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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 worked on more than 400 projects, including Moyamensing Prison and Girard College in Philadelphia. He served as the fourth Architect of the Capitol, and led the addition of the north and south wings and the central dome. He retired in 1865, but financial difficulties led him back to work in the 1870s, including a job as Chief Assistant to the Architect of Philadelphia City Hall.

A founder of the American Institute of Architects, he served as its president 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 during the construction of the Second Bank of the United States[4] and studied architecture in the office of William Strickland.[5]

He attended the School of Mechanic Arts at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia and studied under John Haviland.[4]

Later in life, 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.[6]

Career

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Walter established his architectural design practice in 1830.[7] The following year, he was appointed chief architect of the planned Moyamensing Prison. In 1833, the Philadelphia City Council accepted his design for Girard College; he led construction until its completion in 1847.[7]

In 1829, Walter was elected to the Franklin Institute; he would serve the museum in several roles, including as professor of architecture in 1841[4] and as chairman of the Board of Managers in 1846.[8]

In 1839, he was elected to the American Philosophical Society.[9]

In 1836, he recommended the creation of the American Institution of Architects and served as secretary. That organization failed, but in 1857, he would help to found the American Institute of Architects, for which he served as vice-president in 1857 and as president from 1876 to 1887.[10]

In 1838, the building committee of Girard College funded a European trip for Walter. He visited England, Ireland, France, and Italy to study the architecture and construction of schools and other buildings and gather ideas for his work at the college.[11]

In 1841, a local economic downturn created financial hardship for Walter. He was forced to sell his house and most of his architectural library.[11] In 1843, he was commissioned to build a breakwater for the port of LaGuaira, Venezuela, and completed the work in 1845.[7]

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 to lead the expansion of the U.S. Capitol.[12] The office of the Architect of the Capitol, originally part of the Department of the Interior, was from 1853 to 1862 placed under the War Department. 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.[5]

Construction on the wings began in 1851. 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 made by the iron foundry Janes, Fowler, Kirtland & Co.[13] The 36 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.[14] Walter also rebuilt the interior of the the Library of Congress' west center building 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.[11]

In the 1870s, financial setbacks forced Walter from retirement. He worked for a year as a draftsman for the Pennsylvania Railroad.[12] He worked as Chief Assistant[5] to his friend and younger colleague John McArthur Jr., when he won the design competition for Philadelphia City Hall.[15] He continued on that vast project until his death in 1887. He was interred at Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia.[16]

Works

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Founder's Hall, Girard College, Philadelphia

Walter worked on over 400 projects over his career,[10] including:

Bank of Chester County in West Chester, Pennsylvania
Inglewood Cottage in Philadelphia

Personal life

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Walter family with servant, circa 1850

He married Mary Ann Elizabeth Hancocks in 1824.[4] She died during childbirth in 1847. He was remarried to Amanda Gardiner in 1848.[11] He had 13 children, seven of whom outlived him.[12] His grandson, Thomas Ustick Walter III, was an architect who practiced in Birmingham, Alabama, from the 1890s to the 1910s.[35]

Legacy

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For their architectural accomplishments, 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.[36]

A historical marker highlighting the location of Walter's house in Philadelphia was erected in 2009 by the Philadelphia Historical and Museum Commission.[37]

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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. Archived from the original on 29 August 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  2. ^ Frary, Ihna Thayer (1940). They Built the Capitol. Garrett and Massie. p. 201. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  3. ^ Mason 1888, p. 322.
  4. ^ a b c d "Thomas Ustick Walter (1804-1887)". findingaid.winterthur.org. The Winterthur Library. Archived from the original on 1 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Thomas Ustick Walter, Fourth Architect of the Capitol". www.aoc.gov. Architect of the Capitol. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  6. ^ Mason 1888, p. 326.
  7. ^ a b c d Mason 1888, p. 323.
  8. ^ Mason 1888, pp. 326–327.
  9. ^ "APS Member History". search.amphilsoc.org. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-09.
  10. ^ a b Rees, Philip A. "Walter, Thomas U. (1804-1887)". ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu. North Carolina Architects & Builders. Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d Kohler, Sue A.; Carson, Jeffrey R. (1978). Sixteenth Street Architecture - Volume 2. Washington, D.C.: Commission of Fine Arts. pp. 58–60. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Mason 1888, p. 325.
  13. ^ Terrell, Ellen (2015-05-20). "The Capitol Dome: Janes, Fowler, & Kirtland Co. | Inside Adams: Science, Technology & Business". blogs.loc.gov. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-25.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ Moss, Roger W. "Walter, Thomas Ustick (1804-1887)". www.philadelphiabuildings.org. The Athenaeum of Philadelphia. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  16. ^ "Thomas U. Walter". remembermyjourney.com. webCemeteries. Archived from the original on 19 December 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  17. ^ Filemban, Mustafa. "WC History: The Shipwrecked Entrepreneur". www.downtownwestchester.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-13. 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. Archived from the original on 2023-11-02. 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. Archived from the original on 2011-08-23. 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". Library of Congress, Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey Collection. Archived from the original (Searchable database) on 2012-10-28. 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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
  26. ^ Crichfield, George Washington (1908). Foreigners in Latin America and relations with foreign governments. Brentano's. p. 304. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2012-09-27. Retrieved 2013-12-01.
  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. Archived from the original on 2022-05-21. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  30. ^ "Ingleside (Stoddard Baptist Home) - Originally designed by Thomas Ustick Walter, this house is an important example of his domestic design". DC Historic Sites. Archived from the original on 2021-09-20. 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. Archived from the original on 2021-09-20. 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. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  34. ^ Harrison, Stephen G. (1992). "Documenting a Design: The Thomas Ustick Walter House, 1861-1866, Germantown, Pennsylvania". University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original on 2021-09-20. Retrieved 2021-09-20.
  35. ^ Fazio, Michael W. (2010) Landscape of Transformations: Architecture and Birmingham, Alabama. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press ISBN 978-1-57233-687-2
  36. ^ Cole, John Y.; Reed, Henry Hope (1997). Library of Congress - The Art and Architecture of the Thomas Jefferson Building. W.W. Norton & Company. p. 103. ISBN 9780393045635. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  37. ^ "Thomas Ustick Walter (1804-1887)". www.hmdb.org. The Historical Marker Database. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  38. ^ 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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