John Appleton Wilson
Encyclopedia
John Appleton Wilson was an American
architect
.
, Maryland
, the oldest son of Rev. Franklin Wilson, a well-known Baptist
minister, and Virginia Appleton Wilson. He attended private schools and Columbian College (now the George Washington University) in Washington, D.C.
, and later studied architecture
at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(M.I.T.). After leaving M.I.T. he continued his education in the office of Baldwin & Price in Baltimore. On October 16, 1877 he married Mary Wade of Virginia. The couple resided at 1013 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, and had a summer home at Monterey in Franklin County
, Pennsylvania
. The couple had one daughter, Virginia Appleton Wilson.
Wilson was an active member of historical and professional societies. He was a member and secretary
of the Maryland Historical Society
, vice-president of the Sons of the Revolution, and historian for the Society of the War of 1812
. He held many offices of the Maryland Society of Colonial Wars including treasurer
, member of the council, chair of the membership committee, and deputy governor general from Maryland for the national society. Wilson also served on the Baltimore Municipal Art Commission and was an early member of the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects
, joining in 1879. He was a member of the University Club and a director of the Colonial Trust Company. The Wilsons were also involved in philanthropic work, with John serving on the board of governors of the Maryland School for Boys and as a trustee
of the Baltimore Orphan Asylum, and Mary as the president of the asylum from 1896 to 1918.
Wilson died at his home in Baltimore on April 17, 1927 following a brief illness. His estate was valued at $110,715 and was divided between his wife and daughter, who were given joint ownership of the Wilson homes in Baltimore and in Pennsylvania.
. Wilson worked on the restoration of Fort McHenry
, restoration of the Mount Clare estate and park, and the marking of the grave of Sir Robert Eden
, Maryland's last colonial governor
. Additionally, he designed the monument to the 2nd Maryland Battalion C.S.A.
(1st Maryland C.S.A. originally), on Culp's Hill
, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
as well as churches and community and industrial buildings in Maryland, North Carolina
, and Virginia
.
On February 2, 1894, the Maryland State Senate
requested that Wilson team up with the well known Annapolis
artist Frank B. Mayer to conduct a study of the feasibility of restoring the Maryland State House
old Senate Chamber. The State wanted to restore it to the condition it had been in when George Washington
resigned his commission as commander-in-chief
of the Continental Army
in 1783. After six weeks of working without pay, Mayer
and Wilson issued their report on March 19, 1894, that listed items to be repaired, replaced, or reproduced and estimated the total cost to be $6,150. They concluded their report with a recommendation that the work be started immediately, however, much to their dismay the work was not begun until Governor Edwin Warfield
acted on the issue in 1904 and 1905. Wilson, commenting on his act of charity, said, "It was a labor of love unto the end."
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...
.
Personal life
Wilson was born in BaltimoreBaltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, the oldest son of Rev. Franklin Wilson, a well-known Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
minister, and Virginia Appleton Wilson. He attended private schools and Columbian College (now the George Washington University) in 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....
, and later studied architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
at the 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...
(M.I.T.). After leaving M.I.T. he continued his education in the office of Baldwin & Price in Baltimore. On October 16, 1877 he married Mary Wade of Virginia. The couple resided at 1013 St. Paul Street, Baltimore, and had a summer home at Monterey in Franklin County
Franklin County, Pennsylvania
As of the census of 2000, there were 129,313 people, 50,633 households, and 36,405 families residing in the county. The population density was 168 people per square mile . There were 53,803 housing units at an average density of 70 per square mile...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The couple had one daughter, Virginia Appleton Wilson.
Wilson was an active member of historical and professional societies. He was a member and secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
of the Maryland Historical Society
Maryland Historical Society
The Maryland Historical Society , founded in 1844, is the oldest cultural institution in the U.S. state of Maryland. The society "collects, preserves, and interprets objects and materials reflecting Maryland's diverse heritage." MdHS has a museum, library, holds educational programs, and publishes...
, vice-president of the Sons of the Revolution, and historian for the Society of the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
. He held many offices of the Maryland Society of Colonial Wars including treasurer
Treasurer
A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
, member of the council, chair of the membership committee, and deputy governor general from Maryland for the national society. Wilson also served on the Baltimore Municipal Art Commission and was an early member of the Baltimore chapter 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...
, joining in 1879. He was a member of the University Club and a director of the Colonial Trust Company. The Wilsons were also involved in philanthropic work, with John serving on the board of governors of the Maryland School for Boys and as a trustee
Trustee
Trustee is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, can refer to any person who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility for the benefit of another...
of the Baltimore Orphan Asylum, and Mary as the president of the asylum from 1896 to 1918.
Wilson died at his home in Baltimore on April 17, 1927 following a brief illness. His estate was valued at $110,715 and was divided between his wife and daughter, who were given joint ownership of the Wilson homes in Baltimore and in Pennsylvania.
Professional life
Wilson and his cousin, William Thomas Wilson, formed a partnership and named their new firm J.A. & W.T. Wilson, Architects. This architectural firm designed Baltimore homes from the end of the nineteenth century until William's death in 1907. Some of the more notable estates were built for Catherine L McKim. He designed McKim's home first and then 14 more upon her property at Belvidere Terrace, all designed in the Queen Anne styleQueen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
. Wilson worked on the restoration of Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
, restoration of the Mount Clare estate and park, and the marking of the grave of Sir Robert Eden
Robert Eden
Sir Robert Eden, 1st Baronet, of Maryland, 23rd Proprietary Governor of Maryland was a British colonial official and the last Royal Governor of Maryland...
, Maryland's last colonial governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
. Additionally, he designed the monument to the 2nd Maryland Battalion C.S.A.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
(1st Maryland C.S.A. originally), on Culp's Hill
Culp's Hill
Culps Hill is a Battle of Gettysburg landform south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, with a heavily wooded summit of . The east slope is to Rock Creek , 160 feet lower in elevation, and the west slope is to a saddle with Stevens Knoll with a summit lower than the Culps Hill summit...
, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Gettysburg is a borough that is the county seat, part of the Gettysburg Battlefield, and the eponym for the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The town hosts visitors to the Gettysburg National Military Park and has 3 institutions of higher learning: Lutheran Theological Seminary, Gettysburg College, and...
as well as churches and community and industrial buildings in Maryland, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
On February 2, 1894, the Maryland State Senate
Maryland State Senate
The Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland...
requested that Wilson team up with the well known Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis 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...
artist Frank B. Mayer to conduct a study of the feasibility of restoring the Maryland State House
Maryland State House
The Maryland State House is located in Annapolis and is the oldest state capitol in continuous legislative use, dating to 1772. It houses the Maryland General Assembly and offices of the Governor and Lieutenant Governor. The capitol has the distinction of being topped by the largest wooden dome in...
old Senate Chamber. The State wanted to restore it to the condition it had been in when George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
resigned his commission as commander-in-chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the Continental Army
Continental Army
The Continental Army was formed after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War by the colonies that became the United States of America. Established by a resolution of the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775, it was created to coordinate the military efforts of the Thirteen Colonies in...
in 1783. After six weeks of working without pay, Mayer
Mayer
- Surnames :* Adolf Mayer , a German-Dutch virologist* Albrecht Mayer , a German classical oboist* Alfred G. Mayer , an American cnidariologist and entomologist* Arno J...
and Wilson issued their report on March 19, 1894, that listed items to be repaired, replaced, or reproduced and estimated the total cost to be $6,150. They concluded their report with a recommendation that the work be started immediately, however, much to their dismay the work was not begun until Governor Edwin Warfield
Edwin Warfield
Edwin Warfield , a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 45th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1904 to 1908.-Early life:...
acted on the issue in 1904 and 1905. Wilson, commenting on his act of charity, said, "It was a labor of love unto the end."