John Notman

John Notman (July 22, 1803 March 3, 1865) was a Scottish-born American architect and landscape architect based in Philadelphia. He designed buildings, cemeteries, churches and country estates in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and helped popularize Italianate architecture in the United States.

Early life and education Notman was born on July 22, 1810, in The Canongate district of Edinburgh, Scotland, to David and Mary (Christie) Notman. He spent much of his childhood in Lasswade, south of Edinburgh. He was educated at the Watt Institution in Edinburgh. He apprenticed for four years as a carpenter and built country houses in the Scottish highlands and Northern Ireland. He met John Jay Smith who helped him obtain a contract to construct a building for the Library Company of Philadelphia in 1835. Notman's design for Laurel Hill was selected over more experienced architects including William Strickland and Thomas Ustick Walter. The 1845 Athenaeum of Philadelphia was the first Italianate building in the city.

Many of his designs for churches were dictated by the ideas of the Cambridge Camden Society who suggested that Anglican churches of the Low church variety should be built in the Romanesque style, while those of the High church variety be built in the Gothic style. until an argument over the terms of his contract resulted in his dismissal.

In 1845, Notman designed a three-stepped office wing addition to the north side of the New Jersey State House. Notman was also the architect of the highly influential New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum in Trenton, New Jersey of 1847. This building was the first example of the Kirkbride Plan in asylum design.

In 1848, Notman was selected to design the Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia. The success of this project led to additional projects in Virginia including improvements to Richmond's Capitol Square. He also designed and built Ivy Hall for Princeton University in 1847. In 1857, one of his last projects

Notman died on October 3, 1865 His early death was reportedly accelerated by alcoholism.

Personal life He became a member of Saint Andrew's Society of Philadelphia in 1837. He was married to Martha (Pullen) Anners in 1841.

Notable works Buildings Athenaeum of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1845) Office wing addition to the New Jersey State House, Trenton, New Jersey (1845) Huguenot Springs Hotel Resort and Spa, Huguenot Springs, Virginia (1847) Ivy Hall, Princeton, New Jersey (1847) New Jersey State Lunatic Asylum, Trenton, New Jersey (1847) Nassau Hall, Princeton, New Jersey (1855)

Cemeteries Laurel Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1836) Hollywood Cemetery, Richmond, Virginia (1849) Mount Vernon Cemetery gatehouse, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1858)

Churches St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Glassboro, New Jersey (1846) Church of the Messiah, Richmond, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1848) St. Mark's Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1849) Emmanuel Church, Cumberland, Maryland (1851) St. Peter's Church, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1851) First Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill, Germantown Ave. and Rex Ave., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1852) The dome and facade of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1857) St. Clement's Church, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1855–59) Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (1856–59)

Houses Mansion House, Trenton, New Jersey (1848) Whitney Mansion, Glassboro, New Jersey (1849) Prospect House, Princeton, New Jersey (1851) Walter Lowrie House, Princeton, New Jersey (1851)

Gallery