Harold Van Buren Magonigle architectural drawings and papers, 1894-1944, bulk 1894-1930
Collection context
- Creator:
- Magonigle, Harold Van Buren, 1867-1935, Magonigle, Edith, 1877-1949, Long, Birch Burdette, Ferriss, Hugh, 1889-1962, Kimball, Thomas Rogers, 1862-1934, Ripley, Hubert G (Hubert George), 1869-, Taber, I. W, and Yellin, Samuel, 1885-1940
- Abstract:
- Harold Van Buren Magonigle was a New York-based architect, graphic designer, painter and sculptor. Magonigle married artist Edith Marion Day in 1900. Edith Magonigle was a painter and muralist who served as President of the Society of Women Painters and Sculptors. Edith was a primary collaborator of Harold Van Buren Magonigle in both the decoration and creation of buildings designed by his practice. He was widely known as an architect of memorial structures including the Firemen's Memorial on Riverside Drive and the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. Other prominent commissions include the Isaac Guggenheim house in Port Washington, New York and the United States Embassy in Tokyo, Japan.
- Extent:
- 2,184 architectural drawings and 173 drawings
- Language:
- English .
- Scope and content:
-
Sketchbooks, 1895-1903; sketches, 1894-1896, made while Magonigle was travelling in Europe on Rotch Travelling Scholarship; graphic designs, 1902-1919; rendered competition drawings for government buildings, circa 1907-1920, and memorial structures, circa 1910-1930; photographs of Magonigle's architectural drawings, memorial structures, monuments, and other architectural work, much of it located in New York City, circa 1900s-1930s. Among projects represented in the collection are the Gates Avenue Courthouse, Brooklyn, N.Y.; the Firemen's Memorial, the Robert Fulller Memorial, and the National Watergate Memorial in New York City's Riverside Park; the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo.; the Isaac Guggenheim house in Port Washington, N.Y.; numerous additions and alterations for the Franklin Murphy mansion in Mendham, N.J.; and the United States Embassy compound in Tokyo, Japan. Also, drawings by other architects including Hugh Ferriss, Thomas Rogers Kimball, Hubert George Ripley, and I.W. Taber, that were presented to Magonigle. Also included are drawings, circa 1910s-1940s, by Magonigle's wife, painter and designer Edith Marion Day; photographs of Day and Magonigle; manuscripts of lectures, literary works, and other writings by Magonigle; and ephemera.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Harold Van Buren Magonigle was born in Bergen Heights, New Jersey on October 17, 1867. His father John Henry was, for a time, the business manager of actor Edwin Booth. His mother, Katherine Devlin, was the sister of Booth's wife. By the age of 13, Magonigle had entered the work force, starting with a student draftsman position at the architecture firm of Vaux and Radford. In 1882, Magonigle left for a position in the offices of Charles C. Haight, staying five years. In 1887, he joined the offices of McKim, Mead and White and worked there until a move to Boston in 1892, where he worked for the firm Rotch and Tilden. In 1894, Magonigle won the Rotch Travelling Fellowship and traveled throughout England, France, Greece and Italy for the next two years.
After the completion of the fellowship, he returned to the offices of McKim, Mead and White. Over the next few years, he moved around working briefly as a partner of Evarts Tracy, then head draftsman with Schickel and Ditmars, followed by a short association with H.W. Wilkinson. Around 1902, Magonigle went into private practice, where he remained for the rest of his career.
Magonigle died on August 20th, 1935 following a stroke suffered while on vacation visiting friends in Vergennes, Vermont. Edith Magonigle donated his drawings to Avery Library in 1939.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
This collection is available for use by appointment in the Department of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University. For further information, please email avery-drawings@library.columbia.edu.
- Preferred citation:
-
Harold Van Buren Magonigle architectural drawings and papers. Dept. of Drawings & Archives, Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.
- Location of this collection:
- Before you visit:
- Researchers are encouraged to request materials at least one month in advance. You will receive an email from the department within 2-3 business days confirming your request and currently available appointment times. Requests are limited to 8 boxes per day (or equivalent), with a maximum of 5 boxes for off-site materials, 5 folders of drawings, or 5 rolls or tube boxes.
- Contact:
- avery-drawings@columbia.edu