John J. Emery
Encyclopedia
John Josiah Emery developer of the Carew Tower
(1931) in Cincinnati, Ohio
, at the time the tallest building west of the Alleghenies, and the Netherland Plaza Hotel, opened at the same time, was a major figure in the city's cultural life for more than four decades.
He was a patrician of Cincinnati, the grandson of Thomas Emery, who settled in Cincinnati in 1832, and whose lard oil and candle business John J. Emery developed into the Emery Chemical Company, later Emery Industries. Thomas Emery had assembled sizable real estate holdings in the center of Cincinnati, which were enlarged by his son and grandson, who consolidated the family's holdings into several blocks on downtown Cincinnati. The real estate company, Thomas Emery's Sons built the first substantial apartment houses in Cincinnati as well as numerous other buildings downtown (Mercantile Library Building, The Cincinnatian Hotel and others) and in the immediately adjacent hills. After World War II, Thomas Emery's Sons built the Terrace Plaza Hotel, desined by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, placing the hotel lobby on the eighth floor, reached by elevators that by-passed the commercial floors. For the hotel he commissioned three works of art that passed to the Cincinnati Art Museum
when he sold the Terrace Plaza: a mural by Joan Miró
and a cartoon mural by Saul Steinberg
and a giant mobile by Alexander Calder
.
Born in New York, the son of John J. (d. 1908) and Lela Alexander Emery (d. 1953), he was raised on the East Coast and in Europe, after his mother married, as her second husband, the Hon. Alfred Anson, a brother of the 2nd Earl of Lichfield
. As a child and young man, his family moved each year between their houses in New York City (5 East 68th Street), Bar Harbor, Maine (The Turrets, now owned by The College of the Atlantic), Palm Beach (where his mother owned several houses) and Paris and Biarritz, France (where his mother owned a large house, later converted into a school). He prepared at Groton
for Harvard, where his education was interrupted by the First World War, after which he received his BA degree, cum laude, in 1920. He spent one year at Harvard Law School
and then went to Trinity College, Oxford, where received a diploma in Economics in 1922.
He returned to Cincinnati on a visit in 1924 and stayed to manage what he perceived to be the faltering family business. In 1926, he married Irene Langhorne Gibson, daughter of the celebrated illustrator Charles Dana Gibson
, who had been married to George B. Post III, grandson of the architect George B. Post
. They had children, all born in Cincinnati: Ethan Emery of San Miguel, Mexico, Irene Emery Goodale of Atlanta, Lela (Mrs. John Steele) and Melissa (Mrs. Addison Lanier of Cincinnati). After her death in 1973 he married Mrs. Adele H. Olyphant, on December 3, 1975.
He was a founder of the Cincinnati Country Day School, a leading trustee and important benefactor of the Cincinnati Art Museum
. He served as vice-president of the Boy Scouts of America
in the Cincinnati area, and was an original member of the Cincinnati Public Recreation Commission. He was for many years the chief executive officer of both Emery Industries, Inc. and Thomas Emery's Sons, Inc. He and his family spent summers in Dark Harbor, Maine on Seven Hundred Acre Island, where his father-in-law, Charles Dana Gibson had build a house beginning in 1904. During those summers, the children were tutored in preparation for school, including daughter Lela who prior to leaving home for the Foxcroft School in 1944 was tutored by Constance Fraser at their homes at Peterloon and on Seven Hundred Acre Island.
In 1929, he began constructing his 1200 acres (4.9 km²) estate, Peterloon immediately north of Indian Hill
, then a rural outer suburb of Cincinnati to which some affluent citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio
were moving in search of a country life-style. Indian Hill of the 1930's revolved around the Camargo Club and the Camargo Hunt. Since his death, much of Peterloon has been divided into housing lots, leaving the neo-Georgian brick house on 72 acres (291,373.9 m²) as an event destination owned by The Peterloon Foundation. The house was designed by Delano and Aldrich
of New York, who also designed a five-bedroom stucco cottage nearby, in which the Emery family could live while the Peterloon house was being built.
He died in 1976 and is buried at the Indian Hill Church near Cincinnati.
Carew Tower
Carew Tower is the second tallest building in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. However, it is still the highest elevated building in the city. The Great American Insurance building is only taller because of the basement. Completed in 1930, it stands 49 stories tall in the heart of downtown,...
(1931) in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, at the time the tallest building west of the Alleghenies, and the Netherland Plaza Hotel, opened at the same time, was a major figure in the city's cultural life for more than four decades.
He was a patrician of Cincinnati, the grandson of Thomas Emery, who settled in Cincinnati in 1832, and whose lard oil and candle business John J. Emery developed into the Emery Chemical Company, later Emery Industries. Thomas Emery had assembled sizable real estate holdings in the center of Cincinnati, which were enlarged by his son and grandson, who consolidated the family's holdings into several blocks on downtown Cincinnati. The real estate company, Thomas Emery's Sons built the first substantial apartment houses in Cincinnati as well as numerous other buildings downtown (Mercantile Library Building, The Cincinnatian Hotel and others) and in the immediately adjacent hills. After World War II, Thomas Emery's Sons built the Terrace Plaza Hotel, desined by Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, placing the hotel lobby on the eighth floor, reached by elevators that by-passed the commercial floors. For the hotel he commissioned three works of art that passed to the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
when he sold the Terrace Plaza: a mural by Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
and a cartoon mural by Saul Steinberg
Saul Steinberg
Saul Steinberg was a Romanian-born American cartoonist and illustrator, best known for his work for The New Yorker.-Biography:...
and a giant mobile by Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
.
Born in New York, the son of John J. (d. 1908) and Lela Alexander Emery (d. 1953), he was raised on the East Coast and in Europe, after his mother married, as her second husband, the Hon. Alfred Anson, a brother of the 2nd Earl of Lichfield
Earl of Lichfield
Earl of Lichfield is a title that has been created three times in British history. Lord Bernard Stewart, youngest son of Esmé Stewart, 1st Duke of Lennox, was to be created Earl of Lichfield by Charles I for his actions at the battles of Newbury and Naseby but died before the creation could...
. As a child and young man, his family moved each year between their houses in New York City (5 East 68th Street), Bar Harbor, Maine (The Turrets, now owned by The College of the Atlantic), Palm Beach (where his mother owned several houses) and Paris and Biarritz, France (where his mother owned a large house, later converted into a school). He prepared at Groton
Groton
Groton is the name of several places :In England:*Groton, Suffolk**Groton WoodIn the United States of America:*Groton, Connecticut, a town**Groton , Connecticut, within the town*Groton, Massachusetts*Groton, New Hampshire*Groton , New York...
for Harvard, where his education was interrupted by the First World War, after which he received his BA degree, cum laude, in 1920. He spent one year at Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
and then went to Trinity College, Oxford, where received a diploma in Economics in 1922.
He returned to Cincinnati on a visit in 1924 and stayed to manage what he perceived to be the faltering family business. In 1926, he married Irene Langhorne Gibson, daughter of the celebrated illustrator Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson
Charles Dana Gibson was an American graphic artist, best known for his creation of the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century....
, who had been married to George B. Post III, grandson of the architect 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...
. They had children, all born in Cincinnati: Ethan Emery of San Miguel, Mexico, Irene Emery Goodale of Atlanta, Lela (Mrs. John Steele) and Melissa (Mrs. Addison Lanier of Cincinnati). After her death in 1973 he married Mrs. Adele H. Olyphant, on December 3, 1975.
He was a founder of the Cincinnati Country Day School, a leading trustee and important benefactor of the Cincinnati Art Museum
Cincinnati Art Museum
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of the oldest art museums in the United States. Founded in 1881, it was the first purpose-built art museum west of the Alleghenies. Its collection of over 60,000 works make it one of the most comprehensive collections in the Midwest.Museum founders debated locating...
. He served as vice-president of the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
in the Cincinnati area, and was an original member of the Cincinnati Public Recreation Commission. He was for many years the chief executive officer of both Emery Industries, Inc. and Thomas Emery's Sons, Inc. He and his family spent summers in Dark Harbor, Maine on Seven Hundred Acre Island, where his father-in-law, Charles Dana Gibson had build a house beginning in 1904. During those summers, the children were tutored in preparation for school, including daughter Lela who prior to leaving home for the Foxcroft School in 1944 was tutored by Constance Fraser at their homes at Peterloon and on Seven Hundred Acre Island.
In 1929, he began constructing his 1200 acres (4.9 km²) estate, Peterloon immediately north of Indian Hill
Indian Hill, Ohio
The Village of Indian Hill is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an affluent suburb of the Greater Cincinnati area. The population was 5,907 at the 2000 census. Prior to 1970, Indian Hill was incorporated as a village, but under Ohio law became designated as a city once its...
, then a rural outer suburb of Cincinnati to which some affluent citizens of Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
were moving in search of a country life-style. Indian Hill of the 1930's revolved around the Camargo Club and the Camargo Hunt. Since his death, much of Peterloon has been divided into housing lots, leaving the neo-Georgian brick house on 72 acres (291,373.9 m²) as an event destination owned by The Peterloon Foundation. The house was designed by Delano and Aldrich
William Adams Delano
William Adams Delano , an American architect, was a partner with Chester Holmes Aldrich in the firm of Delano & Aldrich. The firm worked in the Beaux-Arts tradition for elite clients in New York City, Long Island and elsewhere, building townhouses, country houses, clubs, banks and buildings for...
of New York, who also designed a five-bedroom stucco cottage nearby, in which the Emery family could live while the Peterloon house was being built.
He died in 1976 and is buried at the Indian Hill Church near Cincinnati.