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William Halsey Wood papers

Call Number

MS 141

Date

circa 1865-1982 (bulk 1888-1897), inclusive

Creator

Wood, William Halsey, 1855-1897

Extent

4 Linear feet (3 archives boxes, 1 flat box)

Language of Materials

The documents in the collection are in English.

Abstract

The William Halsey Wood Papers consist of architectural drawings, photographs, personal correspondence, clippings, and other material related to the life of the architect William Halsey Wood (1855-1897).

Biographical / Historical

William Halsey Wood (1855-1897) was born on April 24, 1855 in Danville, NY to Daniel Halsey Wood and Hannah Bell Lippincott. The family moved to Newark, NJ, where Halsey Wood was educated at the Episcopal House of Prayer parish school. In 1870 he began an apprenticeship with the architect John F. Miller in Newark. After leaving the unsuccessful firm Taylor, Roberts and Wood, he opened his own office in 1879. The same year, he completed the William Clark House, which was followed by a number of other notable domestic projects, including his own home, "Winmarleigh".

His ecclesiastical designs, meanwhile, reached a height in 1888, when he entered his drawings for "Jerusalem, the Golden" into the design competition for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. While his design was not ultimately accepted, he continued to work on a number of other prominent religious buildings, primarily Episcopal churches in New Jersey and New York. Like other noteworthy architects of the period, he tended to embrace a version of eclecticism that combined historic European styles with modern American sensibilities.

In 1889 he married Florence Hemsley in Tannersville, NY. They had three children. Halsey Wood died in 1897 in Philadelphia, PA at age 41.

Arrangement

The material is arranged into two primary series: Personal Papers and Project Records. The former contains personal and biographical material and the latter documents the architectural output of William Halsey Wood. A third series contains mainly secondary source material sent to the repository decades after the initial donation.

Series I: Personal Papers

Series II: Project Records

Series III: Additional Donation

Material is arranged chronologically where appropriate. See series descriptions for more detail.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains correspondence, architectural drawings, photographs, clippings, and other material related to the personal and professional life of William Halsey Wood. A primary focus is his design for the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. Additionally, there are drawings and clippings related to approximately two dozen additional projects, the majority of which are churches. The design for his home "Winmarleigh" in Newark, NJ is also prominent. Correspondence and other personal materials describe the architect's youth and wedding, followed later by his illness and death.

Access Restrictions

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Use restrictions

Taking images of documents from the library collections for reference purposes by using hand-held cameras and in accordance with the library's photography guidelines is encouraged. As an alternative, patrons may request up to 20 images per day from staff.

Application to use images from this collection for publication should be made in writing to: Department of Rights and Reproductions, The New-York Historical Society, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024-5194, rightsandrepro@nyhistory.org. Phone: (212) 873-3400 ext. 282.

Copyrights and other proprietary rights may subsist in individuals and entities other than the New-York Historical Society, in which case the patron is responsible for securing permission from those parties. For fuller information about rights and reproductions from N-YHS visit: https://www.nyhistory.org/about/rights-reproductions

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as William Halsey Wood Papers, MS 141, The New-York Historical Society.

Location of Materials

Materials in this collection may be stored offsite. For more information on making arrangements to consult them, please visit www.nyhistory.org/library/visit.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of William Halsey Wood Jr. and Emily Hemsley Burrows (children), 1955.

Collection processed by

Luis Rodriguez

About this Guide

This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2023-08-21 15:47:59 -0400.
Language: Description is in English.

Repository

New-York Historical Society
New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
New York, NY 10024