Ithiel Town

  • American


Ithiel Town was a notable American architect from New Haven, Connecticut, who played a leading role in the development of Greek Revival architecture with his partner, Alexander Jackson Davis. Town designed numerous churches, state capitols, and other public buildings that still stand today. He also developed one of the most widely used wooden bridge truss systems in the United States, receiving patents for his lattice truss design in 1820 and 1835. To protect and promote his invention, Town collected royalties of one dollar per foot of truss constructed and two dollars per foot when patent infringement was discovered. As a result, he frequently traveled throughout Northern communities where bridges were being built or proposed, personally monitoring the use of his patented design. - AsNotedIn

Notable Position Organization From To
Principal Town and Davis 1829 1843

Timeline

Y/M/D Description Association Composition Place Locale Food Event
Y/M/D Description Association Composition Place Locale Food Event
Architect New Haven Green Historic District New Haven, CT
Architect George Baldwin House North Branford
Architect First Congregational Church of Plainfield Plainfield
Architect Samuel Wadsworth Russell House Middletown
Architect Plainfield Street Historic District Plainfield
1810/00/00 A rectangular house, 40 by 36 feet, with a side wing, 24 feet square, and a conservatory, is built for zoologist William Dandridge Peck at the corner of Garden and Linnaean Streets in Cambridge, on the grounds of the Harvard College Botanical Garden. Architect Asa Gray House Cambridge, MA
1820/01/28 Ithiel Town receives a patent for a wooden lattice truss bridge, a simple and economical design that becomes widely used throughout the United States. Inventor Invention of the Truss Bridge
1821/00/00 "A description of Ithiel Town's improvement in the construction of wood and iron bridges: intended as a general system of bridge building" is published by S Converse. Inventor Invention of the Truss Bridge
1828/00/00 Church steeple is erected at St Mark's Church in-the-Bowery Architect St Marks-In-The-Bowery New York City
1829/00/00 Designed by Ithiel Town in close accord with Rev Nathaniel Wheaton, Christ Church is constructed in Hartford, Connecticut, 1827-1829, based on York Cathedral in England. Architect Christ Church Hartford
1835/00/00 New Haven architect Ithiel Town refines his lattice truss bridge design by adding secondary chords to improve strength and stability. Inventor Old Covered Bridge Sheffield Invention of the Truss Bridge
1841/00/00 The West Cornwall Bridge is erected over the Housatonic River in West Cornwall, Connecticut. The may have been supervised by Town himself. Architect West Cornwall Bridge West Cornwall Invention of the Truss Bridge
1843/00/00 The Leake and Watts Orphanage opens at 112th St and Amsterdam Ave. A significant Greek Revival building designed by Ithiel Town, it still stands on the grounds of the current Cathedral of St John the Divine. Architect Cathedral of Saint John the Divine New York City
1844/07/31 Wadsworth Atheneum opens. The first collection consisted of 78 paintings, 2 marble busts, 1 portrait miniature, and 1 bronze sculpture. The building also houses the Connecticut Historical Society, the Young Men's Institute and the Natural History Society. Architect Wadsworth Atheneum Hartford
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