Pilcher and Tachau was an American architectural firm in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and was the predecessor firm of

Tachau and Vought Tachau and Vought was an American architectural firm active in the mid-twentieth-century New York City that specialized in mental hygiene hospitals. It was established in 1919 as the successor to the architectural firm of Pilcher and Tachau by Wil ...

.Nancy L. Tod

“New York's Historic Armories: An Illustrated History” (Albany, New York: State University of New York Press, 2006), p.268 It was formed by

Lewis Pilcher Lewis F. Pilcher, American Institute of Architects, AIA (1871–1941), was an American academic and architect active in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth-century New York City. With William G. Tachau, he was a partner of Pilcher and Ta ...

and William G. Tachau. Lewis Pilcher was a professor of art at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

. He subsequently was a

state architect Many national governments and states have a public official titled the state architect or government architect. The specific duties and areas of responsibility of state architects vary, but they generally involve responsibility for the design and ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. Through his connections at Vassar, Pilcher designed the nine-story North Residence (1907), renamed in 1915 as Jewett House. The structure is composed of a four-story U-shaped arms framing a quad-side court with the rear nine-story tower incorporating a 30,000 gallon water tank. The structure extensively used steel and concrete structural components faced with red brick and

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

ornamentation. The high level of decorative work, including

crenellation A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals t ...

s, grotesque terracotta faces and animals was incongruous to Vassar's restrained Quad dormitories and was nicknamed "Pilcher's Crime". The structure failed to attract donors who would attach their name and it was renamed in honor of the college's first president, Milo P. Jewett, instead.Karen Van Lengen and Lisa Reilly. "Vassar College: An Architectural Tour". The Campus Guide Series. (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004), p.80 Vassar7

Works

Louisville Free Public Library The Louisville Free Public Library (LFPL) is the public library system in Louisville, Kentucky, and the largest public library system in the United States, U.S. state of Kentucky. History Formation The Louisville Free Public Library was created ...

(1906) *

Jewett House Jewett House (formally Milo Jewett House and formerly North Hall) is a nine-story Tudor architecture, Tudor-style dormitory on the campus of Vassar College in the town of Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Poughkeepsie, New York. Built in 1907 to ac ...

(1907, formerly North Residence before 1915) *

Troop C Armory A troop is a military sub-subunit, originally a small formation of cavalry, subordinate to a Squadron (cavalry), squadron. In many armies a troop is the equivalent element to the infantry section (military unit), section or platoon. Exception ...

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

*The

Kingsbridge Armory The Kingsbridge Armory, also known as the Eighth Regiment Armory, is a decommissioned armory at Jerome Avenue and West Kingsbridge Road in the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood of the Bronx in New York City. It was built in the 1910s, from a desi ...

in the

Bronx, New York The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

References

Companies based in Manhattan Defunct architecture firms based in New York City {{US-architect-stub