Richardson, Henry Hobson (1838-1886)

Richardson, Henry Hobson (1838-1886)

Richardson, Henry Hobson, 1838-1886

Born in Priestley Plantation, Louisiana, Richardson was educated at Harvard and then studied architecture in Paris at the École des Beaux-Arts (1859–62). While in Europe he worked under Henri Labrouste and Jakob Ignaz Hittorf. He initiated the Romanesque Revival in the United States, which led to a distinctively homegrown style of architecture called Richardsonian Romanesque, dated 1870–95. The style recalls Spanish and French eleventh century Romanesque with massive stone walls, big interior spaces, and semicircular arches interacting together in a continuous architectural flow. He specialized in churches, the most famous of which is Trinity Church, Boston (1872-77), but also designed other well-known buildings such as the Allegheny County Buildings in Pittsburgh and halls of residence at Harvard. He also designed a number of private houses, railroad stations, and wholesale stores.

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