John Mead Howells

John Mead Howells. An influential American architect and educator, he was a leading proponent of the Beaux-Arts tradition and later Art Deco design in the early 20th century. He is best known for winning the famed Chicago Tribune Tower competition with his partner Raymond Hood, a pivotal event in skyscraper history. His long career spanned academic leadership at Columbia University, significant institutional commissions, and lasting contributions to the architectural profession.

Early life and education

Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he was the son of noted novelist and critic William Dean Howells. He received his undergraduate education at Harvard University before pursuing formal architectural training at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. His studies in France under masters like Jean-Louis Pascal deeply ingrained the principles of classical composition and planning that would define much of his work. Upon returning to the United States, he began his practice in New York City, establishing the firm Howells & Stokes with Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes.

Architectural career

Howells's early career was firmly rooted in the Beaux-Arts idiom, designing notable structures like the Henry Clay Frick house and collaborating on the American Academy in Rome. His professional trajectory changed dramatically in 1922 when his competition entry with Raymond Hood for the Chicago Tribune Tower was selected as the winner, defeating entries from renowned architects like Eliel Saarinen and Walter Gropius. This victory, though controversial for its conservative Gothic Revival design, cemented his reputation. He later served as the director of the Department of Architecture at Columbia University for over two decades, influencing a generation of architects.

Major works

His most iconic building remains the Chicago Tribune Tower, a skyscraper whose ornate crown became a landmark on the Chicago skyline. In New York City, he designed the elegant Art Deco residential skyscraper known as the Beekman Tower at 3 Mitchell Place. Other significant commissions include the Panhellenic Tower for the National Panhellenic Conference, the Museum of the City of New York on Fifth Avenue, and the Howells Library at Yale University. He also contributed to the design of the American Radiator Building and completed numerous projects for Dartmouth College and the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Berkeley, California.

Awards and recognition

Howells received the highest honor in American architecture, the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects, in 1958. He was a long-standing fellow of the American Institute of Architects and served as its president from 1928 to 1930. His work on the Chicago Tribune Tower was awarded the prestigious R. S. Reynolds Memorial Award, and he was elected into the National Academy of Design. His legacy is also preserved through his extensive writings and his role in shaping the curriculum at Columbia University.

Personal life and legacy

He was married to Mildred Howells, and they maintained residences in New York City and Kittery Point, Maine, where he was an active member of the local community. Howells passed away in Maine in 1959. His legacy is that of a transitional figure who successfully navigated from historicist Beaux-Arts architecture to the emerging modernist sensibility of the Art Deco period. Through his built work, his leadership in professional organizations like the American Institute of Architects, and his academic tenure at Columbia University, he played a significant role in the development of early 20th-century American architecture.

Category:American architects Category:1868 births Category:1959 deaths