Robert Maynicke
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Robert Maynicke (1849–1913) 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 ...
. At his death, the ''New York Times'' called him "a pioneer in the building of modern loft buildings."Robert Maynicke
" ''New York Times'', October 1, 1913.


Life and career

Robert Maynicke was born in
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
in 1849, coming to New York with his family as an infant."Obituaries," ''American Art Annual'', ed. Florence N. Levy, vol. 11 (New York: American Federation of Arts, 1914): 395. He attended the city's public schools, and received his initial architectural training in the Free Night School of Science and Art of the
Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...
. After his 1869 graduation, he entered the office of
George B. Post George Browne Post (December15, 1837November28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. Active from 1869 almost until his death, he was recognized as a master of several contemporary American architectural genres, an ...
, architect of many early skyscrapers. In 1871 he was Post's representative in
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
, where he supervised construction of the Troy Savings Bank Building and Music Hall. He remained in Troy until construction was completed in 1875. He eventually rose to the position of Post's chief assistant, supervising all work in the office. After working in Post's office for some twenty-five years, Maynicke initiated his own practice in 1895, making a specialty of commercial loft buildings. In January, 1905 he formed a partnership with the Beaux-Arts trained architect Julius Franke (1868-1936), whom he had first met in the office of Post.Henry F. Withey and Elsie Rathburn Withey, "Franke, Julius," ''Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased)'' (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956): 218-219. Maynicke & Franke kept their offices at 25 Madison Square South. After Maynicke's death in 1913, Franke continued to practice under the name of Maynicke & Franke until his retirement in 1926. Both Maynicke and Franke joined the
American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
in 1908, and Maynicke was elected a
fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
in 1910. He died at his home, Cedarknoll, in
Bedford Hills, New York Bedford Hills is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 3,001 at the 2010 census. Two New York State prisons for women, Bedford Hills Correction ...
on September 30, 1913, at the age of 69. The noted Cincinnati architect
Rudolph Tietig Rudolph Tietig (1877-1958) was an architect in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States and a partner in the Tietig & Lee architectural firm with Walter H. Lee (1877-1952).Charles Frederic GosCincinnati, the Queen City, 1788-1912, Volume 4S.J. Clarke ...
worked in his office at the turn of the century. For some time
William H. Gompert William H. Gompert (1875 -1946) was the Architect and Superintendent of School Buildings for the New York City Board of Education. According to researc
published by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Gompert was educated at Adel ...
was also a member of the office.


Architectural works

The work of Maynicke and Maynicke & Franke was extensive. In 1925, towards the end of his career, Franke stated that he had calculated that the floor area of buildings completed by Maynicke and Maynicke & Franke would be equal to the area of Lower Manhattan from the Battery to Cortlandt Street. Some important works in New York include: the Guggenheimer Building (1895), the
Sohmer Piano Building The Sohmer Piano Building, or Sohmer Building, is a Neo-classical  Beaux-Arts building located at 170 Fifth Avenue at East 22nd Street, in the Flatiron District neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan, diagonally southwest ...
(1897), the Germania Bank Building (1898, designated NYC landmark 2005), the Yorkville Bank Building (1905, designated NYC landmark 2012) and the Fifth Avenue Building (1909). They were also responsible for extensions to the
New York Times Building The New York Times Building is a 52-story skyscraper at 620 Eighth Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets near Times Square, on the west side of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Its chief tenant is the New York Times Company, ...
(1903, designated NYC landmark 1999) and the Goelet Building (1905). Outside of New York City, Maynicke was responsible for the building of the First National Bank of
Key West, Florida Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...
, completed in 1897. After Maynicke's death, Franke maintained the firm's specialties. In addition to continuing commercial work, Maynicke & Franke was also responsible for the design of the
Heckscher Museum of Art The Heckscher Museum of Art is an American art museum. It is named after its benefactors, Anna and August Heckscher, who in 1920 donated 185 works of art to be housed in a new Beaux-Arts building located in Heckscher Park, in Huntington, New ...
in
Huntington, New York Huntington is one of ten Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States. The town's population was 204,127 at the time of the 2020 census, making it the 11 ...
, opened in Heckscher Park in 1920. In 1921, for the same client, Franke also designed the Children's Building of the Heckscher Foundation for Children on Fifth Avenue.''Real Estate Record and Builders Guide'' 107, no. 4 (January 22, 1921): 125. Among other civic uses, this building now contains
El Museo del Barrio El Museo del Barrio, often known simply as El Museo (the museum), is a museum at 1230 Fifth Avenue in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is located near the northern end of Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, immediately north of the Museum of the City ...
.


References


External links


"Robert Maynicke"
''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', October 13, 1913. * on Emporis * on Emporis {{DEFAULTSORT:Maynicke, Robert 1849 births 1913 deaths Architects from New York City People from Bedford Hills, New York Fellows of the American Institute of Architects