William Tuthill
Encyclopedia
William Burnet Tuthill was an American architect celebrated for designing New York City's Carnegie Hall
.
, NY on February 11, 1855, the son of George Flavius Tuthill and Jane Louise Price. Tuthill graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1875. He trained in the office of Richard Morris Hunt
and in 1878 set up practice for himself in the city. He was later granted an M.A. degree.
Tuthill married Henrietta Elizabeth Corwin (October 15, 1852 – March 11, 1917), an accomplished pianist and organist. When Henrietta was seventeen she was the organist for the First Presbyterian Church in her hometown Newburgh
, New York
. William and Henrietta met at Calvary Baptist
Church in New York City
, where he sang in the choir and she was the church organist. Their only child Burnet Corwin Tuthill was born in New York City on November 16, 1888.
and served on the Art Commission of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. He lectured on architectural history and acoustics for Columbia University
, the University of Cincinnati
, and the New York City Board of Education. He served for thirty-six years as secretary and manager of the Oratorio Society of New York
.
in New York City. Tuthill was a talented amateur cellist and served as a board member of the Oratorio Society of New York
along with Andrew Carnegie
. This led to his receiving the commission to design the Music Hall that would be funded by and eventually bear Carnegie's name. The acoustics are celebrated, due to Tuthill's extensive study of European concert halls as well as what has been called his "golden ear".
Carnegie Hall opened in 1891 with composer Peter Tchaikovsky conducting the New York Philharmonic
. During the performance, Tuthill reportedly left the hall to consult his drawings, to be certain that the supporting columns would withstand the weight of the crowd in attendance.
Tuthill also designed the Women's Medical College at the New York, Infirmary on 101st Street near Manhattan Avenue, in New York and a row of extant townhouses along 122nd Street near Mount Morris (now Marcus Garvey) Park in Harlem
.
William B. Tuthill died in 1929. The architect is reported to have left an estate of $5,000.
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
.
Early life, education and family
William Burnet Tuthill was born in BrooklynBrooklyn
Brooklyn 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...
, NY on February 11, 1855, the son of George Flavius Tuthill and Jane Louise Price. Tuthill graduated from the College of the City of New York in 1875. He trained in the office of Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt
Richard Morris Hunt was an American architect of the nineteenth century and a preeminent figure in the history of American architecture...
and in 1878 set up practice for himself in the city. He was later granted an M.A. degree.
Tuthill married Henrietta Elizabeth Corwin (October 15, 1852 – March 11, 1917), an accomplished pianist and organist. When Henrietta was seventeen she was the organist for the First Presbyterian Church in her hometown Newburgh
Newburgh
-Places:Scotland*Newburgh, Fife, a former royal burgh*Newburgh, Aberdeenshire, a village*Newburgh, Borders, a village*Newburgh, Moray, a village*Newburgh, Orkney, a villageEngland*Newburgh, Lancashire, a village*Newburgh, North Yorkshire, a village...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. William and Henrietta met at Calvary 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...
Church in New York City
New York City
New 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...
, where he sang in the choir and she was the church organist. Their only child Burnet Corwin Tuthill was born in New York City on November 16, 1888.
Professional life
William B. Tuthill was a founder of the Architectural League of New YorkArchitectural League of New York
The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture, urbanism, and related disciplines"....
and served on the Art Commission of the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893. He lectured on architectural history and acoustics for 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...
, the University of Cincinnati
University of Cincinnati
The University of Cincinnati is a comprehensive public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio, and a part of the University System of Ohio....
, and the New York City Board of Education. He served for thirty-six years as secretary and manager of the Oratorio Society of New York
Oratorio Society of New York
The Oratorio Society of New York is a non-profit membership organization which performs choral music in the oratorio style. The Society was founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch, and it is New York City's second oldest cultural organization...
.
Carnegie Hall
William B. Tuthill is best remembered as the architect of Carnegie HallCarnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in New York City. Tuthill was a talented amateur cellist and served as a board member of the Oratorio Society of New York
Oratorio Society of New York
The Oratorio Society of New York is a non-profit membership organization which performs choral music in the oratorio style. The Society was founded in 1873 by conductor Leopold Damrosch, and it is New York City's second oldest cultural organization...
along with Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie
Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, businessman, and entrepreneur who led the enormous expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century...
. This led to his receiving the commission to design the Music Hall that would be funded by and eventually bear Carnegie's name. The acoustics are celebrated, due to Tuthill's extensive study of European concert halls as well as what has been called his "golden ear".
Carnegie Hall opened in 1891 with composer Peter Tchaikovsky conducting the New York Philharmonic
New York Philharmonic
The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
. During the performance, Tuthill reportedly left the hall to consult his drawings, to be certain that the supporting columns would withstand the weight of the crowd in attendance.
Architectural work (partial List)
- 1889 The A. T. Demarest Building, 335 Fifth Ave and 33rd St., NY
- 1889-1891 Carnegie Hall with Richard Morris Hunt (with assistance from Louis SullivanLouis SullivanLouis Henri Sullivan was an American architect, and has been called the "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism" He is considered by many as the creator of the modern skyscraper, was an influential architect and critic of the Chicago School, was a mentor to Frank Lloyd Wright, and an...
and Dankmar AdlerDankmar AdlerDankmar Adler was a celebrated German-born American architect.-Early years:...
) - 1890 The Columbia Yacht Club
- 1890 YWCA Building, Harlem, NY
- 1893 The Princeton Inn, Princeton, New JerseyPrinceton, New JerseyPrinceton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
- 1893 The Arnold C. Saportus Residence, Pocantico Hills, NY
- 1893 First Baptist Church, Red Bank NJ
- 1893 New York Post Graduate Medical College and Hospital, 101 Street W, NY
- 1896 Munsey Office Building (now, The Mohican), 281 State Street, New LondonNew London-Places:In the United States:*New London, Connecticut, largest place with this name**New London County, Connecticut*New London, Indiana*New London, Iowa*New London, Maryland*New London, Minnesota*New London, Missouri*New London, New Hampshire...
, CT - 1897 The McEvers Bayard Brown Cottage at The Jekyll Island ClubJekyll Island ClubThe Jekyll Island Club was a private club located on Jekyll Island, on the Georgia coastline. It was founded in 1886 when members of an incorporated hunting and recreational club purchased the island for $125,000 from John Eugune du Bignon. The original design of the Jekyll Island Clubhouse, with...
, GA - 1899 The James Hooker Hamersley Mansion on the northeast corner of 84th and Fifth (demolished in 1924 for the present 1030 Fifth Avenue).
- 1900 Woodycrest, 936 Woodycrest Avenue, Bronx, NY
- 1909 The Morris Schinasi Residence, 351 Riverside Drive at 107th St., NYC
- 1918 Alterations to the Church of the Messiah in New York
Tuthill also designed the Women's Medical College at the New York, Infirmary on 101st Street near Manhattan Avenue, in New York and a row of extant townhouses along 122nd Street near Mount Morris (now Marcus Garvey) Park in Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
.
Writings and later years
Tuthill was the author of a number of books including:- The Suburban Cottage (1891)
- The Cathedral Church of England (1923)
William B. Tuthill died in 1929. The architect is reported to have left an estate of $5,000.