Carrère and Hastings
| Company type | Architectural firm |
|---|---|
| Industry | Architecture |
| Founded | 1885 |
| Founder | John Merven Carrère, Thomas Hastings |
| Defunct | 1929 |
| Headquarters | New York City , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Cuba |
Key people | John Merven Carrère, Thomas Hastings |
| Products | Architectural design, urban planning, interior design |
Carrère and Hastings, established by John Merven Carrère (November 9, 1858 – March 1, 1911) and Thomas Hastings (March 11, 1860 – October 22, 1929), was a distinguished American architectural firm renowned for its expertise in Beaux-Arts architecture. Headquartered in New York City, the firm operated from 1885 until 1929, with Hastings continuing the practice alone following Carrère’s passing in 1911.
Both founders received their education at the esteemed École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in France and gained early professional experience at McKim, Mead and White before founding their own office. Their initial major success was the commission for the Ponce de León Hotel in St. Augustine, Florida, initiated by industrialist Henry Flagler. Over time, they developed an impressive portfolio encompassing commercial, residential, and civic structures throughout prominent U.S. cities as well as internationally in Toronto, London, Paris, Rome, and Havana. Their national reputation was cemented after winning the competition to design the New York Public Library Main Branch in 1897.
Carrère
John Merven Carrère was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, into a family involved in coffee trade and various business enterprises. After completing his education in Switzerland, he attended the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1880 to 1882. Upon returning to New York, he joined McKim, Mead and White where he worked alongside Thomas Hastings before they formed their partnership in 1885. Early in his career, Carrère designed several panoramic exhibition buildings before dedicating himself to major public commissions.
Carrère played a crucial role in securing landmark projects such as the House and Senate office buildings on Capitol Hill, the approaches to the Manhattan Bridge, and the New York Public Library. He was also influential in shaping urban planning and public architectural policies; notably, he was instrumental in founding the Art Commission of New York City with backing from Elihu Root. A proponent of design competitions under the Tarsney Act, Carrère declined an appointment as Supervising Architect of the U.S. Treasury Department to advocate for broader systemic changes rather than personal advancement.
His impact extended to city planning initiatives alongside prominent figures like Daniel H. Burnham, Arnold Brunner, and Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., contributing to master plans for Cleveland (1903), Grand Rapids (1909), Baltimore (1910), and Hartford (1911). Carrère was recognized by the National Academy of Design, becoming an Associate member in 1908 and a full member by 1910. He died in 1911 following injuries sustained in a streetcar accident shortly after finalizing the Hartford plan.
Hastings
Thomas S. Hastings (born March 11, 1860, New York City) was a leading architect and executive known for his strategic management within Carrère and Hastings. Descended from a prominent family—his father served as a Presbyterian minister and seminary dean while his grandfather was a distinguished church musician of the nineteenth century—Hastings received elite training including an apprenticeship at Herter Brothers and formal study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. It was there that he met Carrère and earned significant accolades such as the French Legion of Honor and the RIBA Gold Medal.
Upon returning to New York, Hastings worked at McKim, Mead & White, then America’s foremost architectural firm. His father’s connections introduced him to influential patrons like Henry Morrison Flagler, leading to commissions for landmark hotels including Florida’s Ponce de Leon and Alcazar properties. Through family alliances with financier E.C. Benedict, Hastings expanded his client base further; he married Benedict’s daughter Helen in 1900—a ceremony attended by New York’s social elite including Charles Follen McKim and Stanford White.
Hastings is credited with numerous key designs within the firm and assumed leadership after Carrère’s death in 1911. He preserved the firm's identity while collaborating with associates such as Richmond Shreve and Theodore Blake; this collaboration ultimately led to the creation of Shreve, Lamb and Harmon, notable for their influence on skyscraper architecture. His leadership ensured continued growth and market presence throughout this era.
An active lecturer and author on architectural topics, Hastings contributed significantly to professional discourse. He passed away on October 23, 1929; his legacy endures through his archival materials held at the American Academy of Arts & Letters where he served as treasurer. He left behind his wife but had no descendants.
Collaboration and beyond
The firm's initial significant commission came from Florida developer and railroad magnate Henry Morrison Flagler, including the Ponce de León Hotel (1885–1888) in St. Augustine, Florida, which currently serves as part of Flagler College. Their portfolio for Flagler also encompassed the Alcazar Hotel (1887–88, now the Lightner Museum), the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church (1887), and two private residences, notably the Mediterranean-inspired Whitehall (1902) located in Palm Beach, Florida.
Carrère and Hastings capitalized on their strong ties to New York’s upper class, catering to prominent figures such as lawyer and cabinet official Elihu Root, railroad tycoon Edward H. Harriman, financier Thomas Fortune Ryan, and the influential Blair family. Their early projects exhibited an eclectic style influenced by their École des Beaux-Arts background, which evolved after the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition to embrace French and Renaissance revival elements. The firm was among the pioneers in adopting advances like structural steel frameworks and electrical systems, merging classical European architectural traditions with American functional demands to forge a contemporary architectural expression.
Urban planning was a central element of their business approach, inspired by Carrère’s dedication to the Beaux-Arts "City Beautiful" philosophy. The firm crafted downtown redevelopment schemes for cities including Baltimore, Hartford, Cleveland, and Atlantic City. Their prominent public commissions featured landmarks such as the New York Public Library (1897–1912), the House and Senate Office Buildings in Washington D.C. (1908–09), as well as civic projects like Buffalo’s Pan-American Exposition (1901) and Paterson City Hall (1896).
In addition to public architecture, Carrère and Hastings made a substantial mark on early 20th-century residential design with distinguished country estates such as Blairsden in New Jersey, Bellefontaine, Arden in New York, and Nemours in Delaware. Their comprehensive services often included interior design, broadening their influence within the luxury home market.
During the late 1910s and throughout the 1920s, the firm ventured into high-rise construction with projects like the Cunard Building (1917–21) and the Standard Oil Building (1920–28). Although Hastings expressed reservations about skyscrapers altering urban proportions, these undertakings represented a strategic expansion into commercial architecture.
Despite being eclipsed by subsequent International Modernism movements, Carrère and Hastings' legacy endures for its profound contributions to American civic architecture and classical design principles.
Selected works
- Ponce de León Hotel, St. Augustine, FL, 1885–87 (currently part of Flagler College)
- Hotel Alcazar, St. Augustine, FL, 1887 (now Lightner Museum)
- New York Public Library Main Branch, NYC, 1897–1911
- Paterson City Hall, NJ, 1896
- Blairsden Mansion, Peapack, NJ, 1898–1903
- Bellefontaine Mansion, Lenox, MA, 1899
- Whitehall (Flagler Museum), Palm Beach, FL, 1900–01
- Arden Estate (E.H. Harriman house), NY, 1905–09
- Russell Senate Office Building, Washington D.C., 1903–08
- Nemours Mansion and Gardens, Wilmington, DE, 1909–10
- Lunt-Fontanne Theatre interior, NYC, 1910
- Cannon House Office Building, Washington D.C., 1908
- Cunard Building (consulting architects), NYC, 1917–21
- Standard Oil Building (26 Broadway), NYC, 1920–28
- Arlington Memorial Amphitheater, Arlington VA, 1920