1923).
Later, Corbett shaped the course of architecture by heading the architectural committee of the 1933 World's Fair
(the "Century of Progress" exhibition) in Chicago
. He was also chairman of the advisory committee of architects that created the theme for the modernistic 1939 New York World's Fair
. Both fairs were influential examples of modern architecture.
Because of his work in America and England, Harvey Corbett was simultaneously a fellow of the American Institute of Architects
and the Royal Institute of British Architects
. One month before his death, the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects granted him their annual award for career achievement.
Today, Corbett's papers are contained within the collection of the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library
at Columbia University.
Skyscraper
A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...
and office building designs in New York and London, and his advocacy of tall buildings and modernism in architecture.
Early life and career
Harvey Wiley Corbett was a San Francisco native. He was an 1895 graduate of the engineering program at the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and then was educated at the Ecole des Beaux Arts 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...
. After his graduation in 1900, he started work in the firm of Cass Gilbert
Cass Gilbert
- Historical impact :Gilbert is considered a skyscraper pioneer; when designing the Woolworth Building he moved into unproven ground — though he certainly was aware of the ground-breaking work done by Chicago architects on skyscrapers and once discussed merging firms with the legendary Daniel...
.
One of Corbett's early commissions during the 1910s was for the landmark Springfield Municipal Group
Springfield Municipal Group
The Municipal Group of Springfield, Massachusetts is a collection of three prominent municipal buildings in the city's Metro Center district. Consisting of a concert hall, City Hall, and a clocktower, the Group is a center of government and culture in the city.-Layout:Bounded by Court and Pynchon...
, two large municipal buildings with a tower in Springfield, Massachusetts
1917-1930s: H. W. Corbett's Greatest Influence
Bush Tower
Bush Tower, also called the Bush Terminal International Exhibit Building is an historic thirty-story skyscraper located just east of Times Square at 130-132 West 42nd Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1916-18 for Irving T. Bush's Bush...
, a 30-story Neo-Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
skyscraper built for the Bush Terminal Company
Bush Terminal
Bush Terminal now known as Industry City is a historic intermodal shipping, warehousing, and manufacturing complex on the waterfront in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City...
on 42nd St.
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
near Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
, Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. The tower, "with its prominent position and slight setbacks in buff, white and black brick, marked his début as an influential skyscraper designer."
Corbett's next major commission was in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where again working for Irving T. Bush
Irving T. Bush
Irving T. Bush was an American businessman. His father was the wealthy industrialist, oil refinery owner, and yachtsman Rufus T. Bush. As founder of the Bush Terminal Company, Irving T...
and the Bush Terminal Co., he was the architect for Bush House, a massive and essentially American-style office building built within the limits of strict London building codes.
Later in the 1920s, Harvey Wiley Corbett was part of one of the three firms that designed Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center
Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National...
in New York. Corbett however left the Rockefeller Center project in 1928 so he could work on plans for the Metropolitan Life North Building
Metropolitan Life North Building
The Metropolitan Life North Building, currently known as Eleven Madison, is a 30-story art deco skyscraper on Madison Square Park in Manhattan, New York City, at 11-25 Madison Avenue. The building is bordered by East 24th Street, Madison Avenue, East 25th Street and Park Avenue South, and is...
, designed as a 100-story skyscraper and the world's tallest building, but eventually built as a 32-story tower during the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
H.W. Corbett continued to design some structures during the Great Depression, including the 1939-1941 courthouse structure of the New York City Criminal Courts Building (The Tombs
The Tombs
"The Tombs" is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the popular name of a series of preceding downtown jails, the first of which was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style of architecture.The nickname has been used...
).
Views and Writings
According to his obituary in the New York Times, Harvey Wiley Corbett was a longtime and ardent champion of skyscrapers and modernism.In 1922, Corbett commissioned delineator and architect Hugh Ferriss
Hugh Ferriss
Hugh Ferriss was an American delineator and architect. According to Daniel Okrent, Ferriss never designed a single noteworthy building, but after his death a colleague said he 'influenced my generation of architects' more than any other man...
to draw a series of four step-by-step perspectives demonstrating the architectural consequences of New York's "setback" zoning law. These four drawings would later be used in Ferriss's 1929 book "The Metropolis of Tomorrow". By demonstrating how architecture might evolve, Corbett's commission and Ferriss's book continue to influence popular culture; the Gotham City
Gotham City
Gotham City is a fictional U.S. city appearing in DC Comics, best known as the home of Batman. Batman's place of residence was first identified as Gotham City in Batman #4 . Gotham City is strongly inspired by Trenton, Ontario's history, location, atmosphere, and various architectural styles...
of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
and the cities seen in the 2004 movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a 2004 American pulp adventure science-fiction film written and directed by Kerry Conran in his directorial debut. The film is set in an alternative 1939 and follows the adventures of Polly Perkins , a newspaper reporter, and Harry Joseph "Joe" Sullivan ,...
both were influenced by Corbett and Ferriss.
In the late 1920s, the impact of skyscrapers on cities and downtowns was still hotly debated. Harvey Corbett defended the benefits of tall buildings against skyscraper detractors in articles published in the New York Times Magazine and the National Municipal Journal in 1927.
In 1930, Corbett described modernism in architecture as a "freeing of the shackles of style that for years have forced architects to erect duplicates of Grecian temples for bank buildings, regardless of modern requirements for light, air, and utility."
H.W. Corbett lectured at the Columbia School of Architecture 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...
in New York from 1907 to the 1930s, further influencing a generation of architects.
Other Contributions and Legacy
In addition to his work on skyscrapers, office buildings, and municipal buildings, Harvey Wiley Corbett designed monuments such as the Peace ArchPeace Arch
The Peace Arch is a monument situated on the Canada – United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. The Peace Arch, which stands...
(1921) on the U.S.-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
border and the George Washington Masonic National Memorial
George Washington Masonic National Memorial
George Washington Masonic National Memorial is a Masonic building and memorial located in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.. It is dedicated to the memory of George Washington, the first President of the United States and a Mason. The tower is fashioned after the ancient Lighthouse of...
in Virginia (cornerstone laid in 1923).
Later, Corbett shaped the course of architecture by heading the architectural committee of the 1933 World's Fair
Century of Progress
A Century of Progress International Exposition was the name of a World's Fair held in Chicago from 1933 to 1934 to celebrate the city's centennial. The theme of the fair was technological innovation...
(the "Century of Progress" exhibition) in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He was also chairman of the advisory committee of architects that created the theme for the modernistic 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. Both fairs were influential examples of modern architecture.
Because of his work in America and England, Harvey Corbett was simultaneously 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...
and the Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institute of British Architects
The Royal Institute of British Architects is a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally.-History:...
. One month before his death, the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects granted him their annual award for career achievement.
Today, Corbett's papers are contained within the collection of the 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.
Structures Designed by Harvey Wiley Corbett (selection)
- New York School of Applied Design for WomenNew York School of Applied Design for WomenThe New York School of Applied Design for Women was an early design school for women in New York City.The school was established in 1892 by philanthropist Ellen Dunlop Hopkins as part of the Arts and Crafts movement...
(1909) - Bush TowerBush TowerBush Tower, also called the Bush Terminal International Exhibit Building is an historic thirty-story skyscraper located just east of Times Square at 130-132 West 42nd Street between Broadway and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1916-18 for Irving T. Bush's Bush...
- Bush House
- Pennsylvania Power & Light BuildingPennsylvania Power & Light BuildingThe Pennsylvania Power and Light Building, whose exterior designs were made by the famous Ukrainian sculptor Alexander Archipenko in 1928, is the tallest building in Allentown, Pennsylvania, USA. At the time of creation, the building had one of the fastest moving elevators.- References :...
(1928) at 28 stories, the tallest building in Allentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown, PennsylvaniaAllentown is a city located in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, in the United States. It is Pennsylvania's third most populous city, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, and the 215th largest city in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 118,032 and is currently... - Master ApartmentsMaster ApartmentsThe Master Apartments is a landmark 29-story art Deco skyscraper on Riverside Drive, Upper West Side, Manhattan, New York City. Its address is 310 Riverside Drive. It sits on the Northeast corner of Riverside Drive and West 103rd Street. It is one of the city's major Art Deco residential buildings...
(1929) 310-312 Riverside Drive (at 103d St.), New York City - Metropolitan Life North BuildingMetropolitan Life North BuildingThe Metropolitan Life North Building, currently known as Eleven Madison, is a 30-story art deco skyscraper on Madison Square Park in Manhattan, New York City, at 11-25 Madison Avenue. The building is bordered by East 24th Street, Madison Avenue, East 25th Street and Park Avenue South, and is...
- New York City Criminal Courts Building (The TombsThe Tombs"The Tombs" is the colloquial name for the Manhattan Detention Complex, a jail in Lower Manhattan at 125 White Street, as well as the popular name of a series of preceding downtown jails, the first of which was built in 1838 in the Egyptian Revival style of architecture.The nickname has been used...
): (South Tower), 1939. - Springfield Municipal GroupSpringfield Municipal GroupThe Municipal Group of Springfield, Massachusetts is a collection of three prominent municipal buildings in the city's Metro Center district. Consisting of a concert hall, City Hall, and a clocktower, the Group is a center of government and culture in the city.-Layout:Bounded by Court and Pynchon...
in Springfield, Massachusetts - Peace ArchPeace ArchThe Peace Arch is a monument situated on the Canada – United States border between the communities of Blaine, Washington and Surrey, British Columbia. The Peace Arch, which stands...
- George Washington Masonic National MemorialGeorge Washington Masonic National MemorialGeorge Washington Masonic National Memorial is a Masonic building and memorial located in Alexandria, Virginia, outside Washington, D.C.. It is dedicated to the memory of George Washington, the first President of the United States and a Mason. The tower is fashioned after the ancient Lighthouse of...
External links
- Corbett, Harvey Wiley on artnet.com, derived from the Grove Dictionary of ArtGrove Dictionary of ArtGrove Art Online, formerly The Dictionary of Art but usually known as The Grove Dictionary of Art, is a large encyclopedia of art, now part of the online reference publications of Oxford University Press, and previously a 34-volume printed encyclopedia when last published on paper in 1996...
Further reading
- Stoller, Paul D. (1995). The Architecture of Harvey Wiley Corbett Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
- Willis, Carol (1982). "Corbett, Harvey Wiley." Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects, ed. Adolf K. Placzek. New York: The Free Press, pp. 451–452