Architect · United States · 1838-1886
H. H. Richardson Biography, Buildings and Best Books
American architect (1838-1886) whose massive stone buildings, from Trinity Church in Boston to the Allegheny County Courthouse, created the Richardsonian Romanesque.
Image: Hubert von Herkomer (painting), public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Biography
Henry Hobson Richardson (1838-1886) was an American architect and one of the founders of a distinctly American architecture. His heavy, rusticated stone buildings with round arches, known as Richardsonian Romanesque, shaped churches, courthouses, libraries and railway stations across the United States, and his Marshall Field Wholesale Store influenced Louis Sullivan and the Chicago School.
Louisiana, Harvard and Paris
Richardson was born on a plantation in St James Parish, Louisiana, in 1838. He studied at Harvard and then, as only the second American to do so, at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, returning to the United States in 1865.
Trinity Church
His winning design for Trinity Church in Boston’s Copley Square (1872-1877), with its massive central tower and polychrome stone, made his name. It was followed by town libraries in Massachusetts, railway stations and the Ames Gate Lodge.
Late works
In his final years he designed the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail in Pittsburgh, the Marshall Field Wholesale Store in Chicago, demolished in 1930, and the Glessner House in Chicago. He died in Brookline, Massachusetts, in 1886 at the age of 47.
The Architecture of H. H. Richardson and His Times
Henry-Russell Hitchcock’s classic study of Richardson’s buildings and their place in American architecture.
View on AmazonTimeline
- 1838Born on 29 September in St James Parish, Louisiana.
- 1859Graduates from Harvard.
- 1860Enters the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
- 1872Wins the competition for Trinity Church, Boston.
- 1877Trinity Church is consecrated.
- 1886Dies on 27 April in Brookline, Massachusetts.
- 1887Marshall Field Wholesale Store and Glessner House are completed.
- 1888Allegheny County Courthouse is completed.
Best Books on H. H. Richardson
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is H. H. Richardson known for?
H. H. Richardson is known for Trinity Church in Boston, the Allegheny County Courthouse in Pittsburgh, the Marshall Field Wholesale Store and the Glessner House in Chicago, and for the Richardsonian Romanesque style.
What is Richardsonian Romanesque?
A style of heavy stone buildings with round arches, deep openings and strong masses, developed by Richardson and widely imitated in the United States.
Did Richardson influence Louis Sullivan?
Yes. The simplicity and scale of the Marshall Field Wholesale Store influenced Sullivan’s Auditorium Building and the Chicago School.
What is the best book on H. H. Richardson?
The Architecture of H. H. Richardson and His Times by Henry-Russell Hitchcock (MIT Press) is the classic study.
