Working with Henry Hobson Richardson and the firm McKim, Mead & White, Stanford White became one of the most prominent architects of America's "Gilded Age".
Born:
November 9, 1853 in New York City. Stanford White's father was the noted Shakespearean scholar and essayist, Richard Grant White.
Died:
June 25, 1906, shot and killed at the supper club theater on the roof of Madison Square Garden, which he had designed. The killer, Harry Kendall Thaw, was the millionaire husband of Evelyn Nesbit, a popular actress who had fallen prey to Stanford White's charms.
Career Highlights:
- 1870: Joined the office of Henry Hobson Richardson
- 1879: Became a partner with Charles Follen McKim and William Rutherford Mead in New York City, forming the architectural design firm of McKim, Mead & White
Important Projects:
The architectural firm McKim, Mead, & White designed both relaxed summer homes and grand public buildings. Landmark examples include:
- 1890: The second Madison Square Garden (demolished in 1925)
- 1894: New York Herald Building (Demolished 1921)
- 1895-1903: Rhode Island State Capitol
- 1889: Washington Square Arch
- 1898-1902: Rosecliff
- 1902-1904: Astor Courts
- 1910: Pennsylvania Station in New York City
Important Styles:
About Stanford White:
Working with Henry Hobson Richardson and the firm McKim, Mead & White, Stanford White became one of the most prominent architects of the Gilded Age.
Like his buildings, Stanford White's personal life was lavish. A red velvet swing hung from the gold leaf ceiling in his Madison Square Garden apartment where he entertained many beautiful young women, including the famous Evelyn Nesbit.
Stanford White's scandalous life and shocking murder captured news headlines and often eclipsed the brilliance of his work. Nevertheless, he left America some of its most remarkable buildings, including lavish summer homes for the Astors and the Vanderbilts and grand structures like the Washington Square Arch.
