In February 1872, the Trustees of Trinity College voted to sell their property to the City of Hartford as the site which the State of Connecticut would erect their new state capitol building. Following the sale Abner Jackson, the president of Trinity College, had contacted Frederick Law Olmsted as a consultant in finding a suitable … More Part 12 (continued)– Francis Kimball and Trinity College.
In the summer of 1879, Thomas Wisedell formed a partnership with Francis Hatch Kimball, a successful architect working in Hartford, Connecticut who had recently received a contract to remodel the Madison Square Theatre in New York City. It appears as though the partnership may have been instigated by Kimball who saw Wisedell’s connections in New … More Part 12 — Francis Kimball (1845-1919)
It was brought to my attention that not enough credit was given to Elizabeth Wisedell in designing this house with her husband, Thomas, thus much of this post has been amended. Since this was a home for their own family, Elizabeth’s contributions, especially regarding decisions on furnishings and decorations would have been instrumental in its … More Part 11 — Thomas & Elizabeth Wisedell House, Yonkers, NY, 1878-79. (rewrite)
In late 1881 or early 1882, John Q. A. Ward would help secure two commissions for Thomas Wisedell in his hometown Urbana, Ohio — The Houston Block (later known as the Egenberger Block) on South Main Street and the remodeling of the nearby Weaver House hotel on the southwest corner of Monument Square. The Houston … More Part 10 (continued) – John Quincy Adams Ward
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 … More Part 10 — John Quincy Adams Ward
Due to the financial crisis of 1873, architects and builders were struggling to find work. Appropriations for work at both Central Park and Prospect Park were severely reduced. Thomas Wisedell had married the previous year and now had financial obligations to his new family; so it was with all of these factors in mind that … More Part 3 — The 1876 Centennial Exposition and Independent Practice.
In 1874, Thomas Wisedell began a smaller, private commission in Roslyn, Long Island, NY, to remodel the house of the poet and scholar, William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878), owner and editor of the New York Evening Post. Though Bryant was a friend of Frederick Law Olmsted, it may have been through Calvert Vaux that Wisedell was … More Part 3(b) – “Cedarmere,” William Cullen Bryant Residence, Roslyn, Long Island, New York
In the fall of 1874, as Wisedell was working on the William Bryant House in nearby Roslyn, New York as well as projects with Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in Washington and Buffalo, he began designing alterations and additions to the Charles Dana House on Dosoris Island (near Glen Cove), Long Island. Charles Anderson … More Part 3(c) – Charles Dana Residence, Dosoris Island, Glen Cove, Long Island, New York
Since writing about the fountain back in May, new information has come to light which changes the timeline of how the western part of the Capitol grounds had developed. It was previously thought that the fountain was one of the last architectural features to erected, it is now known that that was actually the first. … More Part 4(f) rewrite – The Fountain, Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C.
When Frederick Law Olmsted created his initial plan for the East Plaza in 1874, he had intended for a seated, iron trellis to be placed along one of the principle walks on the north side of the grounds, near the Delaware Avenue entrance. Like the waiting stations, a second trellis was erected in the same … More Part 4(a) still continued – Iron Trellis, The East Plaza, Capitol Grounds, Washington, D.C.
The Architecture of Thomas Wisedell 