Architects

Name:

John Notman

Designation :

Architect

Date of Birth:

Exact Date

Exact DOB:

22/07/1810

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Date of Death:

Exact Date

Exact DOD:

03/03/1865

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Bio Notes :

John Notman was born on 22 July 1810 at Fernieside, Edinburgh (?Liberton), the son of David Notman, variously described as a builder, stonemason, and quarrymaster. He was a nephew of the clerk-of-works of the same name and the cousin of the Leith architect William Notman. According to a manuscript biography which is now lost Notman studied at 'The School of Arts' probably the Watt Institution one since there is no record of him in the Trustees' Academy Records. While the same biography does not mention Playfair by name, it records that Notman was engaged on 'erecting a castle in the Highlands of Scotland, and afterward… a similar work in the north of Ireland' indicating that he was in the employment of William Henry Playfair as the latter can only refer to Drumbanagher built in 1829-30. Notman and his sister Margaret sailed for America from London in 1831 and arrived in Philadelphia in the autumn. He appears to have been employed as a carpenter at that point, and on 8 February 1832 he applied for American citizenship. He returned to Edinburgh in 1833 or 1834 to bring back his mother, his brother Peter and his sisters Mary and Jane. He was still a carpenter in the Philadelphia directory of 1841 although he had in fact commenced architectural practice designing the Library Company of Philadelphia building and Laurel Hill Cemetery in 1835. In 1841 he married Martha Pullin and moved the family house at 184 South 11th Street to 1430 Spruce Street, which was to be their home until their deaths.

Notman's work in the USA has a markedly Playfair-inspired character. Echoes of Playfair's work at Edinburgh University and of Drumbanagher will be found in his scheme for the Philadelphia Athenaeum; Dunphail in the drawing for a closely similar unidentified villa and in the pyramid roofs of the New Jersey Asylum; and of Donaldson's Hospital in his scheme for the Smithsonian Institute. Other Italianate domestic designs such as Ellarslie relates to such models as Playfair's Dalcrue and his Tudor Gothic design for the Henry Pratt McKean House at Germantown to Playfair's Lurgan.

Notham died in Philadelphia on 3 March 1865 and was buried at Laurel Hill. His wife Martha died in October 1870.

Bio Notes continued...

Additional Notes

The following private or business addresses are associated with this person:

Private Addresses2 classic

Address	Class	Notes
Fernieside Liberton? Edinburgh Scotland	Private	Place of birth
184 South 11th Street Philadelphia Pennsylvania United States of America	Private
1430 Spruce Street Philadelphia Pennsylvania United States of America	Private

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The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this person (click on an item to view details):

Employers2 classic

Name	Name Link	Date From	Date To	Position	Notes
William Henry Playfair	100290	In year 1829		Assistant

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This person was involved with the following buildings or structures from the date specified (click on an item to view details):

Buildings and Designs2 classic

Building Name	Date Started	Town, District or Village	City or County	Country	Notes
Drumbanagher House	In year 1829		County Armagh	Northern Ireland	Assisted Playfair
Library Company of Philadelphia Company Building	In year 1835	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	United States of America
Laurel Hill Cemetery	In year 1835	Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	United States of America
Philadelphia Athenaeum		Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	United States of America	Design
Unidentified Villa		Philadelphia	Pennsylvania	United States of America
New Jersey Asylum			New Jersey	United States of America
Smithsonian Institute			Washington, DC	United States of America	Scheme echoing Playfair's Donaldson's Hospital
Ellarslie			Pennsylvania?	United States of America
Henry Pratt McKean House		Germantown	Pennsylvania	United States of America

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The following books contain references to this person:

Bib ref classic

Author	Title	Date	Publisher	Part	Notes
Grieff, Constance M	John Notman Architect	1979	Philadelphia, 1979

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Basic Biographic Details

Addresses

Private Addresses

Private Addresses2 classic

Employment and Training

Employers2 classic

Buildings and Designs

Buildings and Designs2 classic

References

Bibliographic References

Bib ref classic