Searching for Silsbee: Ramblings about Albany, Richardson, and Romanesque Revival

H. H. Richardson's Albany City Hall. Completed in 1883.

I traveled to New York last week for a short vacation. While there, I took some time checking out the capitol building. I hadn't been there in years and was anxious to see the work done on the restoration. There is a lot of remarkable architecture in Albany, particularly buildings designed and influenced by H. H. Richardson.

Richardson was a Louisiana native who settled in Boston. He was widely published and lauded for his monumental and well crafted structures. Silsbee, being educated in Boston in Richardson's time, was profoundly affected by Richardson's work, both in its monumental display of rough-hewn stone and in its commitment to the allied arts and exquisite craftsmanship.

The "Red Room", the Governor's Ceremonial Chamber at the NY State Capitol. H. H. Richardson, architect.

In Albany, N. Y., Silsbee's work had an intersection of sorts with Richardson's. From 1878-1881, Silsbee had several structures under construction in New York's Capital Region. This time period coincided with Richardson's work on the New York State Capitol and the Albany City Hall.

Silsbee's Second Dutch Reformed Church, Albany, NY. The cornerstone was laid in 1879 and construction completed in 1881. It was demolished after a fire in the late 1930's.

The earliest project that Silsbee was engaged in at Albany was the Second Dutch Reformed Church, also known as the Madison Ave. Reformed Church. This structure, like his Dutch Reformed Church at Syracuse built a year earlier, took many cues from Richardson's interpretation of Romanesque architecture. In the Syracuse structure, the congregation had the specific aim to have the building made out of stone and for the construction to be substantial as their earlier wooden church had burned to the ground. After a design competition, Silsbee's design was chosen.

Silsbee's Dutch Reformed Church, Syracuse, NY. The cornerstone was laid in 1878 and the church was dedicated in 1881.

Very little evidence of the two churches survives but newspaper descriptions indicate that they were tastefully decorated and had a very high degree of craftsmanship. While it was likely installed well after the church was constructed, the Albany Church had a baptismal designed by Tiffany Studios. This is indicative of the highly crafted interiors; with tile, art glass, woodwork, and ornamental lighting, that these churches expected and Silsbee and allied artists could deliver.

Baptismal for Madison Ave Reformed Church by Tiffany Studios.

Silsbee's style of work and craft didn't just generally intersect Richardson's. In many instances the same artisans were used for many of these elements. At Albany, the stone carver from Silsbee's Syracuse Savings Bank and White Memorial Buildings, Louis Hinton, was brought in to oversee work on Richardson's monumental West Staircase. And while the final execution is quite unlike the restrained ornament that Richardson initially designed (he did not oversee the construction), it is highly experimental, exceedingly monumental, and showcases the skill of the artisans.

J. L. Silsbee's White Memorial Building (1876-77). Stone carving by Robert Richardson and Louis Hinton.

Western Staircase at the New York State Capitol. Stone carving completed under the direction of Louis Hinton.

For decades, Silsbee's work references Richardson's. In the the late 1880's and early 1890's, when Romanesque Revival homes are all the rage in Chicago, Silsbee conjures several innovative renditions of the style Richardson popularized. In his suburban work, he melds the rough stone work with the Queen Anne forms that he was so adept with.

Charles Steele Residence, Waukegan, IL. (1888)

In urban renditions of the style, he concentrates on the facade, creating complex geometric compositions of thick stone with wide window openings and careful ornament. These facades are simultaneously monumental yet punctuated with large recesses and window openings so they are also thin, almost fragile.

H. B. Stone Residence, Chicago, IL (1888)

Bowen Residence, Chicago, IL (1891)

In later years, he embraces the style in public structures, Like Richardson, reinforcing the substantial nature of institutions with monumental stonework. Silsbee was not alone in his admiration for Richardson. The Romanesque style swept the country and became ubiquitous for public structures for many years. What I think it interesting about Silsbee's affinity for this kind of work it that even when he opts for Gothic and other popular styles, Richardson's monumentality seems to creep in.