Wilson Brothers & Company
Encyclopedia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, Wilson Brothers & Company was especially noted for its structural expertise. The brothers designed or contributed engineering work to hundreds of bridges, railroad stations and industrial buildings, including the principal buildings at the 1876 Centennial Exposition. They also designed churches, hospitals, schools, hotels and private residences. Among their surviving major works are the Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge over the Schuylkill River
Schuylkill River
The Schuylkill River is a river in Pennsylvania. It is a designated Pennsylvania Scenic River.The river is about long. Its watershed of about lies entirely within the state of Pennsylvania. The source of its eastern branch is in the Appalachian Mountains at Tuscarora Springs, near Tamaqua in...
(1866-67), the main building of Drexel University
Drexel University
Drexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
(1888-91), and the train shed of Reading Terminal
Reading Terminal
The Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
(1891-93), all in Philadelphia.
History
The firm's founders were Joseph Miller Wilson (1838-1902), architect and civil engineer, John Allston Wilson (1837-96), civil engineer, and Frederick Godfrey Thorn (1857-1911), architect and civil engineer. Henry W. Wilson (1844-1910), civil engineer, joined the firm in 1886, and was promoted to partner in 1899. All three Wilson brothers attended Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteRensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy, NY.
Pennsylvania Railroad
The Pennsylvania Railroad was an American Class I railroad, founded in 1846. Commonly referred to as the "Pennsy", the PRR was headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
(PRR) from 1860 to 1876, designing bridges and railroad structures, including several commuter stations on the Main Line
Pennsylvania Main Line
The Main Line is an unofficial historical and socio-cultural region of suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, comprising a collection of affluent towns built along the old Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad which ran northwest from downtown Philadelphia parallel to Lancaster Avenue , a road...
. For a PRR subsidiary, he designed the Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Passenger Terminal in Washington, DC (1873-77, demolished 1908), the station in which U.S. President James A. Garfield was assassinated in 1881. The National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden is a national art museum, located on the National Mall between 3rd and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, in Washington, DC...
now occupies its site at 6th Street & Constitution Avenue on the National Mall
National Mall
The National Mall is an open-area national park in downtown Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. The National Mall is a unit of the National Park Service , and is administered by the National Mall and Memorial Parks unit...
.
John did engineering work for several railroads, including the PRR and the Reading Railroad. Wilson Brothers & Company was founded on January 1, 1876.
For the 1876 Centennial Exposition, Henry Petit and Joseph M. Wilson co-designed the Main Exhibition Building—the largest building in the world, 1776 feet (541.3 m) in length and enclosing 21-1/2 acres. The pair also designed Machinery Hall, and oversaw construction of the other principal buildings. Joseph co-authored a 3-volume history of the Philadelphia World's Fair
World's Fair
World's fair, World fair, Universal Exposition, and World Expo are various large public exhibitions held in different parts of the world. The first Expo was held in The Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, London, United Kingdom, in 1851, under the title "Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All...
.
Joseph's commission for Philadelphia's Presbyterian Hospital (1874), may be related to later work on Presbyterian churches, nursing homes and an orphanage. The firm's extensive work for financer Anthony J. Drexel, the city's wealthiest citizen and a Roman Catholic, may have led to subsequent commissions for convents and Catholic hospitals. In Philadelphia, the firm designed the headquarters for the Baldwin Locomotive Works
Baldwin Locomotive Works
The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
(pre-1885, demolished); and, in Beach Haven, NJ, the Baldwin Hotel (1883, burned 1960), Holy Innocents Episcopal Church (1881-82), and a number of summer homes for company executives.
In 1881, the PRR hired the firm to design its main passenger terminal at Broad & Filbert Streets in Center City Philadelphia, directly west of City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall is the house of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At , including the statue, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin...
. This was one of the first steel-framed buildings in America to use masonry not as structure, but as a curtain wall (as skyscrapers do). The station was widely admired; 15% of the architects in an 1885 poll voted it one of "The Best Ten Buildings in the United States." Eleven years later, the Wilson Brothers' Gothic Revival station was incorporated into Frank Furness
Frank Furness
Frank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
's far larger Broad Street Station
Broad Street Station (Philadelphia)
Broad Street Station at Broad & Market Streets was the primary passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1881 to the 1950s...
. The Wilsons designed its new train shed, at the time (1892), the largest single-span train shed in the world.
In 1885, the Wilsons designed a high-ceilinged, 2-story banking house for Drexel & Company, on the southeast corner of 5th & Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. Four years later, Drexel wished to expand, but Independence National Bank next door refused to sell. In response, Joseph Wilson designed the Drexel Building, a 10-story, H-shaped addition that surrounded Independence National Bank on the east, west and south sides, permanently depriving the neighbor of sunlight. The iron-skeletoned addition was built atop Drexel's banking house, and was one of the first examples of X-bracing. One of the buildings demolished for this was Library Hall, the Library Company of Philadelphia
Library Company of Philadelphia
The Library Company of Philadelphia is a non-profit organization based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded by Benjamin Franklin as a library, the Library Company of Philadelphia has accumulated one of the most significant collections of historically valuable manuscripts and printed material in...
's headquarters, that had been design by William Thornton
William Thornton
Dr. William Thornton was a British-American physician, inventor, painter and architect who designed the United States Capitol, an authentic polymath...
(1789-91). In an ironic turn of events, the Drexel Building itself was demolished in 1959, and a replica of Library Hall was built on its original site by the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
.
Following the deaths of the two older brothers, the firm continued as Wilson, Harris & Richards.
1876 Centennial Exposition
- Memorial HallMemorial Hall (Philadelphia)Memorial Hall, designed by Herman J. Schwarzmann for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is an early example of monumental Beaux-Arts architecture in the United States. Schwarzmann, the chief engineer of the Fairmount Park Commission, also designed the temporary...
(Herman Schwarzmann, architect; Joseph M. Wilson, engineer) (1875-76) - Main Exhibition Building (Henry Petit, architect; Joseph M. Wilson, engineer) (1875-76, disassembled and sold 1881)
- Machinery Hall (Henry Petit, architect; Joseph M. Wilson, engineer) (1875-76, disassembled and sold 1881)
Pennsylvania Railroad
- Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge over Schuylkill River, Philadelphia, PA (attributed to John A. Wilson, engineer) (1866-67) (altered 1915)
- Bryn Mawr Station, Bryn Mawr, PA (1869, demolished 1963)
- Wynnewood Station, Wynnewood, PA (1870)
- Haverford Station, Haverford, PA (c. 1870) (some sources claim it was built in 1880)
- Bryn Mawr Hotel, Bryn Mawr, PA (1871, burned 1889, replaced by 1890 Frank FurnessFrank FurnessFrank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
hotel) - Ardmore Station, Ardmore, PA (pre-1874, demolished)
- Broad Street StationBroad Street Station (Philadelphia)Broad Street Station at Broad & Market Streets was the primary passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1881 to the 1950s...
, Philadelphia, PA (1881, expanded by Frank FurnessFrank FurnessFrank Heyling Furness was an acclaimed American architect of the Victorian era. He designed more than 600 buildings, most in the Philadelphia area, and is remembered for his eclectic, muscular, often idiosyncratically scaled buildings, and for his influence on the Chicago architect Louis Sullivan...
1892-93, demolished 1953) - Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge over Delaware River, Trenton, NJ (pre-1885, demolished)
- Pennsylvania Railroad Bridge over Susquehanna River, west of Harrisburg, PA (pre-1885, demolished)
- Trainshed for expanded Broad Street StationBroad Street Station (Philadelphia)Broad Street Station at Broad & Market Streets was the primary passenger terminal for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1881 to the 1950s...
, Philadelphia, PA (1892, burned 1923).
Philadelphia Buildings
- Reading Railroad Overpass (John A. Wilson, engineer) (1871)
- Spring Garden Pumping Station, East River Drive, Fairmount Park (Joseph M. Wilson, architect) (pre-1874, demolished)
- Presbyterian HospitalPresbyterian HospitalPresbyterian Hospital may refer to:* New York-Presbyterian Hospital, a hospital in New York City* Presbyterian Hospital , a hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina* Presbyterian Hospital , a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico...
(Joseph M. Wilson, architect) (1874, demolished) - Joseph D. Potts house alterations (Joseph M. Wilson, architect) (1876), formally WXPN-FM, and now the University of Pennsylvania PressUniversity of Pennsylvania PressThe University of Pennsylvania Press is a university press affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania....
- St. Andrew Episcopal Church, now St. Andrew & St. Monica Episcopal Church, Powelton Village (1883-85, rebuilt after 1897 fire)
- Presbyterian Home for Aged Couples and Men (pre-1885, demolished 2006)
- Drexel & Company Banking House, SE corner 5th & Chestnut Sts., Philadelphia, PA (1885, expanded 1889, demolished 1959).
- Drexel Institute of Technology, now Main Building, Drexel UniversityDrexel UniversityDrexel University is a private research university with the main campus located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. It was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a noted financier and philanthropist. Drexel offers 70 full-time undergraduate programs and accelerated degrees...
(1888-91) - Home for Indigent Women, now Ralston House (1889)
- George W. Childs Drexel mansion (1891), now Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity, University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
- Reading TerminalReading TerminalThe Reading Terminal is a complex of buildings located in the Market East section of Center City in the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States...
Trainshed (1891-93) - Physicians & Dentists Office Building, 1830-32 Chestnut St. (1896)
- Philadelphia Commercial Museum (1897-99, demolished)
- United Gas Improvement Company Office Building (1898)
- Land Title Building, 608-10 Chestnut (1899)
Buildings Elsewhere
- Baltimore & Potomac Railroad Passenger Terminal (6th Street Station), Washington, DC (1873-77, demolished 1908)
- State Hospital for the InsaneNorristown State HospitalNorristown State Hospital, originally known as the State Lunatic Hospital at Norristown, is an active psychiatric hospital located outside the city of Philadelphia in Norristown, Pennsylvania...
, Norristown, PA (1878-80) - Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, Beach Haven, NJ (1881-82), now Long Beach Island Museum http://www.lbimuseum.org/
- "Chetwynd" (John H. Converse house), Lancaster Pike, Rosemont, PA (1882-83, expanded 1887 & 1890, demolished). Converse was a partner in Baldwin Locomotive WorksBaldwin Locomotive WorksThe Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. It was located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally, and later in nearby Eddystone, Pennsylvania. Although the company was very successful as a producer of steam locomotives, its transition to the production of...
. - Baldwin Hotel, Beach Haven, NJ (1883, burned 1960)
- Norman Williams Memorial Library, Woodstock, VT (1883)http://normanwilliams.lib.vt.us/index2.html
- Astronomical Observatory, U.S. Military AcademyUnited States Military AcademyThe United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
, West Point, NY (pre-1885) - Central Railroad of New Jersey StationCentral Railroad of New Jersey Station (Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania)The Central Railroad of New Jersey Station is located in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. It was designed by Wilson Brothers & Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and built in 1888. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 1, 1976....
, Jim Thorpe, PA (1888). - St. Hubert's Inn, St. Huberts, NY (1890), now Ausable ClubAusable Club__notoc__The Ausable Club, in St. Huberts, New York, is the name of a club and the clubhouse of the Adirondack Mountain Reserve , which was formed in 1887 to save the lands around Beede's Hotel from lumbering. The Reserve once owned most of the Adirondack High Peaks...
, Adirondack Mountain Reserve - Union Station Train Shed, Richmond, VA (1900)