Alexander Jackson Davis
Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1893) was a prominent architect from New York, whose influence spread throughout the East Coast of the United States with his innovative designs for Gothic Revival and Italianate buildings. Inspired by the “picturesque cottages and villas” of Europe, and the dramatic nature of the Hudson River Valley of his native New York, Davis sought to design houses that harmonized with the surrounding landscape. His “country houses” inspired the trend toward organic and irregular facades in American houses.
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Davis began his professional career as an artist; he studied at the American Academy of Fine Arts, the New-York Drawing Association, and the Antique School of the National Academy of Design. He became friends with many important artists, including John Trumbull, Samuel F. B. Morse, and Rembrandt Peale, who advised him to concentrate on his architectural abilities.
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He grew to become a well-published architectural illustrator, and this talent had an important effect on his architectural career. Design, not structure or theory, was his chief interest and strength. He was a fine watercolorist, and throughout his career, composing almost all of his own renderings and drawings.
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In 1826, Davis went to work for Ithiel Town and Martin E. Thompson, and by 1829, Town and Davis were partners. Town and Davis designed a series of influential buildings in the Greek Revival style, with a particular focus on governmental buildings and state capitols. Davis presided over the first meeting of the American Institution of Architects on December 6, 1836 at the Astor House hotel in New York City. This organization was supplanted in 1857 by the American Institute of Architects.
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In 1833, Town and Davis were hired to rework the plans for the North Carolina State Capitol in Raleigh. They are credited with giving the Capitol its appearance and plan as it appears today.
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Though Davis and Town dissolved their partnership in 1835, Davis earned independent commissions for the remainder of his career. In 1839, Davis joined with influential landscape and architectural theorist Andrew Jackson Downing to collaboratate on the publication of a book, A Treatise on the Theory and Practice of Landscape Gardening. published in 1841. Subsequent publishings of this book showcased the partnership between the two men, both of whom shared a love of the Hudson River School of Art and Romantic Movement. Downing’s second edition of this book, published in 1844, not only served to show Americans the types of landscapes they should cultivate, but also styles of homes designed by Davis, that suited these landscapes. Davis’ design for Blandwood was used in this edition as the prototype Italian Villa home.
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During the 1840s and 1850s, Davis was America’s leading architect of country houses in a variety of picturesque styles, the most popular among them being Gothic Revival and Italianate. Over one hundred of his designs for villas and cottages were built. Among of his most important commissions, sited like many others along the banks of the Hudson River, were Romantic Period villas such as “The Knoll” (1838–42) for William and Philip R. Paulding in Tarrytown, New York, which was later expanded by Davis for George Merritt and renamed “Lyndhurst” and “Blithewood” (1835–41) for North Carolinian-in-New York Robert Donaldson, Jr.
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Through Donaldson and other influential circles, Davis received almost as many commissions for projects in North Carolina as he did in New York. These Carolina commissions included remodeling the Old East and Old West buildings and Smith Hall (now Playmakers Theatre) at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill; the Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill; and the original campus of Davidson College. Through Donaldson, Davis met Governor Morehead, who was impressed with Davis’ reputation and designs and brought Davis to see his six room farmhouse in Greensboro. After a three-day visit and a payment of $100, Davis completed designs for a new addition to Blandwood. While Blandwood was not the first building Davis designed in the Italian Villa style, it is the first one completed in the new style.
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With the beginning of the Civil War in 1861, construction in North Carolina came to a halt. In the northern states, architectural tastes grew more elaborate as the Second Empire and High Victorian Gothic styles gained popularity. Davis had little interest in these styles, and he was commissioned for a small number of buildings during his later years. He spent much of the last twenty-five years of his life drawing large projects that were never built, copying or revising earlier work, and preserving his own history. After his death much of his work was collected and distributed to four New York institutions: the Avery Library at Columbia University, the New York Public Library, the New-York Historical Society, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Recently a collection of Davis material has been assembled at the Henry Francis DuPont Winterthur Museum library.