Wilson Eyre, Jr. (October 30, 1858 – October 23, 1944) was an American architect, teacher and writer who practiced in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

area. He is known for his deliberately informal and welcoming country houses, and for being an innovator in the Shingle Style.

Architect and author

The son of Americans living abroad, he was born in

Florence, Italy Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, and educated in Europe, Newport, Rhode Island, and Canada. He studied architecture briefly at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, joined the Philadelphia offices of James Peacock Sims in 1877, and took over the firm on Sims's death in 1882. In 1911, he entered into partnership with John Gilbert McIlvaine, and opened a second office in New York City. The firm of Eyre & McIlvaine continued until 1939.Wilson Eyre Biography
at Philadelphia Architects and Buildings For his most important early houses, " Anglecot" (1883) and "Farwood" (1884–85), he used a simple plan: a line of asymmetrical public rooms stretching along a single axis, extending even outside to a piazza. Like many Shingle Style architects, he employed the open "living hall" as an organizing element: all of the main first floor rooms connecting to the hall, often through large openings. In addition, he used staircases to extend the space of the hall to the second floor. According to architectural-historian

Vincent Scully Vincent Joseph Scully Jr. (August 21, 1920 – November 30, 2017) was an American art historian who was a Sterling Professor of the History of Art in Architecture at Yale University, and the author of several books on the subject. Architect Phil ...

: "This sense of extended horizontal plane and intensified "positive" scale evident in Eyre's work becomes later a basic component in the work of rank LloydWright..." Eyre collaborated with artists such as

Alexander Stirling Calder Alexander Stirling Calder (January 11, 1870 – January 7, 1945) was an American sculpture, sculptor and teacher. He was the son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder and the father of sculptor Alexander Calder, Alexander (Sandy) Calder. His best-kn ...

and

Louis Comfort Tiffany Louis Comfort Tiffany (February 18, 1848 – January 17, 1933) was an American artist and designer who worked in the decorative arts and is best known for his work in stained glass. He is the American artist most associated with the Art NouveauL ...

. Following his early success, Eyre became a leader in the international country life movement, lecturing in England, and corresponding with British and German architects. He was one of the first U.S. architects to be featured in the Arts & Crafts magazine ''International Studio'', and he was published by

Hermann Muthesius Adam Gottlieb Hermann Muthesius (20 April 1861 – 29 October 1927), known as Hermann Muthesius, was a German architect, author and diplomat, perhaps best known for promoting many of the ideas of the English Arts and Crafts movement within German ...

, the chronicler of the so-called "English" house of the turn of the century. Prior to

Frank Lloyd Wright Frank Lloyd Wright (June 8, 1867 – April 9, 1959) was an American architect, designer, writer, and educator. He designed more than 1,000 structures over a creative period of 70 years. Wright played a key role in the architectural movements o ...

's rise to prominence, Eyre was arguably the best-known domestic architect in the U.S. among foreign designers. His post-1890 country houses, such as "

Allgates The Allgates is an historic estate which is located in Haverford, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. It was built for financier Horatio Gates Lloyd and his wife Mary Helen Wingate Lloyd. ''Note:'' This includes Much of the complex was added to th ...

" (1910, expanded by Eyre & McIlvaine 1917) are among the most accomplished American essays in the restrained stucco cottage idiom popularized by

C.F.A. Voysey Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (28 May 1857 – 12 February 1941) was an English architect and furniture and textile designer. Voysey's early work was as a designer of wallpapers, fabrics and furnishings in a Arts and Crafts style and he ma ...

and

Ernest Newton Ernest Newton (12 September 1856 – 25 January 1922) was an English architect, President of Royal Institute of British Architects and founding member of the Art Workers' Guild. Life Newton was the son of an estate manager of Bickley, Ke ...

in England. He was one of the founders and editors of '' House & Garden'' magazine. He designed many distinctive gardens with his residences, and wrote extensively of the need for interaction between rooms and outdoor spaces. Later house plans often featured loggias, terraces and porches connected to each major room on the ground floor to maximize the experience of the garden from inside the house. Eyre was also renowned for his distinctive artistic drawings, often in watercolor. He used charcoal, pencil and ink with equal facility, and drew bird's eye perspectives with amazing speed. His extant drawings are now housed in the Architectural Archives of the University of Pennsylvania. He was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

in 1893. Eyre was one of the few Philadelphia architects who made no attempt to hide his homosexuality, probably diminishing his influence in later years. In August 1914 he was stranded in Europe along with thousands of Americans attempting to escape the fighting that erupted in World War I. Eyre returned to the United States in late September and shared a cabin with Augustus P. Gardner, a member of the House of Representatives from Massachusetts. In 1917, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Philadelphia Chapter of the

. He taught at the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, and was one of the founders of the T Square Club of Philadelphia in 1883. In 1910, he was elected into the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

as an Associate Academician. He died in Philadelphia and is interred at

The Woodlands Cemetery The Woodlands is a National Historic Landmark District on the west bank of the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. It includes a Federal-style mansion, a matching carriage house and stable, and a garden landscape that in 1840 was transformed into a ...

Selected works

Philadelphia area

Residences

“Mauchline” (Frank Gifford Tallman house)Wilmington, D

img title="Ashhurst House Overbrook PA Wilson Eyre 1886"; style="text-decoration: none; height:150px;float: left; padding: 0px 3px 0px 0px;"src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Ashhurst_House_Overbrook_PA_Wilson_Eyre_1886.jpg" > Mask&Wig

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

* " Anglecot" (Charles Adams Potter house), 401 E. Evergreen Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1883). Added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982. * "Farwood" (Richard L. Ashurst house), Overbrook, Pennsylvania (1884–85, demolished). * 220 Glenn road, Ardmore, PA, 19003 * "Wisteria" (Charles A. Newhall house), 444 W. Chestnut Hill Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1884–85). * Dr. Henry Genet Taylor House and Office, 305 Cooper Street, Camden, New Jersey (1884–86). As of January 2015, renovation was underway by Rutgers University–Camden to convert the building into a Writers House. * Harriet D. Schaeffer house, 433 W. Stafford Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1888) *

Sally Watson House Sally Watson House is a historic home located in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was designed by architect Wilson Eyre and built in 1886 for Sarah R. ("Sallie") Watson (1844-1918). It is a three-story, rubble schist ...

, 5128 Wayne Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1889). *

Clarence B. Moore House The Clarence B. Moore House is a historic home located at 1321 Locust Street at the corner of S. Juniper Street between S. 13th and S. Broad Streets in the Washington Square West section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Moore house was built i ...

, 1321 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1890). * Henry Cochran house, 3511 Baring Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1891). * Neill-Mauran House, 22nd & Delancey Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1891). * Dr. Joseph Leidy House and office, 1319 Locust Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1894). * Mrs. Evan Randolph house, 218 W. Chestnut Hill Avenue, Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1906). * Clover Hill Farm, 910 Penn Valley Rd Media, Pennsylvania (1907). *"Lycoming," The Residence of William Jay Turner, 3005 W. School House Lane, Philadelphia, PA, (1907). A Philadelphia Register of Historic Places nomination for this property, authored by Oscar Beisert, Architectural Historian and Historic Preservationist, was filed on October 29, 2018, by the Keeping Society of Philadelphia. A demolition permit was filed by the property owner the same day and the building was demolished soon afterwards for an athletic field. * Alterations to Wilson Eyre House, 1003-05 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1909–1910). It was added to the

in 1977. * "

" (Horatio Gates Lloyd mansion), Coopertown Road, Haverford, Pennsylvania (1910, expanded by Eyre & McIlvaine 1917). Added to the

in 1979. * Additions to "Bel Orme" (Thomas Mott house), Matson Ford & County Line Roads, Radnor, Pennsylvania (Eyre & McIlvaine) (1917).

Other buildings

* Mask & Wig Clubhouse, 310 Quince Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1894, altered by Eyre 1901). Murals by

Maxfield Parrish Maxfield Parrish (July 25, 1870 – March 30, 1966) was an American painter and illustration, illustrator active in the first half of the 20th century. He is known for his distinctive saturated hues and idealized neo-classical imagery. His ...

. Added to the

in 1979. *

University of Pennsylvania Museum The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology—commonly known as the Penn Museum—is an archaeology and anthropology museum at the University of Pennsylvania. It is located on Penn's campus in the University City neighb ...

, 3260 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (with

Frank Miles Day Frank Miles Day (April 5, 1861 – June 15, 1918) was a Philadelphia-based architect who specialized in residences and academic buildings. Career In 1883, he graduated from the Towne School of the University of Pennsylvania, and traveled to Europe ...

and

Cope & Stewardson Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...

) (1895–99). *

Corn Exchange Bank The Corn Exchange Bank was a retail bank founded in 1853 in New York state. Over the years, the company acquired many community banks. History In 1855, the Corn Exchange Bank moved into an existing building in New York City at the northwest ...

, Northeast corner 2nd & Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1896). * Carnegie Library, McPherson Square, 601 E. Indiana Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Eyre & McIlvaine) (1915–17) *

Swann Memorial Fountain The ''Swann Memorial Fountain'' (also known as the ''Fountain of the Three Rivers'') is an art deco fountain sculpture located in the center of Logan Circle in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.Hayes, Margaret Calder, ''Three Alexander C ...

, Logan Circle, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Eyre & McIlvaine, architects;

, sculptor) (1921–24). * The St. Anthony Club of Philadelphia. 32 South 22nd Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 1888.

Other regions

Residences

Charles Lang Freer House The Charles Lang Freer House is located at 71 East Ferry Avenue in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The house was originally built for the industrialist and art collector Charles Lang Freer, whose gift of the Freer Gallery of Art began the Smithsonian I ...

, 71 E. Ferry Street, Detroit, Michigan (1890). Eyre altered the carriage house in 1906, to install ''

The Peacock Room ''Harmony in Blue and Gold: The Peacock Room'' (better known as ''The Peacock Room'') is a masterpiece of interior decorative art created by James McNeill Whistler and Thomas Jeckyll, translocated to the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. ...

'' by

James McNeill Whistler James Abbott McNeill Whistler (; July 10, 1834July 17, 1903) was an American painter active during the American Gilded Age and based primarily in the United Kingdom. He eschewed sentimentality and moral allusion in painting and was a leading pr ...

(now in the

Freer Gallery The Freer Gallery of Art is an art museum of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. focusing on Asian art. The Freer and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery together form the National Museum of Asian Art in the United States. The Freer and Sac ...

, Washington, DC). Added to the

in 1971. *

Nathan Franklin Barrett Nathan Franklin Barrett (November 19, 1845 – October 16, 1919) was an American landscape architect. He is best known for his designs for company town of Pullman, Illinois, the Hotel Ponce de Leon in Florida and Naumkeag in Stockbridge, Mass ...

house, "26, The Boulevard", Rochelle Park, New Rochelle, New York (1890). Barrett was the landscape architect and planner of the Rochelle Park community. * "Greyeres" ( Ernest Albert mansion), 9 Manhattan Avenue, Rochelle Park, New Rochelle, New York (1896, demolished). * "Meadowcroft" (Theodore E. Conklin mansion), Southampton, Long Island, New York (1904). Lighting by

. * E.S. Sands mansion, Southport, Connecticut (1905) * "Etowah" (George W. King house), 429 Mt. Vernon Ave, Marion, Ohio (1908). Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. * "Northcote" (Stephen Parrish house), Lang Road, Cornish, New Hampshire (1893). Located near the

Cornish Art Colony The Cornish Art Colony (or Cornish Artists’ Colony, or Cornish Colony) was a popular art colony centered in Cornish, New Hampshire from about 1895 through the years of World War I. Attracted by the natural beauty of the area, about 100 artists, ...

, this became the home/studio of the client's son, the painter

Other buildings

Detroit Club The Detroit Club is a private social club located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. The building was constructed in 1891 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. History The origin of the Detroit Club dates to 1882, when D ...

, 712 Cass Avenue, Detroit, Michigan (1891). Added to the

in 2005. *

Newcomb College H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College, or Newcomb College, was the coordinate women's college of Tulane University located in New Orleans, in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was founded by Josephine Louise Newcomb in 1886 in memory of her daughter. ...

Memorial Chapel, 6th & Chestnut Streets, New Orleans, Louisiana (1894–95, demolished 1954). Stained glass by

Image gallery

File:Anglecot.JPG, " Anglecot" (Charles Adams Potter house), 401 E. Evergreen Ave., Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia (1883). File:TaylorFacade.jpg, Dr. Henry Genet Taylor House and Office, 305 Cooper St., Camden, NJ (1884–86). File:TaylorStair.jpg, Interior of Taylor house (1884–86). File:SchaefferHouse.jpg, Harriet D. Schaeffer house, 433 W. Stafford St., Philadelphia (1888). File:Charles Lang Freer House.jpg,

, 71 E. Ferry St., Detroit, MI (1890). File:DetroitClub.jpg,

, 712 Cass Ave., Detroit, MI (1891). File:Neill Mauran.JPG, Doorways to Neill & Mauran Houses, 22nd & Delancey Sts., Philadelphia (1891). File:Clarence B. Moore House 1321 Locust Street.jpg, Clarence Bloomfield Moore House, 1321 Locust St., Philadelphia (1890). Eyre's Leidy House is next door (right). File:1319locustst front.jpg, Dr. Joseph Leidy, Jr. House & Office, 1319 Locust St., Philadelphia (1894). File:Allgates.jpg,

(Horatio Gates Lloyd mansion), Haverford, PA (1910, altered by Eyre & McIlvaine 1917). File:BelOrme.jpg, "Bel Orme" (Thomas Mott house), Radnor, PA (altered by Eyre & McIlvaine 1917). File:Swann Fountain-27527.jpg,

, Logan Circle, Philadelphia (1924), Eyre & McIlvaine, architects;

, sculptor.

References

External links

* Wilson Eyre architectural drawings and papers, circa 1877–194
Held by the Department of Drawings & Archives
* *Wilson Eyre Collection, Weitzman Archives, University of Pennsylvani

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eyre, Wilson 20th-century American architects 1858 births 1944 deaths 19th-century American architects Burials at The Woodlands Cemetery University of Pennsylvania faculty Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Architects from Philadelphia Preservationist architects Members of the Philadelphia Club LGBT architects