Stanford White
Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the wealthy, in addition to numerous civic, institutional, and religious buildings. His temporary Washington Square Arch was so popular that he was commissioned to design a permanent one. His design principles embodied the "American Renaissance".
Stanford White | |
|---|---|
Photograph of White by George Cox, c. 1892 | |
| Born | November 9, 1853 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | June 25, 1906 (aged 52) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse |
Bessie Springs Smith
(m. 1884) |
| Children | Lawrence Grant White |
| Parent(s) | Alexina Black Mease Richard Grant White |
| Buildings | Rosecliff, Newport, RI Madison Square Garden II, NYC Washington Square Arch, NYC New York Herald Building, NYC Savoyard Centre, Detroit Lovely Lane Methodist Church, Baltimore Rhode Island State House, Providence University of Virginia Rotunda |
| Signature | |
In 1906, White was shot and killed at the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden by Harry Kendall Thaw, in front of a large audience during a musical theatre performance. Thaw was a wealthy but mentally unstable heir of a coal and railroad fortune who had become obsessed by White's alleged drugging and rape of, and subsequent relationship with, the woman who was to become Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit, which had started when she was about 16, four years before her 1905 marriage to Thaw. By the time of the killing, Nesbit was a famous fashion model who was performing as an actress in the show. With the elements of a sex scandal among the wealthy and the public killing, the resulting sensational trial of Thaw was dubbed "The Trial of the Century" by contemporary reporters. Thaw was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity.