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Henry Ayling Phillips
H. A. Phillips was the first graduate of MIT's Department of Architecture and his drawings represent the first North American thesis in existence. Noteworthy for its completeness and range of concerns, from the location of the building on the site to the construction details, it also represents three distinct types of drawings. The first is the functional or working drawing style executed in pen and ink; the second, a more traditional compositional division of the page; and the third, a presentation style rendering of the elevation. In addition, it is one of the few thesis drawings to depict interior spaces and construction details. Phillips worked as a draftsman in Chicago before attending the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Coquart from 1878-1883. He later returned to practice architecture and engineering in Boston.
Composite drawings, common in the 1860s and 1870s, are typical of the theses of this period, and were used by students with great individuality and inventiveness. In subsequent years, however, this drawing typology would disappear, in favor of placing a single image on a page.
A Design for Water Works in a Public Park: Engine House, Standpipe Tower, Reservoir |
A Design for Water Works in a Public Park: Engine House, Standpipe Tower, Reservoir |
A Design for Water Works in a Public Park: Engine House, Standpipe Tower, Reservoir |
