Longfellow, Alden & Harlow
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, was the architectural firm of Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr.
Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr.
Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow, Jr. was an American architect and nephew of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.-Biography:...
(1854–1934), Frank Ellis Alden (1859–1908), and Alfred Branch Harlow (1857–1927). The firm, successors to H. H. Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson
Henry Hobson Richardson was a prominent American architect who designed buildings in Albany, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. The style he popularized is named for him: Richardsonian Romanesque...
, continued to provide structures in the Romanesque revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
style established by Richardson that is often referred to as Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque
Richardsonian Romanesque is a style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after architect Henry Hobson Richardson, whose masterpiece is Trinity Church, Boston , designated a National Historic Landmark...
.
Officially, the firm was Longfellow & Harlow from 1886 until March 1887, with Alden participating as its agent. Then, it was Longfellow, Alden & Harlow, until 1896, when it became Alden & Harlow. The split with Longfellow is described as amicable on page 62 of Margaret Henderson Floyd
Margaret Henderson Floyd
Dr. Margaret Henderson Floyd was Professor of Architectural History at Tufts University. She was an expert on Boston architecture...
's book about the firm, and it had more to do with the fact that Longfellow was in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and Alden & Harlow had relocated to Pittsburgh and were managing their firm there due to the number of commissions they received. After Alden died, Harlow practiced with different partners in Pittsburgh until his death. Longfellow continued to practice in Boston until his death.
The architects Frederick G. Scheibler, Jr.
Frederick G. Scheibler, Jr.
Frederick G. Scheibler, Jr. was an American architect.He was born May 12 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to William Augustus and Eleanor Seidel Scheibler. Although his father's name was William, Frederick was a junior because he was named for his uncle Frederick. His paternal grandparents had...
, William L. Steele
William L. Steele
William LaBarthe Steele was an important architect of the Prairie School during the early twentieth century. A graduate of the University of Illinois, Steele worked in the office of renowned architect Louis Sullivan in Chicago, Illinois 1897–1900...
, and Henry M. Seaver trained in the firm's office. Howard K. Jones was the chief draftsman
Draughtsman
A draughtsman or draftsman , is a person skilled in drawing, either:*drawing for artistic purposes, or*technical drawing for practical purposes such as architecture or engineering...
for the Alden & Harlow office. According to Floyd, "other young draftsmen in the office played roles that are still for the most part unknown". The best documented picture is for the firm's largest commission: the major Carnegie Institute
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
expansion of 1899-1907. Here Jones played a key role, assisted by Steele, Richard Hooker, and John Henry Craner.
Selected commissions
Longfellow, Alden & Harlow
- Music BuildingMusic Building (University of Pittsburgh)The Music Building is an academic building of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, and a contributing property to the Schenley Farms National Historic District. The original mansion was designed by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow as a sandstone Richardsonian...
at the University of PittsburghUniversity of PittsburghThe University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
(1884) - SunnyledgeSunnyledgeSunnyledge at 5124 Fifth Avenue in the Shadyside neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built in 1886. It was designed by architects Longfellow & Harlow, and was originally the home and office of Dr. James H. McClelland. McClelland was the founder of nearby Shadyside Hospital, now part of...
(former McClelland House), 5124 Fifth Avenue in the ShadysideShadyside (Pittsburgh)Shadyside is a neighborhood in the East End of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It has zip codes of both 15232 and 15206, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 8...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh, PennsylvaniaPittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
(1886) - West End United Methodist Church, 621 Main Street in the ElliottElliott (Pittsburgh)Elliott is a small, hilly neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's West End Region. Elliott is represented on the Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 2 , and uses the zip code 15220.-History:...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1887) - Duquesne ClubDuquesne ClubThe Duquesne Club is a private social club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, founded in 1873.-History:The Duquesne Club was founded in 1873. Its first president was John H. Ricketson...
, at 325 Sixth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1887 to 1889; addition by Alden & Harlow in 1902) - Cambridge, Massachusetts City HallCambridge, Massachusetts City HallThe Cambridge, Massachusetts City Hall is the city hall for Cambridge, Massachusetts, located at 795 Massachusetts Avenue, and built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style...
, built in 1888 and 1889 - Edwin Abbot HouseEdwin Abbot HouseThe Edwin Abbot House is an historic house at 1 Follen Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The house was built in 1889 by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow for lawyer and railroad executive Edwin Hale Abbot . It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is now occupied by the Longy...
, Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
(1889) - Brattle Hall, Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
(1889) - First United Methodist Church, Parker Avenue at Library Street, Braddock, PennsylvaniaBraddock, PennsylvaniaBraddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 10 miles upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 2,159 at the 2010 census...
(1889) - Joseph Horne House, 838 Lincoln Avenue in the Allegheny WestAllegheny West (Pittsburgh)Allegheny West is an historic neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has two zip codes of both 15233 and 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 ....
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1889) - McKeesport National BankMcKeesport National BankMcKeesport National Bank located at 5th Avenue and Sinclair Street in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, was built from 1889 to 1891. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 29, 1980, and the List of Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Historic Landmarks in 1981....
, Fifth Avenue and Sinclair Street, McKeesport, PennsylvaniaMcKeesport, PennsylvaniaMcKeesport is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the United States; it is located at the confluence of the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers and is part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 19,731 at the 2010 census...
(1889 to 1891) - Theodore Parker Church, West Roxbury, MassachusettsWest Roxbury, MassachusettsWest Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston bordered by Roslindale to the north, the Town of Dedham to the east and south, the Town of Brookline and the City of Newton to the west. Many people mistakenly confuse West Roxbury with Roxbury, but the two are not connected. West Roxbury is separated from...
(1890) - Frank Alden House, 617 Linden Avenue in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1890)
- Carnegie InstituteCarnegie Museum of Natural HistoryCarnegie Museum of Natural History, located at 4400 Forbes Avenue in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, was founded by the Pittsburgh-based industrialist Andrew Carnegie in 1896...
and Carnegie Library of PittsburghCarnegie Library of PittsburghThe Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is the public library system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Its main branch is located in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and it has 19 branch locations throughout the city...
in the OaklandOakland (Pittsburgh)Oakland is the academic, cultural, and healthcare center of Pittsburgh and is Pennsylvania's third largest "Downtown". Only Center City Philadelphia and Downtown Pittsburgh can claim more economic and social activity than Oakland...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1892 to 1895; addition to Institute by Alden & Harlow from 1903 to 1907) - Hunnewell Building at Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts (1892 to 1903)
- Carnegie Free Library of BraddockCarnegie Free Library of BraddockThe Carnegie Free Library of Braddock in Braddock, Pennsylvania, is a Richardsonian Romanesque building from 1888. It was the first Carnegie library in the United States, and it was designed by William Halsey Wood. An addition was added in 1893, architects Longfellow, Alden & Harlow...
, Braddock, PennsylvaniaBraddock, PennsylvaniaBraddock is a borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 10 miles upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 2,159 at the 2010 census...
, built in 1888 and designed by William Halsey WoodWilliam Halsey WoodWilliam Halsey Wood was an American architect, born at the Village of Dansville, New York on April 24, 1855. He died at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 13, 1897.-Early life:...
. In 1893, Longfellow, Alden & Harlow designed an addition to the building. - J.A. Noyes HouseJ.A. Noyes HouseJ.A. Noyes House is an historic house at 1 Highland Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts.The house was built in 1894 and added to the National Historic Register in 1982....
, Cambridge, MassachusettsCambridge, MassachusettsCambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
(1894) - "Bagatelle" (James G. Pontefract House), Little Sewickley Creek Road, Edgeworth, PennsylvaniaEdgeworth, PennsylvaniaEdgeworth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,680 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Edgeworth is located at ....
(1894) - "Red Gables" (Frank Alden House), 605 Maple Lane, Edgeworth, PennsylvaniaEdgeworth, PennsylvaniaEdgeworth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,680 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Edgeworth is located at ....
(1894) - Carnegie Building (Pittsburgh)Carnegie Building (Pittsburgh)The Carnegie Building, also known as the Carnegie Steel Building, was a high-rise building in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The structure was completed in 1895, and stood as the first steel-framed skyscraper in Pittsburgh upon completion...
, the first steel-framed building in Pittsburgh, PA (1895) - Garrison Foundry-Mackintosh Hemphill Company OfficesGarrison Foundry-Mackintosh Hemphill Company OfficesGarrison Foundry-Mackintosh Hemphill Company Offices located at 901-911 Bingham Street in the South Side Flats neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were built from 1895 to 1902. This Greek Revival styled building was the first building built on the former St. Mary's Parish Complex. These...
, South Side Flats, Pittsburgh, PA (1895)
Alden & Harlow
- Carnegie Library of HomesteadCarnegie Library of Homestead-References:...
, Munhall, PennsylvaniaMunhall, PennsylvaniaMunhall is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on the west bank of the Monongahela River, south of the confluence of the Monongahela and the Allegheny rivers where the Ohio River begins. It abuts the borough of Homestead. A large part of the Homestead Works of the Carnegie Steel Company...
(1896) - The greenhouse and playhouse at the Frick Art & Historical CenterFrick Art & Historical CenterThe Frick Art & Historical Center is a cluster of museums and historical buildings located at 7227 Reynolds Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States and collectively known as "Clayton"...
, in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1897) - Byers-Lyons House, in the Allegheny WestAllegheny West (Pittsburgh)Allegheny West is an historic neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's North Side. It has two zip codes of both 15233 and 15212, and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by the council member for District 6 ....
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1898) - Lawrenceville Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghLawrenceville Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghThe Lawrenceville Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh located at 279 Fisk Street in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built in 1898...
(1898) - The Pittsburgh Golf Club, 5280 Northumberland Street in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1899, enlarged 1904)
- Mount Washington Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghMount Washington Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghThe Mount Washington Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh located at 315 Grandview Avenue in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built in 1900...
(1900) - Oakmont Carnegie Library, Allegheny River Boulevard, Oakmont, PennsylvaniaOakmont, PennsylvaniaOakmont is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA. It is a Pittsburgh suburb and part of the Pittsburgh Metro Area. The population was 6,303 at the 2010 census....
(1901) - The Bank Tower (Peoples Savings Bank Building), at 307 Fourth Avenue in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1901 and 1902)
- Western Pennsylvania School for the DeafWestern Pennsylvania School for the DeafThe Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf is a school for deaf and hard of hearing children in Edgewood, Pennsylvania. It was established in 1869....
Administrative Building, Swissvale Avenue and Walnut Street in Edgewood, PennsylvaniaEdgewood, Allegheny County, PennsylvaniaEdgewood is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, adjacent to the city of Pittsburgh. The population was 3,118 at the 2010 census.-History:Edgewood was incorporated on December 1, 1888...
(1903) - Bellefield Boiler PlantCloud FactoryThe Cloud Factory is an affectionate nickname for a boiler plant which billows steam from below its single smoke stack in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, the 1988 debut novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American writer Michael Chabon...
("Cloud Factory"), built to provide steam for the Carnegie InstituteCarnegie Museums of PittsburghCarnegie Museums of Pittsburgh are four museums that are operated by the Carnegie Institute headquartered in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Pittsburgh, PA (1903 to 1907) - "Muottas" (William Walker House), Little Sewickley Creek Road, Edgeworth, PennsylvaniaEdgeworth, PennsylvaniaEdgeworth is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, along the Ohio River. The population was 1,680 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Edgeworth is located at ....
(1904) - Regal Shoe Company, at the corner of Market Street and Fifth Avenue (160 Fifth Avenue), downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1908)
- South Side Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghSouth Side Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghThe South Side Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh located at 2205 East Carson Street in the South Side Flats neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was built in 1909. It was designed by the architectural firm Alden & Harlow, and it was added to the List of Pittsburgh History and...
(1909) - Homewood Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghHomewood Branch of the Carnegie Library of PittsburghThe Hazelwood Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh located at 7101 Hamilton Avenue in the Homewood South neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, opened on March 10, 1910. It was designed by the architectural firm Alden & Harlow The Hazelwood Branch of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh...
(1910) - Mellon ParkMellon ParkMellon Park is a park in the Shadyside and Point Breeze neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the corner of Fifth and Shady Avenues, beside the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts building. The park is home to the Walled Garden, and holds events throughout the year. It is also home to several...
gardens in the Point Breeze neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA (1912) - Fox Chapel Golf Club, 426 Fox Chapel Road in Fox Chapel, PennsylvaniaFox Chapel, PennsylvaniaFox Chapel is a borough in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, and is a suburb of Pittsburgh located northeast of downtown.The population was 5,388 as of the 2010 census.-History:...
(1924 and 1925)