Maximilian Godefroy

Maximilian Godefroy (ca. 1765 – 1840) was an architect born about 1770 in France. During the French Revolution he fought on the Royalist side, was imprisoned in the fortress of Bellegarde, then released about 1805 and allowed to come to the United States. He later relocated to Baltimore, Maryland, where became an instructor in art and architecture at St. Mary's College, the Sulpician Seminary.^[1]

While in Baltimore, he designed a number of structures including the St. Mary's Seminary Chapel, the Battle Monument, and the Unitarian Church. Other projects included the Commercial and Farmers Bank (demolished), as well as gates and monuments in the Westminster churchyard, the sally port at Fort McHenry, as well as submitting designs for the Washington Monument. Godefroy became acquainted with Benjamin Henry Latrobe, and married Eliza Crawford Anderson, whose father, Dr. John Crawford, was one of the founders of the College of Medicine of Maryland.^[2] However, while working with Latrobe on the Baltimore Merchant's Exchange (demolished to make way for the U.S. Custom House in 1904), Godefroy and Latrobe fell out. Latrobe was to have contributed the overall design, while Godefroy was to execute the drawings and supervise construction. Godefroy changed the plans to reflect his own ideas. After parting company, Latrobe continued to credit Godefroy with the design for the front of the Exchange, and did not compete with him for the First Unitarian Church. Godefroy, however, blamed Latrobe for his inability to obtain work in Baltimore.^[3]

Godefroy left Baltimore in 1819 for England, his daughter dying of yellow fever before the ship had cleared Chesapeake Bay. He worked for a while in London, then moved on to France.^[3] Prior to his death in 1840 he designed a new wing to the Palais de Justice and the Préfecture, both at Laval, Mayenne, France. ^[4]

Selected works

• St. Mary's Seminary Chapel, Baltimore, Maryland (1806-08)
• St. Thomas Church, Bardstown, Kentucky (1813-16)
• Battle Monument, Baltimore, Maryland (1815-25)
• Merchants' Exchange Building (Baltimore, Maryland) (1816-1820, demolished 1904)
• First Unitarian Church, Baltimore, Maryland (1818)

References

1. ^ "Maryland ArtSource". Maximilian Godefroy (c.1770-c.1837). The Baltimore Art Research & Outreach Consortium. 2009-02-09. http://www.marylandartsource.org/artists/detail_000000087.html. 
2. ^ John G. Waite Associates (December 5, 1997). National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: College of Medicine of MarylandPDF (440 KB). National Park Service. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Dorsey, John; Dilts, James D. (1981). A Guide to Baltimore Architecture (Second ed.). Centreville, Maryland: Tidewater Publishes. pp. 273–274. ISBN 0-87033-272-4. 
4. ^ "Answers.com". Maximilien Godefroy. Answers Corporation. 2009-02-09. http://www.answers.com/topic/maximilien-godefroy. 

External links

• Battle Monument, Calvert Street, Baltimore, Independent City, MD: 5 photos and 12 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey
• First Unitarian Church, Franklin & Charles Streets, Baltimore, Independent City, MD: 12 photos and 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
• Howard & Redwood Streets (Commercial Building), Baltimore, Independent City, MD: 2 photos and 1 data page, at Historic American Building Survey
• Monument Square, North Calvert Street between Fayette & Lexington S, Baltimore, Independent City, MD: 12 photos, 29 data page, 2 photo caption pages, and 3 color transparencies at Historic American Building Survey
• St. Mary's Seminary Chapel, North Paca Street & Druid Hill Avenue, Baltimore, Independent City, MD: 17 drawings, 25 photos, and 10 data page at Historic American Building Survey
• St. Thomas Catholic Church, U.S. Route 31 East, Bardstown vicinity, Nelson County, KY: 7 drawings and 5 photos at Historic American Building Survey

Persondata
Name	Godefroy, Maximilian
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1765
Place of birth
Date of death	1840
Place of death