Robert Sands Schuyler (March 6, 1830 – July 24, 1895), often written as R. S. Schuyler and occasionally as R. V. Schuyler (perhaps from a bad NRHP transcription), was a New York

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, designer, and religious leader who moved to

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

and joined political, religious, and civil organizations on

Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...

. He served as Clerk of the City of Fernandina, chaired the Fernandina Library Association when it was established in 1891, and was a lay reader at the

Santa Fe Lake Santa Fe Lake is the name of two waterbodies: a reservoir in south of downtown Williams, Arizona, Williams in North Central Arizona, and a natural lake in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains near Ski Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Me ...

, Florida, Episcopal congregation.

Early life

Schuyler was born in New York City on March 6, 1830. He was educated and married in

Troy, New York Troy is a city in and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, United States. It is located on the western edge of the county, on the eastern bank of the Hudson River just northeast of the capital city of Albany, New York, Albany. At the ...

He was the son of Robert Schuyler (1798–1855) and Lucinda Wood Schuyler. His paternal grandparents were

Philip Jeremiah Schuyler Philip Jeremiah Schuyler (January 21, 1768 – February 21, 1835) was an American politician from New York. His siblings included Angelica Schuyler, Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton, and Margarita Schuyler Van Rensselaer. Life He was the son of ...

(1768–1835), a

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

, and Sarah Rutsen. His grandfather was the son of

Philip Schuyler Philip John Schuyler (; November 20, 1733 - November 18, 1804) was an American general in the American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War and a United States Senate, United States Senator from New York (state), New York. He is usually known as ...

, a Revolutionary War General and

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

, and

Catherine Van Rensselaer Catherine Van Rensselaer Schuyler (; also known as "Kitty", November 10, 1734 – March 7, 1803) was a Colonial and post-Colonial American socialite and the matriarch of the prominent colonial Schuyler family as wife of Philip Schuyler. Early li ...

, a member of the prominent

Van Rensselaer family The Van Rensselaer family () is a family of Dutch descent that was prominent during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries in the area now known as the state of New York. Members of this family played a critical role in the formation of the Unit ...

Career

Fernandina Beach FL Fairbanks House plaque01

During the

U.S. Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded fr ...

, he served in the Union cavalry. In 1881, Schuyler and his wife moved to

, joining prominent political, religious, and civil organizations on

. He served as Clerk of the City of Fernandina, was Chair of the Fernandina Library Association when it was established in 1891, and was a lay reader at the Santa Fe, Florida, Episcopal congregation.

Carpenter Gothic churches

He designed churches in Santa Fe, Fairbanks, and Waldo, many in the

Carpenter Gothic Carpenter Gothic, also sometimes called Carpenter's Gothic or Rural Gothic, is a North American architectural style-designation for an application of Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival architectural detailing and picturesque massin ...

style. Carpenter Gothic architecture was developed by

Richard Upjohn Richard Upjohn (22 January 1802 – 16 August 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was partially responsible for launching the movement to popula ...

, whom Episcopal Bishop John Freeman Young of Florida had known while he was an assistant rector of Trinity Church in New York City. St. John's served as a model for various churches in Waldo, Fairbanks, as well as the St. Paul's By-The-Sea Episcopal Church in Pablo Beach which Schuyler designed in 1887. In Santa Fe, Schuyler designed St. John's Chapel on land donated by E. B. Ewing.

Buildings in Fernandina Beach

He is credited with the Fairbanks House (Fernandina Beach, Florida), the Tabby House (Fernandina Beach, Florida) , and the

Marcellus Williams Felicia "Lisha" Anne Gayle Picus (; February 6, 1956 – August 11, 1998) was an American journalist murdered during a burglary in her gated community in University City, Missouri, on August 11, 1998. Gayle, a 42-year-old reporter for the ''St. L ...

Marcellus Williams House Marcellus may refer to: People * Marcellus (name) * Marcellus of Ancyra, fourth-century Christian bishop and theologian * Marcus Claudius Marcellus, Roman commander * Marcellus of Tangier * Marcellus Empiricus * Marcellus (nephew of Augustus) ...

Williams House (Fernandina Beach, Florida), all on

Fernandina Beach Fernandina may refer to: *Fernandina Beach, Florida **Original Town of Fernandina Historic Site *Fernandina Island, Galapagos Islands *Fernandina (fruit), a citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. P ...

Nassau County, Florida Nassau County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. It is the northeasternmost county in the state. The county seat is Fernandina Beach. The population was 90,352 at the 2020 census. Nassau County is a constituent of the Jackso ...

. The Fairbanks House belonged to

George Rainsford Fairbanks George Rainsford Fairbanks (1820–1906) was a lawyer, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Florida State Senator, president of Florida Fruit Growers Association and the Florida Fruit Exchange; editor of the ''Florida Mirror''; the author of books on Flo ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Works

* George Fairbanks House * Tabby House 7th and Ash Streets * 1886 School House * Hirth House * St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 317 Florida Avenue, Jacksonville Gothic Revival 1887. Only remaining church from before the 1901 fire. * St. Peters Church, Fernandina (1884)

Gallery

File:StAndrewsEpiscopalJax.PNG, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Jacksonville File:Fort George Island SP St George Episcopal04.jpg, St. George Episcopal Church in Jacksonville File:Fernandina Beach FL Fairbanks House01.jpg, Fairbanks House on

File:Fernandina Beach FL Tabby House01.jpg, Tabby House

Personal life

In 1864, Schuyler was married to Caroline E. Acker (1840-1905). Schuyler died in

Fernandina, Florida Fernandina Beach is a city in and the county seat of Nassau County, Florida, Nassau County, Florida, United States, in the state's northeastern corner. It is the northernmost city on Florida's Atlantic coast, situated on Amelia Island, and is o ...

on July 24, 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schuyler, Robert Sands Architects from New York City 1830 births 1895 deaths Schuyler family 19th-century American architects People from Fernandina Beach, Florida Anglican lay readers