George Carnegie Palmer
George Carnegie Palmer (December 20, 1861 – February 29, 1934), was an American architect who specialized in designing Beaux Arts style civic and academic buildings in the United States. He is best known for his work with the architect Henry F. Hornbostel. By 1904, Palmer & Hornbostel ranked "among the leading architects in the United States."
George Carnegie Palmer | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 20, 1861 New York City, New York, US |
| Died | February 29, 1934 (aged 72) Morristown, New Jersey, US |
| Alma mater | Columbia University |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Partner(s) | Henry Hornbostel Samuel E. Plonsky Sullivan W. Jones George Edward Wood |
| Practice | Palmer and Plonsky Palmer & Hornbostel Palmer, Hornbostel and Jones Wood, Palmer & Hornbostel Wood & Palmer Frederick Clarke Withers |
Palmer studied architecture at Columbia University before working for architect Frederick Clarke Withers as a general superintendent for the construction of the Chapel of the Good Shepherd and other structures on Blackwell Island. He then formed the firm Wood and Palmer, Architects in New York City with a college classmate. Hornbostel became a partner in Wood, Palmer & Hornbostel in 1897, renamed Palmer & Hornbostel in 1900.
Palmer designed Delta Psi, Alpha chapter house for his college fraternity in 1898; this property is still in use and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Palmer also designed several mansions for wealthy clients in New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey. In 1904, Palmer & Hornbostel won a competition to design the 35-acre campus of Carnegie Technical Schools (now Carnegie Mellon University). The duo also designed the Brooklyn Bridge Terminal Station, the Williamsburg Bridge, and the Queensboro Bridge in New York City and the High Level Bridge in Fairmont, West Virginia; the latter is on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1907, they designed the New York State Education Building in Albany, New York
Between 1908 and 1919, his firm was called Palmer, Hornbostel and Jones and specialized in university and government buildings. A stand-out of this era is the Beaux Arts style Oakland City Hall in California which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Other important projects by Palmer in the early 20th century include the Hartford City Hall, the Pittsburgh City-County Building, the campus and buildings for Emory College, and dormitory and fraternity houses for Northwestern University.