William Halsey Wood papers
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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.
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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
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of William Halsey Wood Jr. and Emily Hemsley Burrows (children), 1955.
About this Guide
Repository
Series I: Personal Papers, circa 1865-1938, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The personal papers consist of correspondence, travel sketches, and biographical material related to the life and death of William Halsey Wood.
Subseries I.A: Correspondence, 1889-1897, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The correspondence consists primarily of letters written by William Halsey Wood to his fiancé Florence Hemsley in the months leading up their marriage in 1889. Wedding preparations are the focus of this correspondence, but there is also mention of the work being done on Peddie Memorial Church, the plans for the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and a meeting with Andrew Carnegie. There are also letters to WHW from Florence Hemsley (Florence H. Wood) and her mother, Emily Hemsley, as well as correspondence regarding the illness and death of WHW. The correspondence is partially catalogued at item level in the onsite manuscript card catalog.
William Halsey Wood to Florence Hemsley, 1889 September 8-15
William Halsey Wood to Florence Hemsley, 1889 September 16 - 1889 October 4
William Halsey Wood to Florence Hemsley, 1889 October 7-15
William Halsey Wood to Florence Hemsley, 1889 October 16-25
William Halsey Wood to Florence Hemsley, 1889 November 3-13
Outgoing from William Halsey Wood, additional recipients, 1890-1897
Florence Hemsley to William Halsey Wood, 1889
Emily Hemsley to William Halsey Wood, 1889
Various senders re: wedding, illness and death, 1889, 1897
Subseries I.B: Sketchbooks, 1875-1881, inclusive
Scope and Contents
There are two sketchbooks. The first (1875-1876) contains rough drawings of existing buildings and hypothetical designs. The latter contains drawings from a European trip in July and August 1881. Both are reflective of Halsey Wood's design education.
Early sketchbook, 1875-1876
Travel sketchbook, 1881
Subseries I.C: Biographical Records, circa 1865-1938, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The subseries contains a copy of "Memories of William Halsey Wood by his wife" (Florence Hemsley Wood), accompanied by additional copies of plates and illustrations. There are also memorial and obituary clippings, a will, and related ephemera.
Personal ephemera, 1889-1918
Portraits, circa 1865-1890
"Memories of William Halsey Wood" by his wife [Florence H. Wood], 1938
Illustrations from "Memories of William Halsey Wood", 1938
St. Hilda's Guild photographs, circa 1918-1919
Series II: Project Documents, 1885-1982, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Project documents consist of original drawings and secondary material documenting the architectural work of William Halsey Wood.
Subseries II.A: Drawings, circa 1888-1895, inclusive
Scope and Contents
Files contain original drawings reflecting William Halsey Wood's professional practice in various design phases. Included are sketches, details and perspectives on paper.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine - New York, NY, circa 1888
"Winmarleigh" residence - Newark, NJ, undated
St. John's Episcopal Church - Cohoes, NY, undated
St. Paul's Episcopal Church - East Orange, NJ, undated
St. John the Evangelist Episcopal Church - Tannersville, NY, undated
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church - New York, NY, undated
Newton Parish House - Newton, NJ, undated
Trask residence, unidentified, undated
Unidentified residential and religious buildings, undated
Subseries II.B: Reference Files, 1889-1982, inclusive
Scope and Contents
The subseries contains pamphlets, clippings, prints, and other secondary material related to the architectural work of William Halsey Wood.
Scrapbook (primarily St. John the Divine), 1889-1891
Cathedral of St. John the Divine: printed material, 1889-1982
Churches: printed material, 1889-1906
Winmarleigh: photographs and printed material, 1897-1902
Oversize project images (primarily Winmarleigh), undated
Series III: Additional Donation, 1968-1976, inclusive
Scope and Contents
This series consists of a group of later donations made by William Halsey Wood Jr., the son of the late architect. It contains correspondence, academic work, and other supplementary material.