The Background
The following anecdote is about Wilson Eyre, Jr. (1858-1944), a leading Philadelphia architect in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
First published in The Washington Post in December 1910, the story was subsequently reprinted in newspapers across the United States in early 1911.
Much like G.L. Norrman in the Southeast, Eyre was a uniquely expressive designer and a colorful public figure whose surviving body of work I greatly admire.
Reportedly, Eyre was openly homosexual—long before it gained social acceptance—which makes him even more interesting.
Who knows if this tale is true, but it at least reveals something of Eyre’s reputation, and it’s hella good for mythmaking.
A Criticism.
‘Wilson Eyre, Jr., the noted Philadelphia architect, can criticize with delicate wit architecture which he disapproves. A brother architect induced Mr. Eyre the other day to go to see one of his latest constructions, a flaring edifice not far from the city hall. Mr. Eyre looked over the new building gravely and silently, and at the end of the inspection the host said in rather anxious tones:
‘”Well, how do you like it? It’s pretty good, don’t you think?”
‘”Excellent!” said Mr. Eyre. “It has only one fault.”
‘”What’s that?” the other asked.
‘”It’s fireproof,” was the reply.’1
References
- “A Criticism.” The Washington Post, Magazine Section, December 11, 1910, p. 4. ↩︎