John McArthur, Jr.

John McArthur Jr (1823 -1890) was a prominent American architect practicing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is best remembered as the architect of the landmark building, Philadelphia City Hall.

John McArthur Jr was born in Bladenock, Scotland, on 13 May 1823, [http://www.jstor.org/pss/988539] and came to the United States with his family when he was ten years old. Much of his mature style was characterized by Italianate and Second Empire forms and several of his best known buildings feature mansard roofs, which he help to introduce and popularize in the United States. During the Civil War McArthur planned 24 temporary war hospitals. [The Annual Report of the Library Company of Philadelphia, by Library Company of Philadelphia, page 52]

Philadelphia has looked up to McArthur’s architecture for more than a century. The 250 foot tall spire of his Tenth Presbyterian Church was the highest building in the city when built. Later it was surpassed by the tower of City Hall, topping out at a height of 548 feet, it was the tallest building in the United States when completed. Until the late 20th century, an unwritten agreement among architects in Philadelphia kept all future buildings at a height lower than the top of the statue of William Penn atop McArthur’s tower.

McArthur was married to Matilda Prevost; they had 2 sons, 2 daughters. He was a Presbyterian and a member of Tenth Church; he died in Philadelphia on January 8, 1890.

Architectural Work - Partial Listing

* John McArthur Residence, West Philadelphia, PA [http://www.lib.umassd.edu/digicoll/stickarch/aabn_images/McArthurJ.jpg]
* Tenth Presbyterian Church, Seventeenth and Spruce Streets, Philadelphia, PA [http://www.tenth.org/index.php?id=144]
* Philadelphia City Hall, Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA – 1874-1901 (with Thomas U. Walter)
* The Continental Hotel, Chestnut and Ninth Streets, Philadelphia, PA - 1857-1860 [http://www.brynmawr.edu/cities/courses/05-306/proj2/jmw2b/locations.html]
* Mower General Hospital, (a temporary Civil War hospital) Wyndmoor, Philadelphia – 1863
* Children’s Ward, Presbyterian Hospital, Philadelphia, PA – 1881 [http://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/ajnls/khos03.jpg]
* Girard House Hotel, north side of Chestnut at Ninth, Philadelphia, PA - 1852
* Public Ledger Building, Sixth and Chestnut Streets, Philadelphia, PA - 1867
* First National Bank Building, 315 Chestnut Street, Third and Chestnut Streets, (now a museum run by the Chemical Heritage Foundation) Philadelphia, PA - 1865
* The Assembly Building (demolished), corner of Tenth and George (Chestnut) Streets - 1851
* Broad Street Presbyterian Church; Broad Street below Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA - ca. 1869
* Hospital for the Insane, Warren PA (a Kirkbride Plan building) [http://www.kirkbridebuildings.com/blog/warren-state-hospital-information]
* Main Building, additions, Lafayette College, Easton, PA – 1866
* Pardee Hall, Lafayette College, Easton, PA – 1873 [http://ww2.lafayette.edu/~library/special/survey/pardee.html] [Source for the eight above buildings: The Architect’s and Builders Pocket-Book, by Frank Eugene Kidder, 1908, page 1546]
* United States Naval Asylum, Gray's Ferry Road, Philadelphia, PA [catalogue of the library of the surgeon general’s office, US government printing office 1874, p. 175] [http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1270&ResourceType=Building]
* Wagner Free Institute of Science (original building)
* American Sunday School Union building, 316-320 Chestnut Street, Phila. PA - 1858
* First Presbyterian Church, Capitol Square, Tenth and Capitol streets, Richmond VA - 1852-3 [http://www.vahistorical.org/lva/firstpres.htm]
* U. S. Naval Hospital, Mare Island, CA – 1853 [Message from the President of the United States to the Two Houses of Congress, Milliard Fillmore, 1853, p 738] [Mare Island is a National Register historic district #75002103, and also a National Historic Landmark.]
* Mikveh Israel Synagogue, 117 North Seventh Street, Philadelphia, PA [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congregation_Mikveh_Israel]
* Franklin Market, 100 block of Market Street, Philadelphia, PA
* La Pierre House, Broad St. Philadelphia, PA - 1856
* Residence for Dr. David Jayne, 19th and Chestnut, Phila, PA – 1865
* New Granite Building for Dr. David Jayne, 242-244 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA [Ante-Bellum Skyscraper, by Charles E. Peterson, 1950; Society of Architectural Historianse]