William Tubby

William Bunker Tubby (21 August 1858 – 1944) was an American architect who was particularly notable for his work in New York City.

William Bunker Tubby
William Bunker Tubby
Born1858
Des Moines, Iowa
Died1944
OccupationArchitect
Known forPratt family residences, Pratt Institute Library, Old Nassau County Courthouse
Old Nassau County Courthouse
House designed by Tubby for William H. Childs (inventor of Bon Ami Cleaning Powder) on Prospect Park West. Now an Ethical Culture Society building.
Pratt Institute's Library

Tubby was born in Des Moines, Iowa, and graduated from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute in 1875.[1] He worked in the architectural offices of Ebenezer L. Roberts until beginning his own firm in 1883. Continuing this practice until his retirement in 1942, Tubby became a major New York architect. He created important buildings in a variety of styles, and was especially known for his Romanesque and Dutch Revival-style designs.

The house that Tubby designed for Charles Millard Pratt at 241 Clinton Avenue (1893, located in Brooklyn's Clinton Hill Historic District) is one of the city's finest examples of Romanesque Revival architecture. His creativity and expertise can also be seen in several other Brooklyn homes: the neo-Jacobean Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture Meeting House, the Romanesque Revival style home at 234 Lincoln Place, the Queen Anne style row at 864-872 Carroll Street, the residences of Brooklyn mayors at 405 Clinton Avenue, and the Dutch Revival house at 43 Willow Street, which Tubby himself occupied.

His institutional designs include Pratt Institute's Student Union from 1887, the Romanesque Revival style South Hall for Pratt Institute in 1892 (designated New York City Landmark), the Renaissance Revival style library building for the Pratt Institute (1896, a designated New York City Landmark), the Romanesque Revival style 83rd Police Precinct House in Brooklyn (1894–95), a designated New York Landmark) and the Flemish Revival style Wallabout Market (demolished) which was once the second-largest market in the world. As a member of the Architects' Advisory Commission for the Brooklyn Carnegie Libraries, Tubby designed five library buildings.

Outside of New York City, Tubby created designs for banks, churches, libraries, hospitals and large estates throughout the Northeast, including Waveny House in New Canaan, Connecticut, and Dunnellen Hall in Greenwich, Connecticut.[2] The Roslyn National Bank and Trust Company Building at Roslyn, New York, was built in 1931.[3]

Tubby lived in Brooklyn Heights at 43 Willow Street before retiring to Greenwich in his later life. A member of the Brooklyn Guild Association, he taught architecture at the Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute.

List of works

The following table presents an incomplete list of buildings designed by William Tubby, focusing on those that are extant or for which there is adequate documentation of their style. Note that most addresses link to Google Street View images of the buildings.

NameCompletedStyleImageAddress (Google Maps link)LocationOriginal usePresent useDesignations and references
124 Willow Street House1885Eclectic-Flemish Renaissance Revival124 Willow St.Brooklyn, NY1831 townhouse remodeled by Tubby[4]Private residenceBrooklyn Heights Historic District[5]
864-872 Carroll Street houses1887Queen Anne864-872 Carroll StreetBrooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residencePark Slope Historic District[6]
286A-290 Vanderbilt Ave. houses1889Romanesque Revival286A-290 Vanderbilt Ave.Brooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residenceFort Greene Historic District[7]
234 Lincoln Place House1889Romanesque Revival234 Lincoln PlaceBrooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residencePark Slope Historic District[6]
Charles A. Schieren House1889Romanesque Revival/Queen Anne405 Clinton Ave.Brooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residenceClinton Hill Historic District[8]
William B. Tubby House1890?Dutch Colonial Revival43 Willow St.Brooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residenceBrooklyn Heights Historic District[5][9]
Pratt Institute South Hall1891Renaissance Revival215 Ryerson StreetBrooklyn, NYHigh schoolUniversityNYC Landmark[10]
1-15 Adams Street Factory1891Romanesque Revival2 John St.Brooklyn, NYFactoryIndustrialDUMBO Historic District[11]
179-183 St. James Place houses1892Romanesque Revival/Queen Anne179-183 St. James PlaceBrooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residenceClinton Hill Historic District[8]
Charles Millard Pratt House1893Romanesque Revival241 Clinton Ave.Brooklyn, NYPrivate residenceBrooklyn RC archbishop's residenceClinton Hill Historic District[8]
Charles Millard Pratt's Carriage House1893?Romanesque Revival261 Vanderbilt AvenueBrooklyn, NYCarriage houseApartmentsNone[8]
John Thatcher House1894French Renaissance Revival674 10th St.Brooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residencePark Slope Historic District[6]
129-135 Cambridge Place houses1894Queen Anne129-135 Cambridge PlaceBrooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residenceClinton Hill Historic District[8]
83rd Precinct Police Station and Stable1894Romanesque Revival179 Wilson AvenueBrooklyn, NYPolice precinctPolice precinctNYC Landmark,[12] National Register of Historic Places[13]
50-52 Bridge Street Factory1895American Round Arch50 Bridge StreetBrooklyn, NYFactoryResidential/commercialDUMBO Historic District[11]
Wallabout Market1896Dutch Colonial Revival219 Flushing AvenueBrooklyn, NYWholesale marketDemolished 1941 to build Navy YardNone[14]
Pratt Institute Library1896Renaissance Revival224-228 Ryerson StreetBrooklyn, NYUniversityUniversityNYC Landmark[15]
American Thread Building1896Renaissance Revival260 West BroadwayNew York, NYWarehouseResidential loftsNational Register of Historic Places[16]
Old Jamaica High School1897Dutch Colonial Revival162-02 Hillside Ave.Jamaica, NYPublic schoolPublic schoolNYC Landmark[17]
194-200 Court Street apartment houses1898Renaissance Revival194-200 Court StreetBrooklyn, NYApartments & RetailApartments/retailCobble Hill Historic District[18]
Maxwelton (estate)1898?Water tower3 Whitney CircleGlen Cove, NYStable for estateOnly water tower from stable designed by Tubby is extant on residential propertyNone[19]
Old Nassau County Courthouse1901Classical Revival1550 Franklin Ave.Garden City, NYGovernmentGovernmentNational Register of Historic Places[20]
William H. Childs House1901Neo-Jacobean53 Prospect Park WestBrooklyn, NYPrivate residenceBrooklyn Society for Ethical CulturePark Slope Historic District[6]
Old Brooklyn Friends School1902Classical Revival112 Schermerhorn St.Brooklyn, NYPrivate schoolPublic schoolNational Register of Historic Places[21]
187-195 Waverly Ave. garages1904187-195 Waverly Ave.Brooklyn, NYGaragesPrivate residenceNone[22]
DeKalb Library1905Classical Revival790 Bushwick AvenueBrooklyn, NYLibraryLibraryNYC Landmark[23]
Leonard Library1908Classical Revival81 Devoe St. Brooklyn, NYLibraryLibraryNone[24]
231-233 Front Street Factory1908Commercial231 Front StreetBrooklyn, NYFactoryCommercialVinegar Hill Historic District[25]
Ernest G. Draper House1910Italian Provincial Revival61 Prospect Park WestBrooklyn, NYPrivate residencePrivate residencePark Slope Historic District[6]
Waveny House1912Tudor Revival677 South AvenueNew Canaan, CTPrivate residenceMunicipally-owned event venueNone[26]
Stone Avenue Library1914Neo-Jacobean581 Mother Gaston BoulevardBrooklyn, NYPublic libraryPublic libraryNone[27]
Dunnellen Hall1918Neo-Jacobean521 Round Hill RoadGreenwich, CTPrivate residencePrivate residenceNone[28]
William Tubby Jr. Residence1918?Greenwich, CTPrivate residencePrecise location and status of this work is not knownNone[29]
Wexford Hall1929Tudor Revival521 Round Hill RoadNew Canaan, CTPrivate residencePrivate residenceNone[30]
Roslyn National Bank and Trust Company Building1931Classical RevivalRoslyn, NYBankRetailNational Register of Historic Places[31]

References
  1. Christopher Gray, "On Speed-Dial Before Speed-Dial", New York Times, March 28, 2013.
  2. Waveny ca. 1925-2000. Garden Club of America Collection.
  3. Mark Peckham (February 1986). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Roslyn National Bank and Trust Company Building". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-10-30.
  4. "Qfwfq Reports: BHA House Tour 2011". Brooklyn Heights Blog. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  5. "Brooklyn Heights Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  6. "Park Slope Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  7. "Fort Greene Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  8. "Clinton Hill Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  9. "Walkabout: William B. Tubby, part 2". Brownstoner.com. Brownstoner Media LLC.
  10. "Pratt Institute Main Building including attached South Hall and Memorial Hall (designation report)" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  11. "DUMBO Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  12. "83rd Precinct Police Station and Stable (designation report)" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  13. "83rd Precinct Police Station (nomination form)". US Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service.
  14. "Wallabout Market". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  15. "Pratt Institute Library (designation report)" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  16. "American Thread Building (National Register of Historic Places registration form)". U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  17. "Jamaica High School (Now Jamaica Learning Center) (designation report)" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  18. "Cobble Hill Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  19. "Maxwelton (estate)". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  20. "Old Nassau County Courthouse (National Register of Historic Places registration form)". U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  21. "Friends Meeting House and School (National Register of Historic Places registration form)". U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  22. "William Bunker Tubby, the Pratt family's architect". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  23. "Brooklyn Public Library, DeKalb Branch (designation report)" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  24. "Leonard Library History and Photos". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  25. "Vinegar Hill Historic District Designation Report" (PDF). New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  26. "Waveny House". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  27. "Stone Avenue Library". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  28. "Extraordinary Round Hill Estate". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  29. "William Tubby Jr. Residence". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  30. "A William Tubby Masterwork in New Canaan". Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  31. "Roslyn National Bank & Trust Company Building (National Register of Historic Places registration form)". U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
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