In late 1877, Thomas Wisedell was commissioned by John Quincy Adams Ward (1830-1910) to redecorate the interior of his home and studio at 9 West 49th St. in New York City. Ward was a well-known sculptor who was one of the first American artists that Wisedell had met upon immigrating to America in 1868. Shortly after his arrival, Ward’s sculpture entitled Indian Hunter was dedicated on February 4, 1869 near the mall in Central Park. The following year, Ward was commissioned to create a bronze statue commemorating the 300th anniversary of the birth of William Shakespeare which was placed at the foot of the mall and near the Indian Hunter.
Ward would soon become one of the most influential American sculptors of the period, becoming a member of the National Academy of Design, serving as its president in 1874, and remaining on its board of directors until 1901. In 1893, Ward became the first president of the National Sculpture Society, a position which he held until 1905. He was also granted membership into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Arts Club and the American Institute of Architects.
In 1868, Ward hired architect Richard Morris Hunt to design a duplex at 7 and 9 West 49th St. in New York City. The house was completed the following year, with Ward’s residence and studio on the left while renting the home on the right. Ward only briefly lived in the house since his first wife Anna Bannan (whom he had married in 1858) died in 1870 and Ward moved to 140 E. 38th St., while maintaining 9 W. 49th St. as his studio.
On June 19, 1877, Ward married Julia Devens Valentine and soon hired Wisedell to redesign the interior of the residence at 9 W. 49th St. Wisedell’s final plans for the dining room, dated January 29, 1878, shows his firm grasp not only of the developing Queen Anne style, but also his willingness to infuse the Asian influences characteristic of British design since the 1860’s.
Center: Detail of bronze lamppost, East Plaza, Capitol grounds, Washington, D.C., 1875.
Right: Detail of fireplace, New York City, 1878.
For this design, Wisedell continued the Indo-Islamic and Japanese influences that characterized his previous designs in Brooklyn, NY and Washington, D.C., as seen with the fireplace columns as well as the Japanese-styled wall panels echoing the pediment sculpture on the fountain at the base of the Capitol grounds (see Part 4f ).
Though the extent of this project is not fully known, we do know the Wisedell also designed stained glass windows and probably redecorated other rooms as well.
The couple moved into the remodeled house in 1878, but unfortunately, they were not able to enjoy it for long since his second wife, Julia, died on January 31, 1879, while giving birth. The child also did not survive. Ward asked Wisedell to design her memorial stone for Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.
This was carved by Ellin & Kitson from bluestone and designed with pilasters and a pediment surrounded by flowers and vines, all carved in relief in the then popular Queen Anne revival reminiscent of late-17th and early-18th century memorials. This was also done in a similar style as the stonework Wisedell had designed for the grounds west of the Capitol building in Washington, DC. (see Part 4e).
Ward soon sold the duplex and moved to 96 Park Ave. and in 1880, he again hired Richard Morris Hunt to design a new house and studio on 52nd Street to where he moved in 1882. The building on 49th St. was eventually demolished around 1930 to build Rockefeller Center.
As for Thomas Wisedell, Ward would help secure two commissions in his hometown Urbana, Ohio which will be the subject of the next posting.
Further Reading:
- “Remodeling of Dining Room for J.Q.A. Ward, Esq.,” American Architect and Building News vol. 8, no. 244 (Aug. 8, 1880): p. 102, plate.
- Baker, Paul R., Richard Morris Hunt (Cambridge, MA and London,England: MIT Press, 1980).
- Sharp, Lewis I., John Quincy Adams Ward: Dean of American Sculpture (Newark, DE: University of Delaware Press, 1985).
The Architecture of Thomas Wisedell 