Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes
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Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes
April 11, 1867 Manhattan, New York, U.S.
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| Died | December 18, 1944 (aged 77) |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Spouse(s) | Edith Minturn Stokes (m.1895–1937; her death) |
| Parent(s) | Helen Louise Phelps Anson Phelps Stokes |
| Relatives | James Graham Phelps Stokes (brother) Anson Phelps Stokes (brother) James Boulter Stokes (paternal grandfather) Caroline Phelps Stokes (paternal aunt) Olivia Egleston Phelps Stokes (paternal aunt) William Earle Dodge Stokes (paternal uncle) Edward Stiles Stokes (first cousin once removed) Edie Sedgwick (grand-niece) |
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes (born April 11, 1867 – died December 18, 1944) was an important American architect. He was known for his work in social housing, helping to create the 1901 New York tenement house law. This law improved living conditions for many people.
For twenty years, Stokes worked on a huge project called The Iconography of Manhattan Island. This six-volume book became a key resource for understanding how New York City grew. He also designed famous buildings, like St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University. He was also a member of the New York Municipal Arts Commission for 28 years, leading it for nine of those years.
Contents
Stokes' Early Life and Education
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes went to St. Paul's School and Berkeley School in New York City. He then graduated from Harvard in 1891. He continued his studies at the School of Mines, Columbia University and in Italy.
Later, he spent three years studying architecture at the famous Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France.
Marriage to Edith Minturn
In 1895, Isaac married Edith Minturn in Quebec, Canada. They lived in Paris while he finished his studies. A friend gave them a special wedding gift: a portrait of them painted by the famous artist John Singer Sargent.
Edith was also a model for other artists. She posed for a well-known sculpture called Statue of the Republic and a portrait by Cecilia Beaux. Edith was very active in helping children. She served as the President of the New York Kindergarten Association.
Designing Buildings: Stokes' Architectural Work
In 1897, Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes started his own architectural firm called Howells & Stokes. His partner was John Mead Howells. Their first big project was designing the University Settlement Society building in New York.
Howells & Stokes designed many buildings in New York and even opened an office in Seattle. They designed several buildings in Seattle's Metropolitan Tract in the 1910s. The partners later decided to work separately, but they remained friends.
Their firm designed important buildings like the Baltimore Stock Exchange and the American Geographical Society Building in New York.
Charitable Building Projects
Stokes' aunts, Caroline and Olivia Stokes, asked him to design several buildings for their charity projects. These included:
- The Tuskegee tenement building in New York (1901).
- St. Paul's Chapel at Columbia University (1907).
- Berea College Chapel (1906).
- Woodbridge Hall at Yale University (1901).
- Two apartment buildings called the Dudley complex in New York (1910).
- An outdoor pulpit for St. John the Divine Cathedral (1916).
- Memorial gates at Harvard and Yale universities.
Howells and Stokes also designed buildings for the Protestant College in Beirut. This college was supported by the Stokes family.
Designing Homes and Moving a House
Besides his public projects, Stokes also designed private homes. He designed a country house for his cousin in New York State. He also designed homes for his uncle in Rhode Island and for his parents in Connecticut.
In 1910, Stokes did something very unusual. He took apart a large old timber-framed house in England. He packed all 688 pieces into crates and shipped them across the ocean to the United States. He then rebuilt the house in Connecticut, overlooking Long Island Sound. He even used wood from a wrecked English ship to help rebuild it! The house was renamed High Low House.
Improving Cities: Stokes' Public Service
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes was a strong supporter of housing reform. This meant he wanted to make sure people had safe and healthy places to live. In 1899, he joined the Tenement House Committee. In 1901, Governor Roosevelt appointed him to the State Tenement House Committee.
In this role, he helped write the important Tenement House Law of 1901. This law set new rules for how tenement buildings (apartment buildings) should be built and maintained. It helped improve living conditions for many New Yorkers.
Stokes became a friend and political ally of New York Mayor Fiorello H. LaGuardia. During the New Deal era, Stokes led the Art Commission. He oversaw a program that sponsored murals (large paintings) in public places across New York City. These murals were created by artists working for the WPA. Some famous examples are at the Marine Air Terminal at LaGuardia Airport and Harlem Hospital.
Stokes held many important positions. He was a trustee of the New York Public Library and president of the Municipal Art Commission of New York. When he retired in 1939, Mayor LaGuardia praised him. He said Stokes' "vision and perfect artistic style" had greatly helped shape the city.
The Iconography of Manhattan Island
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes is perhaps best remembered for his huge, detailed work called The Iconography of Manhattan Island. This six-volume book was published between 1915 and 1928.
Stokes wanted to collect and organize all the important facts about New York City's history. He especially focused on how the island changed physically over time. He also included many old maps, plans, and pictures. He hoped the book would be useful for students, historians, and the general public.
He first thought the project would only be one book, but it grew much larger! It took him more than 19 years to complete all six volumes. While working on the book, Stokes became a passionate collector of old prints and documents. He gave many of these prints to the New York Public Library.
Helping After the Albany Fire
On March 29, 1911, a fire broke out at the New York State Capitol in Albany. The building housed the New York State Library, and many historical documents were in danger. The New York Public Library asked Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes to go to Albany and help.
When he arrived, Stokes immediately got involved in saving the documents. He first checked the building to make sure it was safe. He found that some documents had survived, but they needed urgent help. The Governor arranged for soldiers to form a human chain. They passed salvaged papers and books to safety. It was a difficult task because the fire kept flaring up, and the weather was freezing. Sadly, about 80% of the archive was lost in the fire.
Stokes' Family Background
Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes came from a family of wealthy New York merchants and bankers. His family had a strong sense of social duty, often driven by their religious beliefs. Many of his relatives were philanthropists (people who donate to good causes), activists, and missionaries.
Isaac had eight siblings:
- Sarah Maria Phelps Stokes (1869–1943), who wrote children's books as Aunt Sadie.
- Helen Olivia Phelps Stokes (1870–1945), an activist and painter.
- James Graham Phelps Stokes (1872–1960), a well-known socialist.
- Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes (1874–1958), an educator and clergyman.
- Ethel Valentine Phelps Stokes (1876–1952).
- Caroline M. Phelps Stokes (1878–1964).
- Mildred Phelps Stokes (1881–1970).
- Harold Montrose Phelps Stokes (1887–1970), a writer for the New York Times.
Isaac and Edith Minturn did not have their own biological children. However, they adopted a daughter in 1906. Edith passed away in 1937 after a long illness.
Images for kids
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229 Madison Avenue, the birthplace of Isaac Newton Phelps Stokes
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Mr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes, painted by John Singer Sargent, 1897
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