Cass Gilbert

Not to be confused with another American architect C. P. H. Gilbert.

Cass Gilbert
Gilbert in 1907
Born(1859-11-24)November 24, 1859
Zanesville, Ohio, U.S.
DiedMay 17, 1934(1934-05-17) (aged 74)
Brockenhurst, United Kingdom
Alma materMacalester College
MIT
OccupationArchitect
AwardsPresident, American Institute of Architects, 1908–09
BuildingsWoolworth Building, United States Supreme Court building

Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect.[1][2][3][4] An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas, and West Virginia, the Detroit Public Library, the Saint Louis Art Museum and Public Library. His public buildings in the Beaux Arts style reflect the optimistic American sense that the nation was heir to Greek democracy, Roman law and Renaissance humanism.[5] Gilbert's achievements were recognized in his lifetime; he served as president of the American Institute of Architects in 1908–09.

Gilbert was a conservative who believed architecture should reflect historic traditions and the established social order. His design of the new Supreme Court building in 1935, with its classical lines and small size, contrasted sharply with the large federal buildings along the National Mall in Washington, D.C., which he disliked.[6]

Architectural historian Margaret Heilbrun said that "Gilbert's pioneering buildings injected vitality into skyscraper design, and his 'Gothic skyscraper,' epitomized by the Woolworth Building, profoundly influenced architects during the first decades of the twentieth century."[7] Historians Christen and Flanders wrote that his reputation among architectural critics went into eclipse during the age of modernism, but has since rebounded because of "respect for the integrity and classic beauty of his masterworks".[8]

  1. ^ Urbanielli, Elissa (ed.) "Broadway–Chambers Building Designation Report" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (January 14, 1992), pp. 1 & 4. "...designed by the prominent architect, Cass Gilbert ... he went on to enjoy an illustrious career of national extent..."
  2. ^ Robins, Anthony W. "Woolworth Building Designation Report" Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (April 12, 1983) p. 6. "Cass Gilbert ... was one of the most important architects to work in New York."
  3. ^ Christen, Barbara S.; Flanders, Steven (2001). Cass Gilbert, Life and Work: Architect of the Public Domain. W.W. Norton. ISBN 0-393-73065-4.
  4. ^ "The Lost Symbol – A Hastings, New Zealand Connection". Hawke's Bay Research Lodge No. 305.
  5. ^ Blodgett, Geoffrey (1999). Cass Gilbert: The Early Years. Minnesota Historical Society Press. ISBN 0-87351-410-6.
  6. ^ Geoffrey Blodgett, "Cass Gilbert, Architect: Conservative at Bay," Journal of American History, December 1985, Vol. 72 Issue 3, pp. 615–636 in JSTOR
  7. ^ Margaret Heilbrun, Inventing the skyline: the architecture of Cass Gilbert (Columbia U.P. 2000) p xxxv
  8. ^ Barbara S. Christen and Steven Flanders, eds. Cass Gilbert, Life and Work: Architect of the Public Domain (2001) p 72