Jump to content

Thomas W. Lamb: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
m Changing short description from "20th-century Scottish-American architect (1871-1942)" to "Scottish-American architect (1871–1942)"
 
(13 intermediate revisions by 12 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|20th-century Scottish-American architect (1871-1942)}}
{{Short description|Scottish-American architect (1871–1942)}}
{{other people|Thomas Lamb}}
{{other people|Thomas Lamb}}
{{Infobox architect
{{Infobox architect
Line 6: Line 6:
| caption = Lamb in 1926
| caption = Lamb in 1926
| nationality = American
| nationality = American
| birth_date = May 5th, 1870
| birth_date = May 5, 1870
| birth_place = [[Dundee, Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
| birth_place = [[Dundee, Scotland]], [[United Kingdom]]
| death_date = February 26th, 1942
| death_date = February 26, 1942 (aged 71)
| death_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States]]
| death_place = [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States]]
| alma_mater = [[Cooper Union]]
| alma_mater = [[Cooper Union]]
Line 18: Line 18:
}}
}}


'''Thomas White Lamb''' (May 5th, 1870 – February 26th, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American [[architect]]. He was one of the foremost designers of [[theater (structure)|theaters]] and [[movie theater|cinemas]] in the 20th century.
'''Thomas White Lamb''' (May 5, 1870 – February 26, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American [[architect]]. He was one of the foremost designers of [[theater (structure)|theaters]] and [[movie theater|cinemas]] of the 20th century.


==Career==
==Career==
Line 24: Line 24:
Born in [[Dundee, Scotland]], United Kingdom, Thomas W. Lamb came to the United States at the age of 12. He studied architecture at [[Cooper Union]] in New York and initially worked for the City of New York as an inspector. His architecture firm, Thomas W. Lamb, Inc., was located at 36 West 40th Street in Manhattan, New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C14FD3F5D167B93C5AB1789D85F468485F9&scp=2&sq=thomas%20w%20lamb%20architect&st=cse |title=THOMAS W. LAMB, 71; A NOTED ARCHITECT |date=February 27, 1942 |work=New York Times }}</ref>
Born in [[Dundee, Scotland]], United Kingdom, Thomas W. Lamb came to the United States at the age of 12. He studied architecture at [[Cooper Union]] in New York and initially worked for the City of New York as an inspector. His architecture firm, Thomas W. Lamb, Inc., was located at 36 West 40th Street in Manhattan, New York.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0C14FD3F5D167B93C5AB1789D85F468485F9&scp=2&sq=thomas%20w%20lamb%20architect&st=cse |title=THOMAS W. LAMB, 71; A NOTED ARCHITECT |date=February 27, 1942 |work=New York Times }}</ref>


Lamb achieved recognition as one of the leading architects of the boom in [[movie theater]] construction of the 1910s and 1920s. Particularly associated with the [[Fox Theatres]], [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's Theatres]] and [[RKO|Keith-Albee]] chains of vaudeville and film theaters, Lamb was instrumental in establishing and developing the design and construction of the large, lavishly decorated theaters, known as "[[movie palaces]]", as showcases for the films of the emerging Hollywood studios.
Lamb achieved recognition as one of the leading architects of the boom in [[movie theater]] construction of the 1910s and 1920s{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}. Particularly associated with the [[Fox Theatres]], [[Loews Cineplex Entertainment|Loew's Theatres]] and [[RKO|Keith-Albee]] chains of vaudeville and film theaters, Lamb was instrumental in establishing and developing the design and construction of the large, lavishly decorated theaters, known as "[[movie palaces]]", as showcases for the films of the emerging Hollywood studios.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}


As early as 1904 Lamb was credited with renovations for two existing theaters in the city: the [[Weber and Fields]] Music Hall at 1215 Broadway, and the Dewey Theater on East 14th Street, the latter owned by Tammany Hall figure [[Timothy Sullivan|"Big Tim" Sullivan]].<ref>{{cite news |title="Big Tim's" Theater to Have Improvements |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/468712255/ |access-date=2 November 2021 |publisher=New-York Tribune |date=6 Aug 1904}}</ref> His first complete theater design was the City Theatre, built on 14th Street in 1909 for film mogul [[William Fox (producer)|William Fox]]. His designs for the 1914 [[Mark Strand Theatre]], the 1916 [[Rialto Theatre (New York City)|Rialto Theatre]] and the 1917 [[Rivoli Theatre (New York City)|Rivoli Theatre]], all in [[Times Square]], set the template for what would become the American movie palace.
As early as 1904, Lamb was credited with renovations for two existing theaters in the city: the [[Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall]] at 1215 Broadway, and the Dewey Theater on East 14th Street, the latter owned by Tammany Hall figure [[Timothy Sullivan|"Big Tim" Sullivan]].<ref>{{cite news |title="Big Tim's" Theater to Have Improvements |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/468712255/ |access-date=2 November 2021 |publisher=New-York Tribune |date=6 Aug 1904}}</ref> His first complete theater design was the City Theatre, built on 14th Street in 1909 for film mogul [[William Fox (producer)|William Fox]]. His designs for the 1914 [[Mark Strand Theatre]], the 1916 [[Rialto Theatre (New York City)|Rialto Theatre]] and the 1917 [[Rivoli Theatre (New York City)|Rivoli Theatre]], all in [[Times Square]], set the template for what would become the American movie palace.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}


Among his most notable theaters are the 1929 [[Fox Theatre (San Francisco, California)|Fox Theatre]] in San Francisco and the 1919 [[Capitol Theatre (New York City)|Capitol Theatre]] in New York, both now demolished. Among his most noted designs that have been preserved and restored are the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre in Boston (1928) (now the [[Boston Opera House (1980)|Boston Opera House]]), [[Mark Hellinger Theatre|Warner's Hollywood Theatre]] (1930) in New York (now the [[Times Square Church]]), the [[Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)|Hippodrome Theatre]] (1914) in Baltimore, and the [[Ohio Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)|Loew's Ohio Theatre]] (1928) in Columbus, Ohio. Among Lamb's existing Canadian theaters are the Pantages Theatre in Toronto (1920) (now the [[Ed Mirvish Theatre]]).<ref>{{cite book |title=Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates |last=Pound |first=Richard W. |publisher=Fitzhenry and Whiteside |year=2005}}</ref> and [[Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres]]. The Cinema Treasures website, which documents the history of film theaters, lists 174 theaters designed by Lamb's company.
Among his most notable theaters are the 1929 [[Fox Theatre (San Francisco, California)|Fox Theatre]] in San Francisco and the 1919 [[Capitol Theatre (New York City)|Capitol Theatre]] in New York, both now demolished. Among his most noted designs that have been preserved and restored are the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre in Boston (1928) (now the [[Boston Opera House (1980)|Boston Opera House]]), [[Mark Hellinger Theatre|Warner's Hollywood Theatre]] (1930) in New York (now the [[Times Square Church]]), the [[Hippodrome Theatre (Baltimore)|Hippodrome Theatre]] (1914) in Baltimore, and the [[Ohio Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)|Loew's Ohio Theatre]] (1928) in Columbus, Ohio. Among Lamb's existing Canadian theaters are the Pantages Theatre in Toronto (1920) (now the [[Ed Mirvish Theatre]]).<ref>{{cite book |title=Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates |last=Pound |first=Richard W. |publisher=Fitzhenry and Whiteside |year=2005}}</ref> and [[Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres]]. The Cinema Treasures website, which documents the history of film theaters, lists 174 theaters designed by Lamb's company.


Aside from movie theaters, Lamb is noted for designing (with [[Joseph Urban]]) [[New York City|New York's]] [[Ziegfeld Theatre (1927)|Ziegfeld Theatre]], a legitimate theater, as well as the third [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]] and the [[Paramount Hotel]] in midtown Manhattan.
Aside from movie theaters, Lamb is noted for designing (with [[Joseph Urban]]) [[New York City|New York's]] [[Ziegfeld Theatre (1927)|Ziegfeld Theatre]], a legitimate theater, as well as the third [[Madison Square Garden (1925)|Madison Square Garden]] and the [[Paramount Hotel]] in midtown Manhattan.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}


Lamb died in 1942 in New York City at the age of 71. His architectural archive is held by the Drawings and Archives Department of [[Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library]] at [[Columbia University]].
Lamb died in 1942 in New York City at the age of 71. His architectural archive is held by the Drawings and Archives Department of [[Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library]] at [[Columbia University]].{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}


===John J. McNamara===
===John J. McNamara===
Line 67: Line 67:
* [[Lincoln Theatre (Miami Beach, Florida)|Lincoln Theatre]], Miami Beach, Florida, 1936
* [[Lincoln Theatre (Miami Beach, Florida)|Lincoln Theatre]], Miami Beach, Florida, 1936
* Loew's 72nd Street Theatre, New York City, 1930
* Loew's 72nd Street Theatre, New York City, 1930
* Loew’s Canal Theatre, 1926<ref>{{cite web | url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/photos-inside-the-abandoned-old-loews-theatre-on-canal-street | title=Photos: Inside the Abandoned Old Loew's Theatre on Canal Street | date=27 June 2014 }}</ref>
* [[United Palace Theater|Loew's 175th Street Theater]], New York City, 1930
* [[United Palace Theater|Loew's 175th Street Theater]], New York City, 1930
* [[Ohio Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)|Loew's and United Artists' Ohio Theatre]], Columbus, Ohio, 1928
* [[Ohio Theatre (Columbus, Ohio)|Loew's and United Artists' Ohio Theatre]], Columbus, Ohio, 1928
Line 76: Line 77:
* Loew's State Theatre (Now the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center), Norfolk, Virginia, 1926<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tccropercenter.org/ |title=Home |website=tccropercenter.org}}</ref>
* Loew's State Theatre (Now the TCC Roper Performing Arts Center), Norfolk, Virginia, 1926<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tccropercenter.org/ |title=Home |website=tccropercenter.org}}</ref>
* Loew's State Theatre, Times Square, New York City, 1924
* Loew's State Theatre, Times Square, New York City, 1924
* [[Newark Paramount Theatre]], [[Downtown Newark]], [[Newark, New Jersey]], 1920s.
* [[State Palace Theatre (New Orleans, Louisiana)|Loew's State Theatre]], New Orleans, Louisiana, 1926
* [[State Palace Theatre (New Orleans, Louisiana)|Loew's State Theatre]], New Orleans, Louisiana, 1926
* [[Loew's Theatre, New Rochelle|Loew's Theatre]], New Rochelle, New York, 1925
* [[Loew's Theatre, New Rochelle|Loew's Theatre]], New Rochelle, New York, 1925
Line 96: Line 98:
* [[State Theatre (New Brunswick, New Jersey)|Reade's State Theatre]], New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1921
* [[State Theatre (New Brunswick, New Jersey)|Reade's State Theatre]], New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1921
* Regent Theatre, New York City, 1913
* Regent Theatre, New York City, 1913
* Rialto Theatre, New York City, 1916
* Ridgewood Theatre, Ridgewood, New York, 1916
* Ridgewood Theatre, Ridgewood, New York, 1916
* Rivoli Theatre, New York City, 1917
* Rivoli Theatre, New York City, 1917
Line 138: Line 141:
*[http://www.cinematreasures.org/architect/66/ Cinema Treasures' List of theatres designed by Thomas W. Lamb.]
*[http://www.cinematreasures.org/architect/66/ Cinema Treasures' List of theatres designed by Thomas W. Lamb.]
*[http://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18043417/ Thomas W. Lamb works in the collection of the] [[Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum]]
*[http://collection.cooperhewitt.org/people/18043417/ Thomas W. Lamb works in the collection of the] [[Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum]]
* Gray, Christopher, [http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19305 Streetscapes: Thomas W. Lamb’s Theaters, An Architect for Stage and Screen], ''Wired New York'', October 5, 2008
* Gray, Christopher, [http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19305 Streetscapes: Thomas W. Lamb's Theaters, An Architect for Stage and Screen], ''Wired New York'', October 5, 2008
*[http://www.arti-fact.com/architect/map/558/Thomas-W-Lamb Thomas W. Lamb Architecture on Google Maps]
*[http://www.arti-fact.com/architect/map/558/Thomas-W-Lamb Thomas W. Lamb Architecture on Google Maps]
*[https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/6473624 Thomas W. Lamb and John J. McNamara architectural records, 1895-1989, held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University]
*[https://clio.columbia.edu/catalog/6473624 Thomas W. Lamb and John J. McNamara architectural records, 1895-1989, held by the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Columbia University]
Line 146: Line 149:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Thomas W.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lamb, Thomas W.}}
[[Category:1871 births]]
[[Category:1870 births]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:1942 deaths]]
[[Category:American theatre architects]]
[[Category:American theatre architects]]
Line 152: Line 155:
[[Category:Architects from New York City]]
[[Category:Architects from New York City]]
[[Category:People from Dundee]]
[[Category:People from Dundee]]
[[Category:Scottish emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:British emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Cooper Union alumni]]
[[sex:Yes;)

Latest revision as of 16:29, 15 November 2024

For other people named Thomas Lamb, see Thomas Lamb (disambiguation).
Thomas W. Lamb
Lamb in 1926
BornMay 5, 1870
Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom
DiedFebruary 26, 1942 (aged 71)
New York City, New York, United States
NationalityAmerican
Alma materCooper Union
OccupationArchitect
PracticeThomas W. Lamb, Incorporated
BuildingsFox Theatre, San Francisco, 1929;
Madison Square Garden, 1925

Thomas White Lamb (May 5, 1870 – February 26, 1942) was a Scottish-born, American architect. He was one of the foremost designers of theaters and cinemas of the 20th century.

Career

[edit]

Born in Dundee, Scotland, United Kingdom, Thomas W. Lamb came to the United States at the age of 12. He studied architecture at Cooper Union in New York and initially worked for the City of New York as an inspector. His architecture firm, Thomas W. Lamb, Inc., was located at 36 West 40th Street in Manhattan, New York.[1]

Lamb achieved recognition as one of the leading architects of the boom in movie theater construction of the 1910s and 1920s[citation needed]. Particularly associated with the Fox Theatres, Loew's Theatres and Keith-Albee chains of vaudeville and film theaters, Lamb was instrumental in establishing and developing the design and construction of the large, lavishly decorated theaters, known as "movie palaces", as showcases for the films of the emerging Hollywood studios.[citation needed]

As early as 1904, Lamb was credited with renovations for two existing theaters in the city: the Weber and Fields' Broadway Music Hall at 1215 Broadway, and the Dewey Theater on East 14th Street, the latter owned by Tammany Hall figure "Big Tim" Sullivan.[2] His first complete theater design was the City Theatre, built on 14th Street in 1909 for film mogul William Fox. His designs for the 1914 Mark Strand Theatre, the 1916 Rialto Theatre and the 1917 Rivoli Theatre, all in Times Square, set the template for what would become the American movie palace.[citation needed]

Among his most notable theaters are the 1929 Fox Theatre in San Francisco and the 1919 Capitol Theatre in New York, both now demolished. Among his most noted designs that have been preserved and restored are the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre in Boston (1928) (now the Boston Opera House), Warner's Hollywood Theatre (1930) in New York (now the Times Square Church), the Hippodrome Theatre (1914) in Baltimore, and the Loew's Ohio Theatre (1928) in Columbus, Ohio. Among Lamb's existing Canadian theaters are the Pantages Theatre in Toronto (1920) (now the Ed Mirvish Theatre).[3] and Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres. The Cinema Treasures website, which documents the history of film theaters, lists 174 theaters designed by Lamb's company.

Aside from movie theaters, Lamb is noted for designing (with Joseph Urban) New York's Ziegfeld Theatre, a legitimate theater, as well as the third Madison Square Garden and the Paramount Hotel in midtown Manhattan.[citation needed]

Lamb died in 1942 in New York City at the age of 71. His architectural archive is held by the Drawings and Archives Department of Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University.[citation needed]

John J. McNamara

[edit]

During the last ten years of his practice, Lamb's associate was the architect John J. McNamara.[4] After Lamb's death, McNamara continued as an architect of theaters under his own name. McNamara was responsible for renovating some of Lamb's older New York theaters, and among his original designs was one for the 1969 Ziegfeld Theatre in Manhattan, which replaced Lamb's original building.

Selected theater designs

[edit]

United States

[edit]
  • Interior of B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston, 1928 (1970)
    Interior of B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, Boston, 1928 (1970)
  • Pitkin, Brooklyn, 1928 (2010)[5]
    Pitkin, Brooklyn, 1928 (2010)[5]
  • Tivoli, Washington, DC, 1924 (2005)
    Tivoli, Washington, DC, 1924 (2005)
  • The United Palace Theater, formerly Loew's 175th Street Theatre, New York, 1930 (2009)
    The United Palace Theater, formerly Loew's 175th Street Theatre, New York, 1930 (2009)
  • Interior of the United Palace Theater (2007)
    Interior of the United Palace Theater (2007)
  • Lincoln Theatre, Lincoln Road, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, 1936
    Lincoln Theatre, Lincoln Road, South Beach, Miami Beach, Florida, 1936
  • Palace Theater, Waterbury, Connecticut, 1922 (2016)
    Palace Theater, Waterbury, Connecticut, 1922 (2016)

Canada

[edit]

India

[edit]
  • Metro Cinema, Mumbai, India
    Metro Cinema, Mumbai, India
  • Metro Cinema, Kolkata (Calcutta), 2010
    Metro Cinema, Kolkata (Calcutta), 2010

Residential architecture

[edit]
Thomas W. Lamb Residence

In 1920, Lamb designed for himself a private summer home in the Adirondacks in the village of Elizabethtown, New York. The house, which is still extant as a residence, is situated on the Boquet River. The eight-bedroom manor, referred to today as Cobble Mountain Lodge, is a shingle and cobble stone design marked by the inclusion of a stone turret.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "THOMAS W. LAMB, 71; A NOTED ARCHITECT". New York Times. February 27, 1942.
  2. ^ ""Big Tim's" Theater to Have Improvements". New-York Tribune. 6 Aug 1904. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  3. ^ Pound, Richard W. (2005). Fitzhenry and Whiteside Book of Canadian Facts and Dates. Fitzhenry and Whiteside.
  4. ^ Dunlap, David W. (May 9, 1988). "John J. McNamara, an Architect And Theater Designer, Dies at 90". New York Times.
  5. ^ a b Cinema Treasures, Brooklyn
  6. ^ Morrison, William (1999). Broadway Theatres: History and Architecture (trade paperback). Dover Books on Architecture. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications. p. 82. ISBN 0-486-40244-4.
  7. ^ Morrison, p. 82
  8. ^ "Photos: Inside the Abandoned Old Loew's Theatre on Canal Street". 27 June 2014.
  9. ^ Cinema Treasures
  10. ^ "Home". tccropercenter.org.
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2011-03-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Ontario Heritage Trust Loew's Yonge Street and Winter Garden Theatres
  12. ^ Archives of Ontario Archived 2003-12-27 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ The Capitol Theatre and Arts Centre Archived 2013-04-01 at the Wayback Machine
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Thomas_W._Lamb&oldid=1257570011"