Goodhue by Lee Lawrie, holding the Rockefeller Chapel, Chicago, Illinois Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue (April 28, 1869 _ April 23, 1924) was a renowned American architect celebrated for his work in neo-gothic design.
Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was born in Pomfret, Connecticut to Charles Wells Goodhue and his second wife, Helen (Eldredge) Grosvenor Goodhue. Due to financial constraints he was educated at home by his mother until, at age 11, he was sent to Russell's Collegiate and Military Institute. Finances prevented him from attending university, but he received an honorary degree from Trinity College in 1911. In lieu of formal training he moved to New York in 1884 to apprentice at the architectural firm of Renwick, Aspinwall and Russell (one of its principals, James Renwick, was the architect of Grace Church and St. Patrick's Cathedral, both in New York City). Goodhue's apprenticeship ended in 1891 when he won a design competition for St. Matthew’s in Dallas.
After the Completion of his apprenticeship, Goodhue moved to Boston where he was befriended by a group of young, artistic intellectuals who were involved in the founding of the Boston Arts and Crafts Society in 1897. This circle included Charles Eliot Norton of Harvard University and Ernest Fenellosa of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. It was also through this group that Goodhue met Ralph Adams Cram who would be his business partner for almost 25 years. Cram and Goodhue were members of several societies, including the Pewter Mugs and the Visionists. In 1892-3 they publish a quarterly art magazine called the Knight's Errant. The multitalented Goodhue was also a student of book design and typography and created the Cheltenham typeface.
In 1891 Cram and Goodhue formed the architectural firm of Cram, Wentworth, and Goodhue. In 1898 the firm was renamed Cram, Goodhue and Ferguson. The firm was a leader in neo-gothic architecture; much of their work is considered late gothic today. Goodhue displayed affinity for Medieval, Spanish Colonial, and Gothic design. He sought to create gothic architecture that interpreted rather than copied classical forms. Eventually, Goodhue’s architectural creations became lighter and more Romanesque, finally arriving at more modern interpretations of the gothic design. His work evidences his personal style, and his innovations paved the way for others to transition to modern architectural idioms. He is sometimes credited with the transition to art deco, as in his design for the Nebraska State Capitol building. Although best known for neo-gothic work, he is classified as an American Modernist.
After a number of years Goodhue attracted around him a group of artists with whom he frequently collaborated. These included sculptor Lee Lawrie and mosaicist and muralist Hildreth Meiere.
Goodhue was neurasthenic (plagued with fatigue and worry) and prone to extreme mood swings. His biographer Richard Oliver reports that he worried about money his whole life, even after achieving success.
Goodhue died in New York, NY and at his request, was buried at the building he considered his finest, the Church of the Intercession. There Lee Lawrie created for him a Gothic styled tomb, featuring Goodhue recumbent, crowned by a halo of carvings of some of his buildings.
His works include:
Academic:
Ecclesiastical: Rockefeller Chapel, University of Chicago - The Chapel at the United States Military Academy, West Point
- St. Bartholomew’s Church New York
- St. Thomas Church Fifth Avenue New York
- St Vincent Ferrar New York
- Congregational Church Montclair, NJ
- Trinity English Lutheran Church Ft. Wayne, IN
Secular Projects: Capitol, Lincoln, Nebraska - State Capitol Building, Lincoln, Nebraska (1922)
- Kitchi Gammi Club, Duluth, Minnesota
- United States Marine Recruit Depot
- National Academy of Sciences Building Washington, D.C.(1921_1924)
- Los Angeles Central Public Library
- El Prado Quadrangle, Balboa Park San Diego California 1915
- Panama-California Exposition Buildings, San Diego, California (1915)
- National Academy of Sciences Building, Washington, D.C. (1924)
References - Oliver, Richard. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1983 for the Architectural History Foundation. xii + 297 pp.; 146 illustrations, bibliography, index.
- Whitaker, Charles Harris, ed. With text by Hartley Burr Alexander, Ralph Adams Cram, George Ellery Hale, Lee Lawrie, and C. Howard Walker. Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue: Architect and Master of Many Arts, Press of the American Institute of Architects, Inc., New York City 1925
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