• Source: Robert W. Gibson

      • Robert W. Gibson, AIA, (1854 in England – 1927 in New York City) was an English-born American ecclesiastical architect active in late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century New York state. He designed several large Manhattan churches and a number of prominent residences and institutional buildings.


      Life and career


      Robert Williams Gibson was born November 17, 1854, in Aveley, Essex, England, to Samuel Lodwick Gibson and Eliza (Williams) Gibson. In 1875 he entered the architectural school of the Royal Academy of Arts in London, graduating in 1879. Having been awarded a traveling scholarship, he spent the next two years traveling in Europe. He immigrated to the United States in 1881, initially settling in Albany, New York. For his first four years in the United States he worked in partnership with William Pretyman, a decorator and designer, as Gibson & Pretyman. This partnership was dissolved in 1884, after which he worked independently for the rest of his career.
      The dissolution of Gibson's partnership coincided with the start of construction of the new Episcopal Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, having won a competition the previous year. A project of Bishop William Croswell Doane, the building was the first American Episcopal cathedral to be conceived on the scale of its European counterparts. The cathedral was to be built in phases, the first of which was completed in 1888. At that time the whole of the building was built only to a height of forty feet, with a temporary roof. All unnecessary exterior ornament was omitted. Gibson supervised a second phase beginning in 1902, and the choir and sanctuary were completed to their full height in 1904. A chapter house was also constructed at this time. Although further work was planned, the construction of the neighboring New York State Education Building and Doane's death prevented any additional construction work, and the cathedral is permanently incomplete.
      In 1888, having completed the first phase of the cathedral and having been commissioned to design a bank for the United States Trust Company in New York, Gibson relocated to that city. From these two projects Gibson developed specialties in both of these building types, and they were a mainstay of his practice for almost thirty years. Gibson practiced architecture in New York until at least 1915, apparently retiring afterward.
      After winning the Albany competition, Gibson entered, but did not win, at least three more design competitions for major churches. His entry into the 1889 competition to design the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York drew from a variety of sources, with an overall effect of the Decorated period of English Gothic architecture. In 1902 he entered the preliminary competition to design the Liverpool Cathedral, but nothing is known of his proposal. Lastly, in 1906 he entered the competition to design the new St. Thomas Episcopal Church in New York. Unlike his competitors, who proposed linear plans with entrances on Fifth Avenue, Gibson designed a building with a semicircular plan facing 53rd Street. His facade was based on the West Front of Peterborough Cathedral, with possible influences from Ely as well. Other competitions entered included the New York Stock Exchange Building and Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House, which was won by Cass Gilbert. Several competitors, including Gibson, alleged that Gilbert had conspired with Supervising Architect of the Treasury James Knox Taylor, his former business partner, to be awarded the commission.
      Gibson joined the American Institute of Architects in 1885 as a fellow. He was a member of the AIA Board of Directors, and served two terms as president of the Architectural League of New York.


      Personal life


      Gibson became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1887. After moving to New York, he married Caroline Hammond in 1890. They had four children: Robert Hammond Gibson, Lydia Gibson, Katherine (Gibson) Van Cortlandt and Hester (Gibson) Huntington. His son, R. Hammond Gibson, was a naval historian. Lydia, his eldest daughter, was an artist who would become a noted Socialist activist and was married to Communist leader Robert Minor. Hester, the youngest, was less public with her politics but was involved in the work of the International Labor Defense and made the news in 1939 when she bailed out jailed Communist leader Earl Browder.
      Gibson was a member of the Century Association and the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club.
      In 1923, in retirement, Gibson published The Morality of Nature, a philosophical work. He died August 17, 1927, at his home in Woodbury, New York.


      Legacy


      At least eleven of Gibson's works have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, with others contributing to listed historic districts. Six more are designated New York City Landmarks.


      Architectural works




      Gallery of architectural works




      Notes




      References

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