John Joseph Earley
John Joseph Earley | |
---|---|
Born | New York | December 12, 1881
Died | Washington, DC | November 25, 1945
Occupation(s) | Artisan, craftsman, architect |
John Joseph Earley (1881 in New York City – November 25, 1945) was the son of James Earley, a fourth generation Irish stone carver and ecclesiastical artist. A skilled artisan, architect, and innovator in the use of concrete Earley is best known for the invention of the Earley Process, a technique also known as polychrome, architectural or mosaic concrete.
Life
At age seventeen, he began work as an apprentice at his father’s studio in
After his father’s death, John Earley and Basil Taylor changed the focus of the work from stone and sculpture to plaster and stucco and over the next several years built the Earley Studio to become a significant business. The Earley Studio received contracts for both government and private work, including the remodeling of the interior of the
In 1906, Earley began investigating exposed aggregate concrete. Attracted to the use of color in Byzantine architecture, he was interested in trying to duplicate this effect in concrete. In 1914, Earley modeled a stylized Indian Head bust for the Q Street Bridge, now known as the Dumbarton Bridge, being constructed over Rock Creek Park in Washington, DC, using as a basis the life mask of Sioux Chief Kicking Bear (from Earley's model, 56 sandstone busts were then carved for the bridge).
In 1915, John Earley worked closely with the
From 1934 to November 1945, the Earley Studio worked on several notable architectural concrete structures including the
His papers are held at the Archives of American Art.[1]
List of projects
- Bahá'í House of Worship (Wilmette, Illinois)
- Dumbarton Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
- Peace Cross (Washington. D.C.)
- Saints Philip and James Catholic Church (Baltimore, MD)
- Washington, DC)
- Meridian Hill Park (Washington, D.C.)
- Willard Hotel(Washington, DC)
- The John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library, The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC)
References
External links
- Meridian Hill Park-John J. Earley
- Franciscan Monastery-John Joseph Earley[permanent dead link]
- Experimentation in Concrete
- John Earley and the Baha'i Temple
- Construction of the John K. Mullen of Denver Memorial Library
- American Concrete Institute Celebrates 100 Years of John Joseph Earley and the Earley Studio in Washington D.C.