Taylor Hardwick

Infobox Architect


name=Taylor Hardwick
nationality=American
birth_date= 1925
birth_place=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
practice_name=Hardwick & Lee
significant_projects= Haydon Burns Library
Friendship Park
The 1661 Building
The Fletcher Building

awards=|

Taylor Hardwick is an American Architect, interior designer, filmmaker, and educator who designed hundreds of buildings throughout northeast Florida, predominantly in and near the city of Jacksonville.

Hardwick has had several one-man shows of his photographs and has produced fourteen 16mm films. He has taught Joseph Albers color theory at Jacksonville University. In 1959, he opened Jacksonville's first modern furniture showroom, The Atrium, and in 1962, he co-founded the Group Gallery, the first Contemporary art exhibition space in Jacksonville.

He and his firm have been the recipients of several awards including: The "House & Home Award of Merit" in 1956, The "Florida AIA Design Honor Award" in 1964, and the "H.J. Klutho Lifetime achievement Award" in 1999.

Early life and education

Born in 1925 and raised in suburban Philadelphia, Hardwick attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Design, where he received a Bachelors degree and Masters of Architecture in 1947.

Career

Hardwick moved to Jacksonville in 1949 and spent three years working at the firm W. Kenyon Drake & assoc. before opening his own architectural design practice. In 1952 he partnered with fellow architect W. Mayberry Lee to form the firm, Hardwick & Lee Architects. In late 1968 the partnership was dissolved and Taylor reverted to solo practice until his retirement in 2001. W. Mayberry Lee passed away in 1971.During a 50-year career, Hardwick designed more than 150 custom houses, five high schools, five elementary schools and a classroom building at the University of Florida. He also created dozens of commercial buildings, including the Fletcher Building in Riverside, now known as the Physicians Insurance Company. The variety of styles present in the work of Hardwick and Lee can often make it difficult to classify. In recent years the label Mid Century Modern, has been applied to the work of Hardwick & Lee, and many of their prominent contemporaries.

A cursory examination through the output of Hardwick & Lee reveals an almost bewildering variety of construction methods and visual motifs. Never feeling that they were operating in a particular style, Hardwick stated that he and his partner were always interested in innovating and consequently worked hard to avoid repeating themselves. Their work in the 1950’s, primarily modestly scaled residences and commercial buildings made use of roofs pitched at very subtle angles and brick and timber wall elements arranged into patterns and grids (two residences in particular own a debt to the paintings of Piet Mondrian). Their work from the late 50’ through the 60’s is particularly exciting and dynamic. Color becomes a fully integrated and essential element. That combined with a lyrical treatment of their buildings exterior’s betrays Hardwick and Lee’s affinity for art and music. Often in this period roofs tend to dip and zigzag, exhibiting a playfulness that usually distinguishes a Hardwick and Lee structure from it’s neighbors. In 1965 the firm completed their two largest and most important public commissions: Friendship Park & Fountain and the Haydon Burns Library.While strong lines and vaulting angles still occur in Taylor Hardwick’s solo work in the 1970’s & 1980’s, more subdued color and natural wood surfaces replace the vibrant colors of the previous decade. During this period Hardwick developed many creative design solutions for conquering the more challenging aspects Florida terrain (swamps, rivers, abundant rainfall) with several structures built on stilts and others that were designed to float.

Major projects

Haydon Burns Library

When built in 1965 at a cost of $3.7 million, the Haydon Burns Library was considered state of the art. The 126,000 ft2, 3-story building was designed by local architect Taylor Hardwick. Hardwick and the building committee for the library’s trustees toured 6 new and significant libraries throughout the country, with the idea of incorporating the best ideas in library design and operation into Jacksonville’s new facility. John Hall Jacobs, a nationally known library consultant, also contributed to the design process. Mr. Hardwick worked on the library building's design over a span of five years, and his comprehensive plan specified all interior furnishings, graphics and the use of innovative, free-standing book shelves. He chose cheerful colors and limited the use of natural light. The only elements Hardwick did not specify were the mosaic tile murals, which were designed by Ann Williams.The building served Jacksonville well, but by the mid-1990s, it was simply too small for the number of patrons using it. The Haydon Burns Library checked out its last book on September 3, 2005 and after moving to the newly constructed facility, bids were accepted for the old Burns Library building. The transfer of the building from the city to a private owner turned out to be a long and winding road. The eventual developer, Main Branch, LLC met with Hardwick and he was pleased that the exterior would remain mostly unchanged. [ [http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=45899 Jacksonville Financial News & Daily Record: Sep 15, 2006-Meet Main Branch, LLC] ]

Friendship Fountain and Park

Friendship Fountain on the Southbank Riverwalk is one of Jacksonville, Florida’s most recognizable and popular attractions. Begun in 1963 and opened in March 1965, the fountain was billed as the “World’s Tallest and Largest” and became a popular tourist attraction. The entire 14 acre park and fountain were built for $1,750,000 on land that was donated by a group of Southside businessmen. At the time, the steams of water could be seen from virtually any location downtown and nearby Southside. The three pumps had a combined 750 horsepower and could push 17,000 gallons per minute; some streams as tall as a 10-story building. The enclosure for the pumps and controls was so large that the architect, Taylor Hardwick, incorporated it as a feature, rather than a visual annoyance.

The fountain functioned for over 20 years before the pumps were refurbished in December 1985, then performed another 15 years. Finally, wear and corrosion forced its closure at the end of the century. A five month, $1,300,000 rehabilitation began when the fountain was drained in March 2001. New features was added and the fountain was a major attraction at Super Bowl XXXIX in February 2005, but two months later, 2 of the 3 original (40-year old) pumps failed and parts were no longer available. The replacement cost for the pumps was estimated at $400,000, but the city budget was tight and money was not available. The fountain has been running on one pump since then with a greatly reduced flow. The future of the Jacksonville landmark may be in doubt. A number of proposals have been made, including moving Kids Kampus from Metropolitan Park and eliminating the fountain, rebuilding a smaller fountain or renovating the existing fountain.

German manufacturer Hansgrohe, a producer of high-end plumbing fixtures, featured Friendship Fountain (and architect Taylor Hardwick) in a series of print advertisements to focus worldwide attention on the need to preserve and maintain this work of art. [ [http://www.taylorhardwick.com/ website celebrating Taylor Hardwick's architecture] ]

kinner dairy

Hardwick designed the retail sales building for Skinner Dairy products, which were the forerunners of today’s convenience stores. Skinner's Milk Houses were thoughtfully designed and visually interesting structures that eventually became an iconic presence throughout the greater Jacksonville area. Under their pitched "butterfly" roofs each identical store was painted orange and white, incorporated a drive-through feature that could be approached from 2 sides, and made use of aluminum sliding glass doors which were cutting edge and only recently made available commercially. The dairy was sold to the Suzia Foods Corporation in January 1996. [cite web
url = http://www.answers.com/topic/suiza-foods-corporation?cat=biz-fin
title = Suiza Foods Corporation
publisher = Answers.com
accessdate = 2007-12-20]

As of December 2007, 16 of the original 21 buildings still exist in one form or another, most with their distinctive roofs intact. As a testament to the enduring appeal of the structures and their form, they have proven adaptable for a variety of independent businesses. A survey of current tenants include several drive-thru restaurants and sandwich shops, car wash and detailing services, check cashing, a florist, a dry-cleaner, a coffee shop, golf instruction, and pickup-truck bed-liners. Some successful adaptations require building additions which only on rare occasions are the structures aesthetics thoughtfully considered. 5 are presently in such a state that could be described as (or close to) original.

Exhibitions

Hardwick and his contributions to architecture in Florida were celebrated in the exhibition “Taylor Hardwick: 50 Years of Design” at the University of North Florida from June 26 – July 25, 2003. Two lectures accompanied the exhibition. [ [http://www.design.upenn.edu/events/publications/pa/pa-vol-13-1/alumni_news.pdf University of Pennsylvania School of Design: alumni news] ]

An architectural conference was held on February 2, 2008 at the Cummer Museum entitled, "Mid-Century Modern: Exploring Mid-Century Modern Architecture in Florida". The program looked back at the work of architects that included Robert Broward, Hardwick, George Fisher and William Morgan in Jacksonville from 1946 to 1973. [ [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/022508/met_250688663.shtml Florida Times-Union: February 25, 2008-A reputation for building design] ]

The University of North Florida produced a 53-minute film about Hardwick and his career. It was viewed at the Art @ 3 program at the Cultural Center in Ponte Vedra Beach on February 7th, 2008. [ [http://www.beachesleader.com/articles/2008/02/07/ponte_vedra_leader/beach_living_-_entertainment/doc47a9ce9f77d94666507177.txt Beaches Leader: February 7, 2008-Jacksonville architect speaks] ]

Today

Taylor Hardwick retired in 2001, and is working on his memoirs. He spends time lobbying for the preservation of buildings he designed that are in danger of demolition; many of his creations have been torn down or revised. His Friendship Fountain Park, unveiled on the Jacksonville riverfront in 1965, was reduced to less than half its size when a city-owned restaurant and parking lot were built in 1978.

He was unsuccessful in efforts to save the 1661 Riverside Avenue Medical Building, which was torn down to build condos in 2004. However, before the demolition began, "Midland Development" set up a day of tribute to Hardwick’s designs. [ [http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/122104/met_17499615.shtml Florida Times-Union: Dec 21, 2004-Architect of old main library wants it preserved] ]

Honors

AIA Emeritus

References

External links

* [http://www.taylorhardwick.com Tribute website to Taylor Hardwick]
* [http://www.aia.org/ American Institute of Architects Jacksonville Chapter]