HENRY HOBSON RICHARSON

ABOUT HENRY'S CHILDHOOD

• He was born September 29, 1838 and he died on April 27, 1886
• He was born in St. James Parish, Louisiana and lived the majority of his childhood in New Orleans
• His father, Henry Dickenson Richardson, was a cotton merchant.
• His mother, Catherine Priestley, was the granddaughter of Dr. Joseph Priestley
• Dr. Joseph Priestley was an English scientist known for discovering oxygen.

TRAINING/EDUCATION

• Richardson attended regular grade school
• Richardson went on to study at Harvard College and Tulane University
• At first he wanted to study civil engineering, but changed to architecture
• That led him to Paris in 1860 to attend the famed École des Beaux Arts
• He couldn't complete his education there because of money

FAMOUS CREATIONS

• Richardsons most famous creation is The Trinity Church
• He did a few things in New York (Albany city hall, NY state capitol etc.)
• A lot of his creations had Japanese features (eyelid dormers)
• The picture shown behind is one of the Trinity Church

ABOUT HIS BUILDINGS

• He admired Japanese style buildings and made many with that style
• The interior of the trinity church is an example of the arts and crafts aesthetic in the U.S.
• He liked building things to help others (libraries, houses, churches, etc.)
• He had no preference for building material, he just wanted to design the interior of a ship

ABOUT THE TRINITY CHURCH

• It was built between 1872-1877
• It was the building that sparked Richardson's reputation
• It is the birthplace of the Richardsonian Romanesque style
• He designed it with parallel lines and triangular support
• Without geometry, buildings this magnificent wouldn't still be here