Purdy and Henderson

Last updated

Purdy and Henderson
Purdy and Henderson
TypePartnership
IndustryConstruction
Foundedc. 1890 in Chicago, Illinois
FoundersCorydon Tyler Purdy, Lightner Henderson
Defunctc. 1944 in New York, New York
Headquarters
New York, New York, 1894
Number of locations
Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Seattle, Washington; and Havana, Cuba

Purdy and Henderson was a New York City-based engineering firm founded by Corydon Tyler Purdy and Lightner Henderson. They were active in the United States and Cuba between 1890 and 1944.

Contents

Purdy and Henderson was founded in Chicago, and transferred their headquarters to New York City in 1896. They eventually had branch offices in Boston, Seattle, Chicago, and Havana. [1] Purdy and Henderson were a patron of the Seattle Architectural Club in 1910. Lightner Henderson died prematurely in 1916, but the firm continued to operate under the name of Purdy and Henderson well after his death. Purdy and Henderson, Engineers, collaborated with architect H. Craig Severance on 40 Wall Street, which for one month in 1930, was the tallest building in the world. The firm most likely closed at about the time of Corydon Purdy's death in 1944. [2]

They worked on the John B. Agen Warehouse in Downtown Seattle in 1910 and the Royal Insurance Company Headquarters Building #2 in Financial District, San Francisco, among others. [3] [4] Purdy and Henderson designed several buildings in New York City, including One Times Square, Macy's Herald Square, and the Flatiron Building.

Corydon Tyler Purdy

Professional history

Corydon Tyler Purdy Corydon Tyler Purdy.png
Corydon Tyler Purdy

Purdy had been a draftsman and surveyor's assistant in Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul and in Chicago, IL, in the early 1880s. Purdy specialized in bridge design and applied these skills to skyscrapers. He worked as a structural engineer on the thirteen story steel frame of the Tacoma Building, Chicago, IL, (Holabird and Roche, Architects). Purdy and Henderson opened a New York City office in 1894 and moved its operations there by 1896. The New York City office designed the structure for the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York, NY. (Schultze and Weaver, Architects, 1893-1897). In 1899, Purdy supervised the start-up of a New York office for his friend, George A. Fuller (1851-1900). (Purdy maintained a professional relationship with the Fuller Company.) By 1900, Purdy and Henderson had obtained consulting work in Havana, Cuba and produced important buildings there including El Capitolio and the Hotel Nacional. By 1910, the office had in addition to its New York office, four branches including Havana, Cuba, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, and Seattle, WA. During the Depression, Purdy and Henderson were involved in a race to build the world's tallest building, an American structure taller than the Eiffel Tower. [5] Purdy and Henderson closed after Purdy's death.

Purdy was a member, American Society of Civil Engineers; Member, Institute of Civil Engineers of Great Britain; Member, Western Society of Engineers; Member, Engineers' Club of New York; Member, University of Wisconsin Alumni Club of New York; Member, Arctic Club, Seattle, WA; He won the Telford Premium Medal, Institute of Civil Engineers, London, 1909.

Writings

Purdy was a writer and spoke at national events for professional groups like the Boston Society of Engineers. He gave keynote speeches and educational lectures at his alma mater (UW), Cornell University, and other schools of engineering study. Said Purdy: [5]

The days of wooden bridges and buildings, and heavy masonry are numbered. Iron and other metals are rapidly taking their place. Engineers of the future must know the names and uses of the different forms in which iron or steel is produced, and they should know when a channel can be used to better advantage than a beam, and when an angle bar will serve better than a plate. In other words, they should well understand the particular characteristic of every form and shape of iron or steel which makes that particular form, shape, or kind most valuable in any given place or for any given use.

Bulletin of the University of Wisconsin, 1894

Representative of Purdy's published writings are the following:

Lightner Henderson

Professional history

Lightner Henderson Lightner Henderson.png
Lightner Henderson

Henderson worked in 1890 for an engineering firm in Cleveland, OH. Purdy and Henderson incorporated in 1901. After incorporation, Henderson became the President of the corporation from 1901-1915. Purdy and Henderson worked on several buildings on the Eastern US, and on projects in San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA. In about 1900, Purdy and Henderson had offices in New York City, Boston, MA, Chicago, IL, Havana, Cuba and Seattle, WA.

Henderson was a member of Western Society of Engineers, 1891-1916.

Education

Henderson attended the State Normal School in Millersville, PA. He obtained his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, in 1889.

An obituary by Corydon Purdy stated of Henderson:

His achievements of these years, from 1893 through two decades were notable, and mark him as one of the great structural engineers of his day. He was of a very retiring disposition and rather shunned the association of other men. On this account, he was not as widely known, and the quite remarkable character of the man was not as widely recognized as it would have been otherwise....Along with his analytical powers of mind, there was always a practical turn to it, which never was submerged by the complication or the laborious character of a difficulty. He did not arrive at irrational or impracticable conclusions. Simplicity was the distinguishing mark of his designing. It was these two qualities of mind combined that made him so successful in his profession. [7]

Selected commissions

One Times Square, New York City, 1904 One Times Square under construction 1903.jpg
One Times Square, New York City, 1904

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana</span> Capital and largest city of Cuba

Havana is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center. The city has a population of 2.3 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of 728.26 km2 (281.18 sq mi) – making it the largest city by area, the most populous city, and the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region.

Leslie Earl Robertson was an American engineer. He was the lead structural engineer of the Twin Towers of the original World Trade Center in New York City, and served as structural engineer on numerous other projects, including the U.S. Steel Tower in Pittsburgh, Shanghai World Financial Center, and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flatiron Building</span> Historic triangular office skyscraper in Manhattan, New York

The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a triangular 22-story, 285-foot-tall (86.9 m) steel-framed landmarked building at 175 Fifth Avenue in the eponymous Flatiron District neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Daniel Burnham and Frederick P. Dinkelberg, it was completed in 1902 and originally contained 20 floors. The building sits on a triangular block formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and East 22nd Street—where the building's 87-foot (27 m) back end is located—with East 23rd Street grazing the triangle's northern (uptown) peak. The name "Flatiron" derives from its triangular shape, which recalls that of a cast-iron clothes iron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Museum of the Revolution (Cuba)</span> Former presidential palace in Havana, Cuba; now a museum of the Cuban Revolution

The Museum of the Revolution is located in the Old Havana section of Havana, Cuba, in what was the Presidential Palace of all Cuban presidents from Mario García Menocal to Fulgencio Batista. The building became the Museum of the Revolution during the years following the Cuban Revolution. The palace building was attacked by the Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil in 1957.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vedado</span> Urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba

Vedado is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Calzada de Infanta and Central Havana, and on the west by the Alemendares River and Miramar / Playa district, Vedado is a more modern part of the city than the areas to the east, developed in the first half of the 20th century, during the Republic period. In 2016 it was described by one commentator as the city's "most affluent" section. The main street running east to west is Calle 23, also known as "La Rampa". The northern edge of the district is the waterfront seawall known as the Malecón, a famous and popular place for social gatherings in the city. The area popularly referred to as 'Vedado' consists of the wards of Vedado, Rampa, Vedado-Malecón and Carmelo, all in the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">El Capitolio</span> Former seat of the Congress of Cuba

El Capitolio, or the National Capitol Building, is a public edifice in Havana, the capital of Cuba. The building was commissioned by Cuban president Gerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction of Eugenio Rayneri Piedra. It is located on the Paseo del Prado, Dragones, Industria, and San José streets in the exact center of Havana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Nacional de Cuba</span> Historic hotel in Havana, Cuba

The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic Spanish eclectic style hotel in Havana, Cuba, opened in 1930. Located on the sea front of Vedado district, it stands on Taganana Hill, offering commanding views of the sea and the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gran Teatro de La Habana</span> Theater in Havana, Cuba

Gran Teatro de La Habana is a theater in Havana, Cuba, home to the Cuban National Ballet. It was designed by the Belgian architect Paul Belau and built by Purdy and Henderson, Engineers in 1914 at the site of the former Teatro Tacón. Its construction was paid for by the Galician immigrants of Havana to serve as a community-social center. Located in the Paseo del Prado, its facilities include theatres, a concert hall, conference rooms, a video screening room, as well as an art gallery, a choral center and several rehearsal halls for dance companies. It hosts the International Ballet Festival of Havana every two years since 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Theatre of Cuba</span> Theatre

The Teatro Nacional de Cuba is a theatre building in Havana, Cuba, on Plaza de la Revolución.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lonja del Comercio building</span> Office in Havana, Cuba

The Lonja del Comercio building in Old Havana, Cuba served as the stock exchange in the capital until the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Today, it is an office building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Rampa</span> Street in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba

La Rampa is a main street in the Vedado district of Havana, Cuba. La Rampa runs from Calle L to the Malecón. Built in 1930, the end was the location of the Battery of Santa Clara that protected the city from attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FOCSA Building</span> Residential and commercial building located in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba

The FOCSA Building is a residential and commercial block in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Cuba. At 425 feet (130 m), it is the tallest building in Cuba. It was named after the contracting company Fomento de Obras y Construcciones, Sociedad Anónima, and the architects were Ernesto Gómez Sampera (1921–2004), Mercedes Diaz, and Martín Domínguez Esteban (1897-1970), who was the architect of the Radiocentro CMQ Building. The structural engineer was Luis Sáenz Duplace, of the firm Sáenz, Cancio & Martín, and professor of engineering at the University of Havana. The civil engineers were Bartolome Bestard and Manuel Padron. Gustavo Becquer and Fernando H.Meneses were the mechanical and electrical engineers, respectively. It is located on a site bordered by Calles 17 and M and Calles 19 and N in the Vedado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paseo del Prado, Havana</span> Promenade in Havana, Cuba

Paseo del Prado is a street and promenade in Havana, Cuba, near the location of the old city wall, and the division between Centro Habana and Old Havana. Technically, the Paseo del Prado includes the entire length of Paseo Martí approximately from the Malecon to Calle Máximo Gómez, the Fuente de la India fountain. The promenade has had several names; it was renamed Paseo de Martí in 1898 with the island's independence from Spain. Despite the historic references, the people of Havana simply call it "El Prado".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eugenio Rayneri Piedra</span>

Eugenio Rayneri Piedra was the architect of numerous buildings in Havana, son of Eugenio Rayneri Sorrentino a remarkable architect, author of the entrance of the Colón Cemetery, the Palace of the Marquise of Villalba, and the Mercado de Tacón. Noteworthy, Rayneri Piedra was one of the architects of the Cuban National Capitol Building,, completed in 1929 during the administration of President Gerardo Machado Morales together with architects Govantes & Cabarrocas, Raul Otero and Bens Arrarte among others. Both Rayneri Piedra and his father won the International Contest for the Capitolio with their entry named "The Republic". Rayneri Piedra was Artistic and Technical Director along the construction process of the building, built by American construction company Purdy & Henderson. The first graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture in 1904, returned to Havana to enter into private practice with his father. He won an international competition for Cuba’s Presidential Palace, and was founder and first president of the Cuban Society of Architects. He was also professor at the University of Havana, brother of pianist Laura Rayneri Piedra, and uncle of ballet master Fernando Alonso (dancer).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tacón Theatre</span>

The Teatro Tacón opened in 1838 in Havana, Cuba. Its auditorium contained 2,750 seats. It was built by Pancho Martí, a businessman from Barcelona who moved to Havana. In 1847 Bottesini's opera Cristoforo Colombo premiered there. By 1855, so many people attended events that the city issued parking regulations for carriages on performance nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Bank of Canada Building, Havana</span> Commercial in Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

Royal Bank of Canada Building, Havana is a Neoclassical-style bank building located at corner of Calles Aguiar and Obrapia in Habana Vieja. The ground floor was dedicated to the bank, the other floors to offices that were rented; a floor was added for a semiprivate restaurant and club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Hotel (Havana)</span> Hotel in Havana, Cuba

The Plaza Hotel is a four-story historic hotel located in the Old Havana section of Havana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Havana Presidential Palace attack (1957)</span> 1957 assassination attempt during the Cuban Revolution

The 1957 Havana Presidential Palace attack was a failed assassination attempt on the life of President Fulgencio Batista at the Presidential Palace in Havana, Cuba. The attack began at around 3:30 PM on March 13, 1957, carried out by the student opposition group Directorio Revolucionario Estudiantil (DRE), but was unsuccessful in its goal of killing Batista. According to one of the group's founding members, Faure Chomón, they were following the golpe arriba strategy and sought to overthrow the government by killing Batista.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radiocentro CMQ Building</span> Radio & television studios, commercial, offices, movie theatre in Ciudad de La Habana, Cuba

The Radiocentro CMQ Building complex is a former radio and television production facility and office building at the intersection of Calle L and La Rampa in El Vedado, Cuba. It was modeled after Raymond Hood's 1933 Rockefeller Center in New York City. With 1,650 seats, the theater first opened on December 23, 1947, under the name Teatro Warner Radiocentro, it was owned by brothers Goar and Abel Mestre. Today the building serves as the headquarters of the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television (ICRT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martín Domínguez Esteban</span> Spanish architect

Martín Domínguez Esteban was a Spanish architect.

References

  1. "Purdy & Henderson" . Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  2. "Purdy and Henderson, Engineers (Partnership)" . Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  3. "John B., Warehouse, Downtown, Seattle, WA" . Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  4. "Royal Insurance Company, Limited" . Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  5. 1 2 Weingardt, Richard G. (2010). "Corydon Tyler Purdy". Leadership and Management in Engineering. 10 (3): 124–130. doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)LM.1943-5630.0000067 .
  6. "Corydon Tyler Purdy" . Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  7. "Lightner Henderson", Journal of the Western Society of Engineers, vol. 21, no. 9, November 1916, p. 784-786.