Park Row Building 1912 New York City crop

Robert Henderson Robertson (April 29, 1849 – June 3, 1919) was an American

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 ...

who designed numerous houses, institutional and commercial buildings, and churches.

Life and career

Robertson was born in

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 ...

of Scottish parents Archibald Robertson and Elizabeth Henderson. He was educated in Scotland, then graduated from

Rutgers College Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was a ...

in 1869. He apprenticed for several years in Philadelphia with

Henry A. Sims Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) *Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal ...

, then moved to New York to work first for

George B. Post George Browne Post (December 15, 1837 – November 28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. He was recognized as a master of modern American architecture as well as being instrumental in the birth of the skyscrap ...

, then in 1873-74 for

Edward Tuckerman Potter Edward Tuckerman Potter (September 25, 1831 – December 21, 1904) was an American architect best known for designing the 1871 Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. With his half-brother William Appleton Potter, he also designed Nott ...

. Having completed one of the first houses in America that manifested the " Queen Anne style", a cottage for Theodore Timson in

Sea Bright, New Jersey Sea Bright is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough's population was reflecting a decline of 406 (−22.3%) from the 1,818 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn incre ...

(1875), he formed a partnership with Potter's half-brother,

William Appleton Potter William Appleton Potter (December 10, 1842 – February 19, 1909) was an American architect who designed numerous buildings for Princeton University, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Supervising Architect of the Treasury ...

, who also trained with Post. Their partnership lasted from 1875 to 1881, during which time they worked mostly in a free

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

, with Robertson, the junior partner, having responsibility for the firm's residential commissions.MacKay, Baker and Traynor, p. 165 In the 1880s, working on his own, he fell under the influence of

H.H. Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is o ...

's "

Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revival style incorporates 11th and 12th century southern French, Spanish, and Italian Romanesq ...

" a freely-handled revival style that depended for its effect on strong massing and the bold use of rustication. In the 1890s, in the wake of the "White City" of the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, h ...

, Chicago, he began to work in a classical style. He married Charlotte Markoe, and they had one son. Robertson died on June 3, 1919, at William S. Webb's Adirondack lodge in Nehasane, Hamilton County, New York, which he had designed. He is buried in

Southampton, New York Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the str ...

Commissions

Potter & Robertson (1875-1881)

During his New York partnership with

the firm designed many summer vacation cottages in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New ...

, and the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May P ...

, beginning with the Bryce Gray residence in

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,Springfield, Massachusetts. *Phillips Presbyterian Church (1873) *Stuart Hall (1875–77)

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a private school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1812 under the auspices of Archibald Alexander, the General Assembly o ...

. *Witherspoon Hall (1875–77)

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...

. * Brown University Library (1875)

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. *University Hotel (1875–77; demolished)

Princeton, New Jersey Princeton is a municipality with a borough form of government in Mercer County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It was established on January 1, 2013, through the consolidation of the Borough of Princeton and Princeton Township, both of whi ...

. *Grace Church Chapel (completed 1876; demolished)East 14th Street; the third chapel for Grace Church, and the second on this site, replacing one that burned down in 1872. *Alpha Kappa Lodge (1876)

Williams College Williams College is a private liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams, a colonist from the Province of Massachusetts Bay who was kille ...

Williamstown, Massachusetts Williamstown is a town in the northern part of Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, United States. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropoli ...

. *St. Augustine's Episcopal Church and Mission House (1876–77)107 East Houston Street. *Commodore Charles H. Baldwin House (1877–78)

; a multi-gabled essay in the Queen Anne style showing the influence of

Norman Shaw Richard Norman Shaw RA (7 May 1831 – 17 November 1912), also known as Norman Shaw, was a British architect who worked from the 1870s to the 1900s, known for his country houses and for commercial buildings. He is considered to be among the g ...

, and

H. H. Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

's Newport residence for William Watts Sherman (1874–76). *"Hillside", also known as the Adam-Derby House (1878)

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three towns which make up Nassau County, New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is the only town in Nassau County to extend from the North Shore to the South Shore of ...

, for Sarah Sampson Adam. The partnership's only documented house on the Long Island Gold Coast is also in the Queen Anne style. *Christ Episcopal Church (1878)Oyster Bay, Long Island; altered by

Delano & Aldrich Delano & Aldrich was an American Beaux-Arts architectural firm based in New York City. Many of its clients were among the wealthiest and most powerful families in the state. Founded in 1903, the firm operated as a partnership until 1935, when Ald ...

in 1925, who encased the domestic-looking church in stone. *St. James Protestant Episcopal Chapel, known as the

Church of the Presidents United First Parish Church is a Unitarian Universalist congregation in Quincy, Massachusetts, established as the parish church of Quincy in 1639. The current building was constructed in 1828 by noted Boston stonecutter Abner Joy to designs by ...

(1879)

Long Branch, New Jersey Long Branch is a beachside city in Monmouth County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the city's population was 30,719,Park Row Building The Park Row Building, also known as 15 Park Row, is a luxury apartment building and early skyscraper on Park Row in the Financial District of the New York City borough of Manhattan. The , 31-story building was designed by R. H. Robertson, ...

(completed 1899) at 15 Park Row, built for

August Belmont August Belmont Sr. (born August Schönberg; December 8, 1813November 24, 1890) was a German-American financier, diplomat, politician and party chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and also a horse-breeder and racehorse owner. He was ...

, was, for a brief period, the world's tallest office building. Among his many other commissions in New York City and elsewhere: *St. James Episcopal Church (completed 1881)East 71st Street & Madison Avenue. Altered by

Ralph Adams Cram Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and Church (building), ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival architecture, Gothic Revival style. Cram and ...

and others. The tower collapsed and was replaced by a spire in 1950.White & Willensky, p.407 *Church of the Holy Spirit (1881–83; demolished 1905)775 Madison Avenue. *

Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church is a member church of the Presbyterian Church (USA), located at 73rd Street and Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side of New York City. In 1927 George Arthur Buttrick succeeded Henry Sloane Coffin as minister ...

(1881–84; demolished)East 60th Street & Madison Avenue. *23 East 67th Street (1882–83)Redesigned in the neo-Federal style and an additional storey added by Sterner and Wolfe in 1919. * Mott Haven (138th Street) Railroad Station (1885–86; demolished). *YWCA Building (1885–87)7-11 East 15th Street. Now used by the Soka Gakkai International-USA Cultural Center, the Buddhist Association for Peace, Culture and Education. *

Drew Theological Seminary Drew University is a private university in Madison, New Jersey. Drew has been nicknamed the "University in the Forest" because of its wooded campus. As of fall 2020, more than 2,200 students were pursuing degrees at the university's three scho ...

Library (completed 1886)

Madison, New Jersey Madison is a borough in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 16,937. Located along the Morris & Essex Lines, it is noted for Madison's historic railroad station becoming o ...

. Published in ''The American Architect and Building News'' 20 March 1886. *"Sunnymede", Dr. Francis H. Markoe house (1886–87) Southampton, Long Island. Dr Markoe was Robertson's brother-in-law.MacKay, Baker and Traynor, p. 167 *Knox Presbyterian Church (completed 1887)252

East 72nd Street 72nd Street is one of the major bi-directional crosstown streets in New York City's borough of Manhattan. The street primarily runs through the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods. It is one of the few streets to go through Cen ...

, now known as St. John the Martyr Roman Catholic Church (Manhattan). *Bushnell House (1887–88)838 East High Street,

Springfield, Ohio Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northe ...

. Built for

Asa Bushnell Asa Smith Bushnell I (September 16, 1834 – January 15, 1904) was an American Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 40th governor of Ohio. Prior to becoming governor, he served as the president of the Warder, Bushnell and Glessner ...

and his wife Ellen, and now a funeral home, the Bushnell House exemplifies Robertson's

style. It is part of Springfield's East High Street Historic District, which is listed on 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 artist ...

. *"Wyndcote", Robertson's residence (1887–88)Southampton, Long Island. *Phelps Stokes-J.P. Morgan, Jr. House (completed 1888)231 Madison Avenue; Robertson significantly enlarged this Italianate mansion, which was originally built in 1852-53. A

New York City landmark The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...

. *Christ Church (1887–89)

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ), officially the City of Poughkeepsie, separate from the Town of Poughkeepsie around it) is a city in the U.S. state of New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie ...

. *" Hammersmith Farm" (1887–89)

, for John W. Auchincloss. *

Jan Hus Bohemian Brethren Church Jan Hus Presbyterian Church is a Christian congregation associated with the Presbyterian Church USA. It is the oldest Czech Presbyterian congregation in the US, having been founded in 1877, and the church building was opened in 1888. The church ...

(1888)347

East 74th Street 74th Street is an east–west street carrying pedestrian traffic and eastbound automotive/bicycle traffic in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It runs through the Upper East Side neighborhood (in ZIP code 10021, where it is known as East ...

. *

Rutgers Presbyterian Church Rutgers Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian house of worship in New York City. The church's origins date to 1798 in Lower Manhattan. The first church building was erected on a plot of ground donated by Colonel Henry Rutgers at the corner of wh ...

Chapel (1888)West 73rd Street; named after the same man, Col. Henry Rutgers, as

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and wa ...

. *Margaret Louisa Home (1889–91)14-16 East 16th Street. *St. Luke's Episcopal Church (1889–90)73 South Fullerton Avenue,

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New Yor ...

. *13 East 71st Street (1891–92)town house. *Church of the Messiah and Incarnation (1892)Greene Avenue, Brooklyn. Completed the design of

James H. Giles James is a common English language surname and given name: * James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambigua ...

. *St Luke's Church (completed 1892)Convent Avenue,

Hamilton Heights (Manhattan) Hamilton Heights is a neighborhood in the northern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is the northernmost part of the West Harlem area, along with Manhattanville and Morningside Heights to its south, and it contains the sub-neighborhood an ...

. Within the Hamilton Heights Historic District. * Pequot Library (1893)

Southport, Connecticut Southport is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Fairfield, Connecticut. It is located along Long Island Sound between Mill River and Sasco Brook, where it borders Westport. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,710. Settl ...

. Meticulously restored in 2008. *

American Tract Society Building 150 Nassau Street, also known as the Park Place Tower and the American Tract Society Building, is a 23-story, building in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is located at the southeast corner of Spruce Street and ...

(1894–95)150 Nassau Street. Combining elements of

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

and

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

styles, this is one of the earliest steel-framed structures. It is clad in gray Westerly granite, gray

Roman brick Roman brick can refer either to a type of brick used in Ancient Roman architecture and spread by the Romans to the lands they conquered; or to a modern type inspired by the ancient prototypes. In both cases, it characteristically has longer and ...

and tan

architectural terracotta Architectural terracotta refers to a fired mixture of clay and water that can be used in a non-structural, semi-structural, or structural capacity on the exterior or interior of a building. Terracotta pottery, as earthenware is called when not use ...

. A

. *Engine Company 55 Firehouse,

Fire Department of New York The New York City Fire Department, officially the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), is an American department of the government of New York City that provides fire protection services, technical rescue/special operations services ...

(completed 1895)363 Broome Street, Manhattan. The building is a

. * New York Savings Bank (1896–97)Eighth Avenue at West 14th Street (northwest corner). The grand Roman banking hall was occupied for several years by a carpet merchant, and then by the upscale grocer, Balducci's (2005-2009). It and its sibling across 14th Street serve as New York's ''gemelli'' churches. A

. *Academy of Medicine (completed 1889; demolished)17 West 43rd Street. *Rutgers Riverside Presbyterian Church (1889–90; demolished)Broadway and West 73rd Street. The church was replaced by the current structure. * Lincoln Building (1889–90)1-3 Union Square West. A

. *MacIntyre Building (1890–92)874 Broadway, lofts, the ''AIA Guide to New York City'' (4th ed.) calls refers to the building's style as "unspeakable eclectic"White & Willensky, p.195 *

United Charities Building The United Charities Building, also known as United Charities Building Complex, is at 105 East 22nd Street or 287 Park Avenue South, in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, near the border of the Flatiron District. It was b ...

(1891–1892)East 22nd Street and Park Avenue South, designed with Rowe & Baker. *Mohawk Building (1891–92)160 Fifth Avenue. *Mendelssohn Hall (1891–92)West 40th Street. The hall was designed for the

Mendelssohn Glee Club The Mendelssohn Glee Club of New York City, founded in 1866, is the oldest surviving independent musical group in the United States after the New York Philharmonic. Their concerts, given in very high-society settings, featured the new (to Americ ...

.*...First Congregational Church of St. Albans, 27 Church St., St. Albans, Vermont 1892-1894 completed 1894. * Church of St Paul and Parish House (1895–97)540 West End Avenue at West 86th Street. Tuscan Renaissance in tan brick and limestone, with an octagonal campanile at the corner. The ''AIA Guide to New York City'' (4th ed.) calls this church, with its octagonal corner tower, "a startling work." It's now the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew and is shared with Congregation B'nai Jeshurun. A

. *First Reformed Dutch Church (1896–1897)

Somerville, New Jersey Somerville is a borough and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, United States.New Jer ...

. *

Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York The Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York is a congregation within the Unitarian Universalist Association located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is the last surviving of seven Universalist congregations in the city, founded ...

(1898)Central Park West and 76th Street. Mosaic in interior. * Moses Allen and Alice Dunning Starr House (1897–99)5 West 54th Street; a

. *Bedford Park Presbyterian Church (1900)Bedford Park Boulevard, the Bronx. *Lying-in Hospital (1902)305 Second Avenue between East 17th and 18th Streets, now "Rutherford Place", apartments and offices. *Corn Exchange Bank Building * Shelburne Farms

Shelburne, Vermont Shelburne is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Champlain, Shelburne's town center lies approximately south of the city center of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. As of the ...

. Shelburne House, the Breeding Barn, the Farm Barn and the Coach Barn make up Robertson's most ambitious farm complex. Robertson designed the adjacent Shelburne Railroad Station (1890). *Camp Santanoni Main Camp Complex

Newcomb, New York Newcomb is a town in Essex County, New York, United States. The population was 436 at the 2010 census. The town is on the western border of the co