View source for William Strickland (architect)

{{Short description|American architect}}
{{Infobox architect
| name = William Strickland
| image = File:John Neagle - William Strickland (1787-1854) - 1950.731 - Yale University Art Gallery.jpg
| image_size = <!-- if image is smaller than 250px -->
| alt = 
| caption = 1829 portrait of Strickland by [[John Neagle]]
| birth_name = <!-- only use if different than name -->
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1788|11|}}
| birth_place = [[Navesink, New Jersey]], U.S.
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1854|4|6|1788|11|}}
| death_place = [[Nashville, Tennessee]], U.S.
| other_names = 
| nationality = American
| alma_mater = 
| spouse = Rachel McCulloch Trenchard
| partner = 
| children = 5
| parents = John Strickland<br>Elizabeth Campbell
| awards = 
| practice = 
| significant_buildings = [[Second Bank of the United States]] and [[Merchants' Exchange Building (Philadelphia)|Merchants' Exchange ]]
| significant_projects = 
| significant_design = 
| signature = 
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| embedded = <!-- For embedding other infoboxes in this infobox -->
}}
{{Other people|William Strickland}}

'''William Strickland''' (November 1788 – April 6, 1854) was a noted [[architecture|architect]] and [[civil engineer]] in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], and [[Nashville, Tennessee]]. A student of [[Benjamin Latrobe]] and mentor to [[Thomas Ustick Walter]], Strickland helped establish the [[Greek Revival]] movement in the United States. A pioneering engineer, he wrote a seminal book on railroad construction, helped build several early American [[railroad]]s, and designed the first ocean breakwater in the Western Hemisphere.<ref name=WDL1/> He was elected as a member of the [[American Philosophical Society]] in 1820.<ref>{{Cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=1820&year-max=1820&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|access-date=2021-04-05|website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref>

==Life and career==
===Early life===
Strickland was born in the [[Navesink, New Jersey]] to John and Elizabeth Strickland. While William was still a child, the family moved to [[Philadelphia]] (c. 1790), where his father -- a master carpenter -- became, in 1811, a charter member of the Practical House Carpenters' Society<ref name="philadelphiabuildings_org">[https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/25248 Strickland, William (1788 - 1854)], Philadelphia Architects and Buildings. Accessed July 26, 2018. "Born in Navesink, NJ, to John and Elizabeth Strickland, William Strickland had the advantage of a master carpenter father who moved the family to Philadelphia in c. 1790 and became a charter member of the Practical House Carpenters' Society in 1811."</ref>

===Architect===
In his youth, Strickland was a landscape painter, illustrator for periodicals, theatrical scene painter, engraver, and pioneer [[aquatint]]ist. His Greek Revival designs drew much inspiration from the plates of ''The Antiquities of Athens''.
[[File:Second_Bank_of_the_United_States,_Philadelphia.jpg|thumb|[[Second Bank of the United States]], Philadelphia (1819-24)]]
Strickland and Latrobe competed to design the [[Second Bank of the United States]] in Philadelphia (1819–1824), a competition that called for "chaste" Greek style. Strickland, who was still copying [[Classical antiquity|classical]] prototypes at this point, won with an ambitious design modeled on the iconic [[Parthenon]] of [[Athens]]. Proud of the building, Strickland had it included in the background of his 1829 portrait by Philadelphia society painter [[John Neagle]].

The oldest building designed by W. Strickland, which is preserved to this day, is the Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church, located at 222-230 Brown Street Philadelphia (Northern Liberties Area), formerly known as [[St. John's Church, Philadelphia|St. John's Episcopal Church]]. An anonymous report from its consecration, published on September 21, 1816, in ''Relf’s Philadelphia Gazette and Daily Advertiser'', describes the church as a “neat and elegant edifice” whose “design was given by Mr. William Strickland, of this city,” and whose “execution has done justice to the taste of the Architect.” (Jeffrey. A. Cohen, 1983).

In 1825, several Philadlphia philanthropists, including former ambassador [[William Short (American ambassador)|William Short]] financed Strickland's European voyage, so that he could "bring back with him a knowledge of all the modern improvements in civil engineering." Upon returning to Pennsylvania, Strickland became chief engineer of the [[Chesapeake and Delaware Canal|Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Company]], a position he resigned in the 1830s to concentrate on his architectural practice and railroad surveys<ref>{{cite book|last1=Shackelford|first1=George Green|title=Jefferson's Adoptive Son: The Life of William Short, 1759–1848|date=1993|publisher=The University Press of Kentucky|location=Lexington, KY|isbn=0-8131-1797-6|page=178-179}}</ref>

Strickland's evolving talent and confidence is seen in the later [[Merchants' Exchange Building (Philadelphia)|Merchants' Exchange]] (1832–34). Also in Philadelphia, the Merchant Exchange is built on classical example — for example, the [[cupola]] is based on the [[Choragic Monument of Lysicrates]] — but is a unique building styled to fit the site. It was to be located on a triangular plot at the intersection of two major thoroughfares between the waterfront and the [[Central business district|business district]].  The elegant, curved east façade faces the waterfront, and reflects the carriage and foot traffic that would have been circulating in front of the building.  This elevation is unique — Greek Revival, but modern — while a more staid and formal elevation can be found on the west side, facing Third Street.  In the same year he designed the Merchants' Exchange, 1832, Strickland entered a project in the competition for Philadelphia's Girard College, which won the second prize.<ref>Bruce Laverty, Michael J. Lewis, and Michelle Taillon Taylor, ''Monument to Philanthropy: The Design and Building of Girard College, 1832-1848''  (Philadelphia: Girard College, 1998), pp. 39-41; 46-47; 56-57</ref>
[[File:Philadelphia_Merchants_Exchange_Building_(20864134401).jpg|thumb|[[Merchants' Exchange Building (Philadelphia)|Merchants' Exchange]], Philadelphia (1832-34)]]
Strickland's 1836 [[Mechanics National Bank (Philadelphia)|National Mechanic Bank]] at 22 South 3rd Street, set on a narrow plot between two taller neighbors, has strong, square pilasters to support the portico and ornate stone carving at their tops to defend the building against its taller and bulkier neighbors. One of Strickland's last Philadelphia designs and among his smallest, the building is now occupied by [http://www.nationalmechanics.com/ National Mechanics Bar and Restaurant].

Strickland also executed works in other styles, including very early American work in the [[Gothic Revival]] style, including his Masonic Hall (1808–11, burned 1819) and his [[St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia|Saint Stephen's Church]] (1823), both in Philadelphia.  He also made use of Egyptian, Saracenic and Italianate styles.  He later moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where his [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]]-influenced design of the First [[Presbyterian]] Church (now the [[Downtown Presbyterian Church]]) was controversial but today is widely recognized as a masterpiece and an important evocation of the [[Egyptian Revival]] style.

===Engineer===
Strickland was also a [[civil engineer]]<ref name=WDL1/> and one of the first to advocate the use of steam locomotives on railways. Some argue that Strickland's observations made during visits to England in the 1820s were highly influential in the transfer of railway technology to the United States: "William Strickland's Reports are the starting point of American railway engineering, and represent the state of knowledge as the first railways were planned in that country."<ref>[http://mysite.du.edu/~jcalvert/railway/strickla.htm Strickland's Report]</ref><ref>William Levitt (''Early Railways 3'', 2006)</ref> In 1835, the [[Wilmington and Susquehanna Railroad]] hired him to survey a route from [[Wilmington, Delaware]], to [[Charlestown, Maryland]]. Later that year, he was named chief engineer of the [[Delaware and Maryland Railroad]].<ref name="PRRchrono1835">{{cite web | url=http://www.prrths.com/Hagley/PRR1835%20June%2004.wd.pdf | title=1835 (June 2004 Edition) | publisher=The Pennsylvania Railroad Technical & Historical Society | work=PRR CHRONOLOGY | date=June 2004 | access-date=23 July 2013}}</ref> Strickland designed and built the [[National Harbor of Refuge and Delaware Breakwater Harbor Historic District|Delaware Breakwater]], the first [[Breakwater (structure)|breakwater]] in the Americas and the third in the world.<ref name="nrhpinv1">{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=89000289}}|title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: National Harbor of Refuge and Delaware Breakwater Harbor Historic District|last=DelSordo|first=Stephen G.|date=August 1988|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=2009-05-15}}</ref><ref name="breakwater_delawaretoday">[https://delawaretoday.com/life-style/delaware-breakwater-another-first-for-the-first-state/ "Delaware Breakwater: Another First for the First State,"] September 20, 2014, ''[[Delaware Today]],'' retrieved August 20, 2023</ref>

===Death and interment===
Strickland died in Nashville and is buried within the walls of his final, and arguably greatest work, the [[Tennessee State Capitol]].  A [[cenotaph]] for him exists in the family plot in [[Laurel Hill Cemetery]] in Philadelphia.

===Legacy===
Several architects and engineers of note began or developed their careers in Strickland's employ, including [[Thomas Ustick Walter]], [[Gideon Shryock]] and [[John Trautwine]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/25248|title=Strickland, William (1788 - 1854) -- Philadelphia Architects and Buildings}}</ref>

==Selected works==
[[File:Tennessee State Capitol 2009.jpg|thumb|[[Tennessee State Capitol]], Nashville (1845-59). Strickland is buried in a crypt within.<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/pastigo/2282210418/ William Strickland Tomb] from Flickr.</ref>]]

===Philadelphia buildings===
* Masonic Hall, Philadelphia (1808–11, burned 3 March 1819)
* [[St. John's Church, Philadelphia|Holy Trinity Romanian Orthodox Church]], [[Philadelphia]], also known as the former St. John's Episcopal Church (1815–16)
* [[Second Bank of the United States]], Philadelphia (1819–24)
* [[St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia|St. Stephen's Episcopal Church]], Philadelphia (1822–23)
* [[Chestnut Street Theatre#Second Chestnut Street Theatre|Second Chestnut Street Theatre]] - 1822 - 1856 (burned)
* [[Musical Fund Hall]], [[The Musical Fund Society]], Philadelphia - 1824, (substantially altered)
* [[Wyck House]] - 1824 (rearranged its interior)
* Triumphal Arches for Lafayette's visit - 1824
* Second [[Congregation Mikveh Israel]] Synagogue, Philadelphia - 1825, (demolished)
* [[Philadelphia Naval Asylum|United States Naval Asylum]], Philadelphia - 1826–33, (now condominiums).
* Restoration of the tower of [[Independence Hall]], Philadelphia - 1828
* [[First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia]], - 1828
* University of Pennsylvania (9th Street buildings), Philadelphia - 1829<ref name=WDL1>{{cite web|title=University of Pennsylvania|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/9432/|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=14 February 2013}}</ref>
* Arch St. Theater - 1829 (1863 damaged by fire, demolished 1936)
* [[Philadelphia Mint|Second Philadelphia Mint]], Philadelphia - 1829–33 (demolished 1902)
* [[Blockley Almshouse]] - 1835 (demolished 1920s - 1959)
*[[Merchants' Exchange Building (Philadelphia)|Merchants' Exchange]], Philadelphia 1832–34
* [[Mechanics National Bank (Philadelphia)|Mechanics National Bank]] - 1837

===Buildings elsewhere===
* [[Immanuel Episcopal Church on the Green]], New Castle, Delaware (1822)
* [[National Harbor of Refuge and Delaware Breakwater Harbor Historic District|Delaware Breakwater and Lighthouse]], Lewes, Delaware (1826-1840, lighthouse decommissioned in 1903, demolished in 1956)
* [[College of Charleston]], Main Building (now Randolph Hall), Charleston, South Carolina (1828, extensively altered 1850)
* [[Nathanael Greene Monument]], [[Savannah, Georgia|Savannah]], Georgia (1830)
* [[Charlotte Mint|U.S. Branch Mint, Charlotte]], North Carolina (1835, moved to new location 1930s). Now [[Mint Museum of Art]]
* [[Dahlonega Mint|U.S. Branch Mint, Dahlonega]], Georgia (1835, burned 1878)
* [[New Orleans Mint|U.S. Branch Mint, New Orleans]], Louisiana (1835–38)
* [[Providence Athenaeum]], Providence, Rhode Island (1837–38)
* [[Sussex County Courthouse and the Circle|Sussex County Courthouse]], [[Georgetown, Delaware]] (1837)
* [[Grace Episcopal Church (Keswick, Virginia)|Grace Church]], [[Keswick, Virginia]] (1848–55).
* St. John's Episcopal Church, Salem, NJ (1838).<ref>Minutes of the Vestry of St. John's Episcopal Church, [[Salem, New Jersey]]</ref>

====Tennessee====
* [[Tennessee State Capitol]], Nashville, Tennessee (1845–59).
* Second Presbyterian Church, Nashville, Tennessee (1846, demolished 1979).
* Wilson County Courthouse, Lebanon, Tennessee (1848, burned 1881).
* [[Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville|First Presbyterian Church]], Nashville, Tennessee (1848–49).
* [[Belmont Mansion (Tennessee)|Belmont Mansion]], Nashville, Tennessee (1849–53). Formerly Acklen Hall during Ward-Belmont College years, [[Belmont University]] (This is debated).

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Masonic Hall Philadelphia LOC03503v.jpg|Masonic Hall, Philadelphia (1808–11, burned 1819).
File:View of the Chain Bridge The Port Folio June 1810.jpg|"View of the Chain Bridge invented by James Finley Esq.", William Strickland, delineator. ''The Port Folio'', June 1810.
File:St Steves Philly 2.jpg|[[St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Philadelphia|Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church]], Philadelphia, PA (1822–23).
File:G Stephensons Patent Locomotive Engine LOC3c10386v (cropped).jpg|"G. Stephenson's Patent Locomotive Engine." William Strickland, artist and engraver (1826).
File:MAIN ENTRANCE PORTICO AND STAIRWAY, EAST ELEVATION - U. S. Naval Asylum, Biddle Hall, Gray's Ferry Avenue, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA HABS PA,51-PHILA,577A-2.tif|[[Philadelphia Naval Asylum|United States Naval Asylum]], Philadelphia, PA (1826–33)
File:Randolph Hall, College of Charleston, Harleston Village, Charleston, SC (49364204051).jpg|Randolph Hall at the [[College of Charleston]], Charleston, SC (1828, altered)
File:University of Pennsylvania Medical Hall 1829 Ninth Street.jpg|[[Perelman School of Medicine|University of Pennsylvania Medical Hall]], 1829
File:Second Philadelphia Mint.jpg|United States Mint, Philadelphia, PA (1829–33, demolished 1902).
File:1936 Mint Museum of Art Building Charlotte, NC.jpg|[[Charlotte Mint|United States Mint]], Charlotte, NC (1835, moved to new location 1930s). Now [[Mint Museum of Art]].
File:EsplanadeOldMintFlagpolemen.jpg|[[New Orleans Mint|United States Mint]], New Orleans, LA (1835–38). Now [[Louisiana State Museum]].
File:Sussex County Courthouse 2020b.jpg|[[Sussex County Courthouse and the Circle|Sussex County Courthouse]], Georgetown, DE (1837, altered)
File:Providence Atheaeum, HABS RI-156-1.jpg|[[Providence Athenaeum]], Providence, RI (1837–38).
File:Tennessee state capitol 2009.jpg|[[Tennessee State Capitol]] (1845–59)
File:FirstPresbyterianChurchNashville.jpg|[[Downtown Presbyterian Church, Nashville|First Presbyterian Church]], Nashville, TN (1848–49)
File:GraceChurchKeswick.JPG|[[Grace Episcopal Church (Keswick, Virginia)|Grace Church]], Keswick, VA (1848–55)
File:Mansion Front 2010.JPG|[[Belmont Mansion (Tennessee)|Belmont Mansion]], Nashville, TN (1849–53). Now Acklen Hall, [[Belmont University]] 
</gallery>

==See also==
{{commons category|William Strickland}}
*[[William Strickland Row]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book |title=William Strickland: Architect and Engineer, 1788-1854 |author-link=Agnes Addison Gilchrist |url=https://archive.org/details/williamstricklan0000gilc |url-access=registration |last=Gilchrist |first=Agnes Addison |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |location=Philadelphia |year=1950}}
*{{cite book |last1=Russell |first1=Robert |title=William Strickland and the Creation of an American Architecture |date=2017 |publisher=University of Tennessee Press |location=Knoxville |isbn=978-1-62190-346-8 |url=https://utpress.org/title/william-strickland-and-the-creation-of-an-american-architecture/}}
*"Strickland, William (1788-1854)" ''Philadelphia Architects And Buildings''. Available: <http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/ar_display.cfm/25248>

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strickland, William}}
[[Category:1788 births]]
[[Category:1854 deaths]]
[[Category:Architects from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Egyptian Revival architecture in the United States]]
[[Category:Greek Revival architects]]
[[Category:Federalist architects]]
[[Category:American civil engineers]]
[[Category:American railroad pioneers]]
[[Category:Members of the American Philosophical Society]]
[[Category:People from Middletown Township, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Engineers from Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Engineers from New Jersey]]