John Notman | |
|---|---|
 An 1845 portrait of Notman bySamuel Waugh | |
| Born | (1803-07-22)July 22, 1803 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | March 3, 1865(1865-03-03) (aged 61) Philadelphia,Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Resting place | Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Architect |
John Notman (July 22, 1803 – March 3, 1865) was a Scottish-born Americanarchitect andlandscape architect based inPhiladelphia. He designed buildings, cemeteries, churches and country estates in theMid-Atlantic region of the United States and helped popularizeItalianate architecture in the United States.
Notman was born on July 22, 1810, inThe Canongate district ofEdinburgh, Scotland,[1] to David and Mary (Christie) Notman.[2] He spent much of his childhood inLasswade, south of Edinburgh.[3] He was educated at theWatt Institution in Edinburgh.[4] He apprenticed for four years as a carpenter and built country houses in the Scottish highlands and Northern Ireland.[5]
Sometime around 1824, Notman joined his older cousin,William Notman to train as an architect in the office ofWilliam Henry Playfair inEdinburgh prior to emigrating to the United States in 1831. He settled inPhiladelphia and first appears in the city directory as a carpenter then as an architect. He returned to Scotland in 1833 to move his mother and siblings to America.[5] He met John Jay Smith who helped him obtain a contract to construct a building for theLibrary Company of Philadelphia in 1835.[2]
He was selected to design and build theRoman Doric gatehouse, landscaping, cottage and chapel atLaurel Hill Cemetery.[6] Notman's design for Laurel Hill was selected over more experienced architects includingWilliam Strickland andThomas Ustick Walter.[5]
In the late 1830s, he was hired for landscape design at several country estates. His work atNathan Dunn's estate, known as "The Cottage", inMount Holly, New Jersey, drew acclaim fromAndrew Jackson Downing. Other notable landscape design projects were completed for the estates ofRichard Stockton Field,Joshua Francis Fisher,George Washington Doane andJay Cooke.[5]
He opened and operated a successful firm and was a founding member of theAmerican Institute of Architects.[5]
Notman is credited with introducing the Italianate style to America. His design for "Riverside," the house built inBurlington, New Jersey in 1839, for Bishop Doane, was the first Italianate villa built in the United States overlooking the Delaware River.[7] The 1845Athenaeum of Philadelphia was the first Italianate building in the city.[8]
Many of his designs for churches were dictated by the ideas of theCambridge Camden Society who suggested thatAnglican churches of theLow church variety should be built in theRomanesque style, while those of theHigh church variety be built in theGothic style.[7] He was also briefly employed by theRoman CatholicDiocese of Philadelphia during construction of theCathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul[9] until an argument over the terms of his contract resulted in his dismissal.
In 1845, Notman designed a three-stepped office wing addition to the north side of theNew Jersey State House.[10] Notman was also the architect of the highly influentialNew Jersey State Lunatic Asylum in Trenton, New Jersey of 1847. This building was the first example of theKirkbride Plan in asylum design.[11]
In 1848, Notman was selected to design theHollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The success of this project led to additional projects in Virginia including improvements to Richmond's Capitol Square.[5]
In 1851, Notman designed theProspect House and theWalter Lowrie House on the campus ofPrinceton University.[12][13] He also designed and builtIvy Hall for Princeton University in 1847.[14] In 1857, one of his last projects[5] was the Italianate gatehouse atMount Vernon Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[15]
Notman died on October 3, 1865[4] and was interred atLaurel Hill Cemetery.[16] His early death was reportedly accelerated by alcoholism.[5] After his death, his architectural firm continued for several years under his protegeGeorge Hewitt. A plaque was added near his gravestone in 1998 when Laurel Hill was designated aNational Historic Landmark. It reads:
"Laurel Hill stands as a landmark in American social and cultural history... an essay in the evolution of our nation's architecture, landscape design and funerary art."[17]
He became a member ofSaint Andrew's Society of Philadelphia in 1837. He was married to Martha (Pullen) Anners in 1841.[18]
Buildings
Cemeteries
Churches
Houses
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Citations
Sources
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