William Lawrence Bottomley Explained

William Lawrence Bottomley (February 24, 1883 – February 1, 1951),^[1] was an American architect in twentieth-century New York City; Middleburg, Virginia; and Richmond, Virginia. He was known for his Colonial Revival designs of residential buildings in the United States and many of his commissions are situated in highly aspirational locations, including Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia.^[2]

Education

Educated at the Horace Mann School in New York, Bottomley graduated from Columbia University in 1906 with a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture. In 1907 he won Columbia's McKim Fellowship in Architecture award, which funded two years of study abroad, half of it in residence at the American Academy in Rome. In 1908 he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, in the atelier of Victor Laloux, where he studied until 1909, when he returned to America to begin formal practice as an architect.

Personal life

William Lawrence was the son of John A. Bottomley, President of the Marconi Corporation in the Americas, and Susan Amelia Mersereau Steers. He married Harriet Townsend, a sculptor and writer, on August 26, 1909 at Beech Hill in Westport, New York. Harriet's love for gardening may have influenced William's strong alliance with landscape architect Charles Gillette. William and Harriet had three daughters: Harriet, Susan, and Virginia.

Career

In his 40-year career, Bottomley executed 186 commissions, 40% of which were in Virginia. "Bottomley's clients...while well-to-do, didn't have names with the lofty status of Rockefeller, Whitney, or Widener."^[3] Eleven of Bottomley's commissions are currently listed individually on the National Register of Historic Places. Eight of these are in Virginia. Bottomley designed a residence (see right photo) at 155 Western Promenade in Portland, Maine.^[4]

In 1918, young U.S. Army lawyer Walter G. Davis, Jr. worked with the American Commission to Negotiate Peace in Paris, resulting in the Treaty of Versailles, where Europe was divided after World War I. Two years later, he swept into fashionable 155 Western Promenade, with its 32-foot salon for entertaining; inset Grand Tour paintings collected by Davis during his travels; and a library featuring a priceless Zuber & Cie mural from Paris: the Boston panel of Views of North America.

His work is now the subject of the Historic Richmond Foundation's Year of Bottomley events.

Works

• 1912: Southampton High School (now Southampton Town Hall), Southampton, New York^[5]
• 1915: 2324 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia^[6]
• 1918: 2309 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia
• 1920: 155 Western Promenade, Portland, Maine
• 1922–1924: addition to the Hotel Albert, New York City^[7]
• 1923: 2315 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia
• 1923–1924: Blue Ridge Farm, Greenwood, Virginia
• 1924: Stuart Court Apartments, Richmond, Virginia
• 1924: 2601 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia
• 1926: William and Helen Ziegler House, 116-118 E 55th Street, New York City^[8]
• 1927: (remodeling) Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Warrenton, North Carolina^[9]
• 1928: Casa Maria (addition), Greenwood, Virginia
• 1928: Dakota, Warrenton, Virginia
• 1929: Waverly Hill, Staunton, Virginia
• 1920s: 2320 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia
• 1920s: 2714 Monument Avenue, Richmond, Virginia
• 1930s (remodeling): Rocklands, near Gordonsville, Virginia
• 1933–1935 (remodeling): Col Alto, Lexington, Virginia
• 1934: DeLeon F. Green House in the Weldon Historic District, Weldon, North Carolina^[10]
• 1939: Newton White Mansion, Mitchelville, Maryland

References

Works cited

• Book: Susan Hume . Frazer . William Lawrence . Bottomley . The architecture of William Lawrence Bottomley . 2007 . Acanthus Press . 978-0-926494-23-7.

Further reading

• Book: O'Neal . William Bainter . Christopher . Weeks . The Work of William Lawrence Bottomley in Richmond.

External links

• William L. Bottomley architectural drawings, 1913-1946

Notes and References

1. Book: The Grove Encyclopedia of American Art, Volume 1. 2011. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-533579-8. June 5, 2020.
2. Katie Kelley, Architectural Historian, Historic Richmond Foundation
3. Calder Loth, Senior Architectural Historian, Virginia Department of Historic Resources
4. 155 Western Promenade, Website.
5. Book: AIA Architectural Guide to Nassau and Suffolk Counties, Long Island. 9780486269467. January 1992. Courier Corporation.
6. Web site: Archived copy . 2012-08-15 . 2012-09-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120927035937/http://www.dhr.virginia.gov/registers/Cities/Richmond/127-0174_Monument_Avenue_HD_1989_Nomination_final_expansion.pdf . dead .
7. Web site: "Cultural Resource Information System (CRIS)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Searchable database. 2015-12-01. Note: This includes Web site: National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Hotel Albert . 2015-12-01 . Anthony Robbins . PDF. September 2011. See also: Web site: Accompanying photos.
8. Web site: WILLIAM and HELEN MARTIN MURPHY ZIEGLER, Jr. HOUSE . Landmarks Preservation Commission . 12 August 2020 .
9. Web site: Emmanuel Episcopal Church: Oh, the people you'll meet . Warren Record . 1 February 2017 . 26 August 2023.
10. Web site: Tom Butchko. Weldon Historic District. National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory . March 1996 . North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office . 2015-01-01.