The year 1779 in architecture involved some significant events.
Buildings and structures
Buildings

*
St Paul's Square, Birmingham
St Paul's Square is a Georgian square in the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham, England, named after the church in its centre. It is the last remaining Georgian Square in the city.
Built 1777–1779 on the Newhall estate of the Colmore family, it w ...
,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
.
* South façade of
Stowe House
Stowe House is a grade I listed country house in Stowe, Buckinghamshire, England. It is the home of Stowe School, an independent school and is owned by the Stowe House Preservation Trust who have to date (March 2013) spent more than £25m on t ...
, England, completed in the
neoclassical style based on a design by
Robert Adam
Robert Adam (3 July 17283 March 1792) was a British neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam (1689–1748), Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him. With his ...
.
* Robert Adam completes his remodelling of
Kenwood House
Kenwood House (also known as the Iveagh Bequest) is a former stately home in Hampstead, London, on the northern boundary of Hampstead Heath. The house was originally constructed in the 17th century and served as a residence for the Earls of Ma ...
on
Hampstead Heath
Hampstead Heath (locally known simply as the Heath) is an ancient heath in London, spanning . This grassy public space sits astride a sandy ridge, one of the highest points in London, running from Hampstead to Highgate, which rests on a band ...
, London.
* New
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...
Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford
Christ Church Cathedral, Waterford, or more formally, the Cathedral of The Holy Trinity, Christ Church, is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Waterford City, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. Previously the cathedral ...
, designed by
John Roberts
John Glover Roberts Jr. (born January 27, 1955) is an American lawyer and jurist who has served as the 17th chief justice of the United States since 2005. Roberts has authored the majority opinion in several landmark cases, including '' Nat ...
, completed.
*
Fridericianum
The Fridericianum is a museum in Kassel, Germany. Built in 1779, it is one of the oldest public museums in Europe. in
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel and the district of the same name and had 201,048 inhabitants in December 2 ...
(Hesse), designed by
Simon Louis du Ry
Simon Louis du Ry (13 January 1726 in Kassel - 23 August 1799 in Kassel) was a classical architect.
Biography
Simon Louis du Ry was the son of the Huguenot architect Charles du Ry and grandson of Paul du Ry of Kassel. He was from a French ref ...
, completed.
*
Royal Saltworks at Arc-et-Senans
The Saline Royale (Royal Saltworks) is a historical building at Arc-et-Senans in the department of Doubs, Eastern France. It is next to the Forest of Chaux and 29.2 kilometres (18.1 miles) to the southwest of Besançon. The architect was Claude- ...
, designed by
Claude Nicolas Ledoux
Claude-Nicolas Ledoux (21 March 1736 – 18 November 1806) was one of the earliest exponents of French Neoclassical architecture. He used his knowledge of architectural theory to design not only domestic architecture but also town planning; as ...
, completed.
* The Piece Hall in Halifax, West Yorkshire, opened 1 January 1779, Grade 1 listed Cloth Hall.
Awards
*
Grand Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...
, architecture:
Guy de Gisors and Père François Jacques Lannoy.
Births
* April 10 –
James Savage, English architect (died
1852
Events
January–March
* January 14 – President Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte proclaims a new constitution for the French Second Republic.
* January 15 – Nine men representing various Jewish charitable organizations come t ...
)
* July 8 –
Giorgio Pullicino
Giorgio Pullicino (8 July 1779 – 25 October 1851) was a Maltese painter, architect, and professor of drawing and architecture at the University of Malta. He is known for his harbour views painted in a number of media, and he is also considere ...
, Maltese painter and architect (died
1851
Events
January–March
* January 11 – Hong Xiuquan officially begins the Taiping Rebellion.
* January 15 – Christian Female College, modern-day Columbia College, receives its charter from the Missouri General Assembly.
...
)
*
Edward Lapidge
Edward Lapidge (1779–1860) was an English architect, who held the post of county surveyor of Surrey and designed Kingston Bridge.
Life and career
Edward Lapidge was the eldest son of Samuel Lapidge, the head gardener at Hampton Court Palace ...
, English architect (died
1860
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachuset ...
)
Deaths
* September 30 –
Johan Christian Conradi, German-Danish master builder and architect (born
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. Joh ...
)
* November 9 –
Carl Johan Cronstedt
Carl Johan Cronstedt (25 April 1709 – 9 November 1779) was a Swedish architect, inventor, count, noble, civil servant, scientist and bibliophile.Quinn, p. 52
Biography
Cronstedt was the son of Jakob Cronstedt (Olderman) and Margareta Beata Gru ...
, Swedish architect and inventor (born
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. Joh ...
)
*
Giuseppe Bonici
Giuseppe Bonici (1707–1779) was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He held the post of ''Capomastro delle Opere della Religione'' and was the principal architect of the Order of St. John from 1761 until his death. He designed several ...
, Maltese architect and military engineer (born
1707
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Tuesday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – John V is crowned King of Portugal and the Algarv ...
)
*
Thomas Ivory
Thomas Ivory (1709–1779) was an English builder and architect, active in Norwich.
Life
Ivory was born in 1709. His early years and education remain obscure. His earliest recorded large commission was in his capacity as a builder and timber m ...
, English builder and architect working in
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...
(born
1709
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Friday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 1 – Battle of St. John's: The French capture St. Joh ...
)
*
Richard Taliaferro Richard Taliaferro ( ; –1779) was a colonial architect and builder in Williamsburg, Virginia, in what is now the United States. Among his works is Wythe House, a Georgian-style building that was built in 1750 or 1755. It was declared a U.S ...
, American architect working in
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 15,425. Located on the Virginia Peninsula, Williamsburg is in the northern part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. It is b ...
(born c.
1705
In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Sunday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar.
Events
January–March
* January 8 – George Frideric Handel's first opera, ''Almira'' is ...
)
References
{{Reflist
Architecture
Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
Years in architecture
18th-century architecture