Hunt, Richard Morris( 1827 – 1895 )
Sketch for the base of the Statue of Liberty, The Museum of the American Architectural
Foundation, Box 1865 , 111 ⁄ 8 73 ⁄ 8 in., Graphite, ink, and wash on paperRichard Morris Hunt, the first American architect to have attended the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris,
brought back a French classical monumental architecture pervaded by idealism combined with practi-
cality. Hunt’s architecture was an eclectic blending of neogothic, neogrec and French neoclassical
influence, contrasted by the picturesque wood frame cottages he designed in Newport (Stein, 1986 ).
He was influential in the founding of the American Institute of Architects in 1857 and was its third
president (Baker, 1980 ).
Hunt was born in Vermont in 1827. After his father’s death, the family left for an unintentionally
extended twelve-year trip to Europe. While living in France, Hunt applied to the Ecole des Beaux-
Arts and was accepted in 1846. He chose the atelier of Hector Martin Lefuel and during his last years
in Paris worked with him on the Pavillon de la Bibliothèque of the Louvre. He traveled widely while
living in Europe, a practice he continued throughout his life. Returning to New York City in 1855 , he
started his practice designing small projects and instructing students in an atelier atmosphere. His first
notable project was the Studio Building completed in 1858 , a space designed particularly for the needs
of artists. He was well established by the 1860 s, designing skyscrapers and apartment buildings. Several
of his numerous buildings include the Stuyvesant Apartments, the Tribune Building skyscraper in 1876
and monuments such as the Seventh Regimental Monument in Central Park ( 1873 ). Later in his life,
he was commissioned to design large mansions for wealthy families as the Biltmore in Asheville and
summer cottages in Newport, and then the Administration Building for the World’s Columbian
Exposition in 1893.
Most likely because of his strong relationships in France, Hunt took part in the planning for the
Statue of Liberty in the early 1880 s. With the sculpture by the artist Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
begun, a Franco-American Union was gathered to manage the project. Hunt was named architect and
construction was begun on the pedestal in 1884 (Baker, 1980 ; Trachtenberg and Hyman, 1986 ).
Hunt’s challenge was to connect the star-shaped foundation of Fort Wood with the sculpture. He
chose to design a rusticated stone base with a parapet cornice as a firm setting for the statue. Since he
was attempting to unify the look of the fortress with the smooth texture of the sculpture, the rusti-
cated base became more refined as it ascended acts as this transition.
This sketch (Figure 4. 2 ) captures one iteration in his design exploration. Detailing the rusticated
stone with graphite pencil, the remainder of the sketch consists of ink and wash over graphite.
Proportionally the pedestal commands a larger portion of the composition than that of the final solu-
tion. It appears elongated and distorted possibly because the pedestal was his concern and he wanted
to visualize its articulation. The previously resolved issue of the sculpture, less of his concern, could
be vaguely placed with wash. The statue remained part of the composition but the emphasis of this
sketch was to design the base. The details of the rustication and the proposed columns over a loggia
space have been more carefully articulated, substantially more than the background. The right side of
the page shows an enlarged detail of the stone coursing, again reinforcing his interest. In this case,
interpreting Hunt’s intention may be obvious. The purpose of sketches differs as to the questions
being asked. Here Hunt was concentrating on one aspect of the design, not trying to visualize the
whole, which may have left the entire composition disproportionate. Interestingly, once built
the pedestal became a dominant feature of the composition. Invariably necessary to lift liberty into
the air, it still prevailed.H5719-Ch04.qxd 7/15/05 3:35 PM Page 103