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Thomas Ustick Walter

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Thomas Ustick Walter
4th Architect of the Capitol
In office
June 11, 1851 – May 26, 1865
PresidentMillard Fillmore
Franklin Pierce
James Buchanan
Abraham Lincoln
Andrew Johnson
Preceded byCharles Bulfinch
Succeeded byEdward Clark
Personal details
Born(1804-09-04)September 4, 1804
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedOctober 30, 1887(1887-10-30) (aged 83)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
ProfessionCivil Engineer
Thomas Ustick Walter
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsMoyamensing Prison
Girard College
ProjectsUnited States Capitol dome
Philadelphia City Hall

Thomas Ustick Walter (September 4, 1804 – October 30, 1887) was an American architect. He designed multiple buildings and institutions including Moyamensing Prison and Girard College in Philadelphia. He was the fourth Architect of the Capitol and led the addition of the north (Senate) and south (House) wings and the central dome. He retired but financial difficulties brought him back and he worked as Chief Assistant to the Architect of Philadelphia City Hall. He was one of the founders and president of the American Institute of Architects from 1876 to 1887..

Early life and education

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Walter was born on September 4, 1804, in Philadelphia.[1] He was the son of mason and bricklayer Joseph S. Walter and his wife Deborah.[2] Walter showed an aptitude for mathematics and drawing at an early age.[3] He worked as a bricklayer for his father and studied architecture in the office of William Strickland.[4]

He received an honorary Masters of Arts degree from Madison University in 1849, a Ph.D. from the University of Lewisburg in 1853, and a Doctor of Laws degree from Harvard University in 1857.[5]

Career

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He established his own architectural design practice in 1830.[6] In 1831, Walter was appointed as chief architect for the design of Moyamensing Prison. In 1833, the Philadelphia City Council accepted his design for Girard College and he led construction until its completion in 1847.[6]

In 1836, he recommended the creation of the American Institution of Architects and served as secretary. The American Institution of Architects was unsuccessful but he was one of the founders of the national American Institute of Architects in 1857. He served as vice-president of the organization in 1857 and as president from 1876 to 1887.[7]

In 1843, he was commissioned to build a breakwater for the port of LaGuaira, Venezuela, and completed the work in 1845.[6]

The U.S. Capitol and its dome

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Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, March 4, 1861, beneath the unfinished Capitol dome

In 1851, Walter was selected by President Millard Fillmore for the expansion of the U.S. Capitol.[8] The office of the Architect of the Capitol was originally under the Department of the Interior. From 1853 to 1862, it was placed under the War Department and Walter's work was supervised by Montgomery C. Meigs and William B. Franklin. Work was discontinued at the outbreak of the American Civil War, and when it started up again in 1862, his department was again supervised by the Department of the Interior.[4]

There were at least six draftsmen in Walter's office, headed by Walter's chief assistant, August Schoenborn, a German immigrant who had learned his profession from the ground up. It appears that he was responsible for some of the fundamental ideas in the Capitol structure. These included the curved arch ribs and an ingenious arrangement used to cantilever the base of the columns. This made it appear that the diameter of the base exceeded the actual diameter of the foundation, thereby enlarging the proportions of the total structure.[9]

Walter family with servant, circa 1850

Construction on the wings began in 1851 and proceeded rapidly; the House of Representatives met in its new quarters in December 1857 and the Senate occupied its new chamber by January 1859. Walter's fireproof cast iron dome was authorized by Congress on March 3, 1855, and was nearly completed by December 2, 1863, when the Statue of Freedom was placed on top. The dome's cast iron frame was supplied and constructed by the iron foundry Janes, Fowler, Kirtland & Co.[10] The thirty-six Corinthian columns designed by Walter, as well as 144 cast iron structural pillars for the dome, were supplied by the Baltimore ironworks of Poole & Hunt.[11] Walter also reconstructed the interior of the west center building for the Library of Congress after the fire of 1851. Walter continued as Capitol architect until 1865, when he resigned his position over a minor contract dispute. After 14 years in Washington, he retired to his native Philadelphia.[citation needed]

In the 1870s, financial setbacks forced Walter to come out of retirement. He worked for a year as a draftsman for the Pennsylvania Railroad Company[8] He worked as Chief Assistant[4] to his friend and younger colleague John McArthur Jr., when he won the design competition for Philadelphia City Hall.[12] He continued on that vast project until his death in 1887. He was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[13]

Other honors

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In 1829, he was elected a member of the Franklin Institute and served in several roles including as Chairman of the Board of Managers in 1846.[14] In 1839, he was elected as a member to the American Philosophical Society.[15]

For their architectural accomplishments, both Walter and Benjamin Latrobe are honored in a ceiling mosaic in the East Mosaic Corridor at the entrance to the Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress.

Walter's grandson, Thomas Ustick Walter III, was also an architect; he practiced in Birmingham, Alabama, from the 1890s to the 1910s.[16]

Works

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Founder's Hall, Girard College, Philadelphia

It has been suggested that Walter designed the Second Empire-styled Quarters B and Quarters D at Admiral's Row in Brooklyn, New York.[citation needed]

Personal life

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Walters was married twice. He had thirteen children, seven which outlived him.[8]

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See also

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References

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas U. Walter.

Citations

  1. ^ "Thomas Ustick Walter". www.britannica.com. Britannica. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. ^ Frary, Ihna Thayer (1940). They Built the Capitol. Ayer Publishing. p. 201.
  3. ^ Mason 1888, p. 322.
  4. ^ a b c "Thomas Ustick Walter, Fourth Architect of the Capitol". www.aoc.gov. Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  5. ^ Mason 1888, p. 326.
  6. ^ a b c d Mason 1888, p. 323.
  7. ^ Rees, Philip A. "Walter, Thomas U. (1804-1887)". ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu. North Carolina Architects & Builders. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Mason 1888, p. 325.
  9. ^ August Schoenborn at archINFORM
  10. ^ Terrell, Ellen (2015-05-20). "The Capitol Dome: Janes, Fowler, & Kirtland Co. | Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business". blogs.loc.gov. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  11. ^ Swett, Steven C. (2023). The metalworkers : Robert Poole, his ironworks, and technology in 19th-century America. Stephen Marchesi, Baltimore Museum of Industry. Baltimore, Maryland: Baltimore Museum of Industry. pp. 85–115. ISBN 978-0-578-28250-3. OCLC 1338040526.
  12. ^ Moss, Roger W. "Walter, Thomas Ustick (1804-1887)". www.philadelphiabuildings.org. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  13. ^ "Thomas U. Walter". remembermyjourney.com. webCemeteries. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  14. ^ Mason 1888, pp. 326–327.
  15. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  16. ^ Fazio, Michael W. (2010) Landscape of Transformations: Architecture and Birmingham, Alabama. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press ISBN 978-1-57233-687-2
  17. ^ Filemban, Mustafa. "WC History: The Shipwrecked Entrepreneur". www.downtownwestchester.com. Retrieved 2015-12-09.
  18. ^ Tasman, William (1980). The History of Wills Eye Hospital. Harper & Row. ISBN 978-0061425318.
  19. ^ "Central Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia [graphic]". Library Company of Philadelphia Digital Collections. March 1861. Retrieved 2023-11-02.
  20. ^ Moss, Roger W. (1998-05-29). Historic Houses of Philadelphia: A Tour of the Region's Museum Homes. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 154. ISBN 978-0-8122-3438-1.
  21. ^ "St. George's Hall. [graphic]". The Library Company of Philadelphia. Retrieved 2011-06-18.
  22. ^ Building & Furnishing of Christ Church Philadelphia. Christ Church Philadelphia. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-4223-6535-9.
  23. ^ "Bank of Chester County, 17 North High Street, West Chester, Chester County, PA" (Searchable database). Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey Collection. Retrieved 2012-11-12.
  24. ^ "Newkirk Monument". www.philadelphiabuildings.org. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  25. ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (March 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Lexington Presbyterian Church" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
  26. ^ Crichfield, George Washington (1908). Foreigners in Latin America and relations with foreign governments. Brentano's. p. 304.
  27. ^ Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (February 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Tabb Street Presbyterian Church" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources.
  28. ^ dsf.chesco.org Archived 2012-02-05 at the Wayback Machine - Chester county courthouse West Chester, Pennsylvania
  29. ^ Curl, James Stevens; Wilson, Susan (2015-02-26). The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture. OUP Oxford. p. 822. ISBN 978-0-19-105385-6.
  30. ^ "Ingleside (Stoddard Baptist Home) - Originally designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, this house is an important example of his domestic design". DC Historic Sites. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  31. ^ "Garrett-Dunn House destroyed". WHYY. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  32. ^ Caparella, Kitty (3 August 2009). "Garrett-Dunn House, a landmark in Mt. Airy, destroyed in fire". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  33. ^ Pressley Montes, Sue Anne (28 August 2007). "Church's Face-Lift Plans Uncover Ties to U.S. Capitol Architect". The Washington Post.
  34. ^ Harrison, Stephen G. (1992). "Documenting a Design: The Thomas Ustick Walter House, 1861-1866, Germantown, Pennsylvania". University of Pennsylvania.
  35. ^ Lukens, Ph.D., Rob (December 11, 2011). "THOMAS U. WHO???". www.chestercohistorical.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-20. Retrieved 2020-04-18.

Sources

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Political offices
Preceded by Architect of the Capitol
1851–1865 		Succeeded by
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