Collection ID: D.387

Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Davis, Alexander Jackson, 1803-1892
Extent:
1 item
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Item title, item date], Alexander Jackson Davis Collection, D.387, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Background

Scope and Content:

This collection consists of the specifications and architectural plans, elevations and sections for a house designed by A. J. Davis for J. G. Lamberson in Jamaica, Long Island, New York in 1854.

There are 11 sheets of printed specifications with manuscript entries throughout and 9 original architectural drawings. Accompanying these materials is a related article from the University of Rochester Library Bulletin, Vol. VIII, No. 1, Autumn 1952 by Marian Card.

Biographical / Historical:

Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892) was a notable 19th century American architect, designer and illustrator. Davis was born July 24, 1803, in New York City. Early in his architectural career (1829-1835), Davis partnered with architect and engineer Ithiel Town. In 1839, Davis began a collaboration with architectural theorist A. J. Downing. Davis designed and drew illustrations for Downing's books Cottage Residences (1842), The Architecture of Country Houses (1850), and his journal, The Horticulturist, all of which were instrumental in popularizing the ideas and styles of the picturesque in America.

During the 1840s and 1850s, Davis was America's leading architect of country houses in a variety of picturesque styles. In the late 1850s, Davis worked with his friend, businessman Llewellyn S. Haskell to create Llewellyn Park in West Orange, New Jersey, one of the earliest planned suburbs in America. Following the Civil War, America's architectural tastes changed and Davis' influence waned. He died in West Orange, New Jersey on January 14, 1892.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Elizabeth Holahan, 1952.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

The Alexander Jackson Davis Collection is open for research use. Researchers are advised to contact the Rare Books Special Collections & Preservation Department prior to visiting. Upon arrival, researchers will also be asked to fill out a registration form and provide photo identification.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

In consultation with a curator, reproductions may be made upon request. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from a curator. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[Item title, item date], Alexander Jackson Davis Collection, D.387, Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
Rush Rhees Library
Second Floor, Room 225
755 Library Rd.
Rochester, NY 14627, United States
CONTACT:
(585) 275-2121
rarebks@library.rochester.edu