Stanford White

Stanford White
Photograph of White by George Cox, c. 1892
Born(1853-11-09)November 9, 1853
DiedJune 25, 1906(1906-06-25) (aged 52)
New York, New York, U.S.
OccupationArchitect
Spouse
Bessie Springs Smith
(m. 1884)
ChildrenLawrence Grant White
Parent(s)Alexina Black Mease
Richard Grant White
BuildingsRosecliff, Newport, RI
Madison Square Garden II, NYC
Washington Square Arch, NYC
New York Herald Building, NYC
Savoyard Centre, Detroit
Lovely Lane Methodist Church, Baltimore
Rhode Island State House, Providence
University of Virginia Rotunda
Signature

Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century. White designed many houses for the wealthy, in addition to numerous civic, institutional and religious buildings. His temporary Washington Square Arch was so popular that he was commissioned to design a permanent one. White's design principles embodied the "American Renaissance".

In 1906, White was murdered during a musical performance at the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden. His killer, Harry Kendall Thaw, was a wealthy but mentally unstable heir of a coal and railroad fortune who had become obsessed by White's alleged drugging and rape of, and subsequent relationship with, the woman who was to become Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit, which had started when she was aged 16. At the time of White's killing, Nesbit was a famous fashion model. With the public nature of the killing and elements of a sex scandal among the wealthy, the resulting trial of Thaw was dubbed the "Trial of the Century" by contemporary reporters.[1][2] Thaw was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity.[3]

  1. ^ Roberts, Sam (August 23, 2018). "There's Plenty to Read About the 'Trial of the Century'". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Blecher, George (August 3, 2018). "Murder, Politics and Architecture: The Making of Madison Square Park". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference thaw was invoked but never defined (see the help page).