The brothers David Jardine (July 1, 1840 – June 4, 1892) and John Jardine (1838 – June 23, 1920) were Scottish-born American architects in practice in New York City. After immigrating to the United States in 1850, David Jardine opened an office in 1855. In 1865 he and brother John Jardine formed the partnership of D. & J. Jardine, which would become "one of the more prominent, prolific and versatile architectural firms in the city in the second half of the 19th century".Landmarks Preservation Commission: The Wilbraham, 2004; this document has an extended list of commissions. After the death of David Jardine, the firm was continued by his brothers and their partners under the names Jardine, Kent & Jardine, Jardine, Kent & Hill, Jardine, Hill & Murdock and Jardine, Murdock & Wright. It was dissolved , after about 86 years of continuous practice.
History The Jardine brothers were born near Whithorn, Wigtownshire, Scotland, to Archibald Jardine, an architect and builder, and were trained by him. David Jardine was the first to immigrate to the United States in 1850. In 1855 he opened an architect's office of his own in New York City. For a few years before the American Civil War he worked in partnership with Edward G. Thompson under the name Jardine & Thompson. During the war John Jardine immigrated. He spent the war designing several monitors and gunboats for the Union Army. The brothers formed their partnership in 1865. They were joined in 1872 by J. H. Van Norden and in 1884 by a third brother, George E. Jardine, as unnamed partners."D. & J. Jardine, architects, no. 1262 Broadway" in History and Commerce of New York, 2nd ed. (New York: American Publishing and Engraving Company, 1891): 113. David died in June 1892 at the age of 51.https://www.newspapers.com/clip/95909014/the-new-york-times/ “The New York Times”, (New York, New York), 02 Jun 1892, page 5 John and George, with William W. Kent, reorganized the firm as Jardine, Kent & Jardine. Kent had previously been associated with Henry Hobson Richardson and Heins & LaFarge and had practiced in Buffalo with his brother, Edward Austin Kent. George died in 1902 at the age of 51, though the name of the firm was not changed."Obituary" in Inland Architect and News Record 40, no. 4 (November 1902): 35.
All three Jardine brothers were members of the Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York. John Jardine served as second vice president for 1898 and as first vice president for 1899, the first year of Andrew Carnegie's presidency. This connection to Carnegie may explain how Jardine, Kent & Jardine was commissioned to design Carnegie libraries in Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington.
In 1909 John and Kent were joined by Clinton Murdock Hill, an architect who had previously been a partner in the Boston firms of Bacon & Hill and Hill & James. The work of the latter includes Aigremont (1907), a country house in Winchester, Massachusetts. In December 1910 they were joined by his cousin, Harris Hunnewell Murdock, a Harvard graduate and a former director and vice president of the Library Bureau. In 1911 the firm was renamed Jardine, Kent & Hill to reflect Hill's partnership."Art and architecture" in Architects' and Builders' Magazine (1911): 22. That firm was active in the rebuilding of downtown Bangor, Kent's hometown, after its Great Fire. Kent retired from practice in 1912 and the firm was renamed Jardine, Hill & Murdock."Harris Hunnewell Murdock" in Harvard College Class of 1901: Secretary's Fourth Report (Cambridge: Crimson Printing Company, printers, 1916): 313. In 1920 John Jardine committed suicide. He had suffered from depression and had not been active in the firm for some time."John Jardine a suicide", The New York Times, 24 June 1920. This left designer Hill and business manager Murdock as the sole surviving partners. Hill died in 1930,"Clinton M. Hill 1873–1930" in Architecture 62, no. 5 (November 1930): 41. and the firm was renamed Jardine, Murdock & Wright to include William H. Wright. In 1932 Joseph V. McKee, acting mayor of New York City, appointed Murdock chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals. The duties of his new position soon obligated his retirement from professional practice. The firm continued under Wright until at least 1941."New store group in Forest Hills," New York Times, November 11, 1941. Murdock continued as chair of the Board of Standards and Appeals until his death in 1959, having been reappointed by succeeding city administrations."Harris H. Murdock dies," in Empire State Architect 19, no. 4 (July–August 1959): 46. In 1943 he had been elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in recognition of his public service. He was the only principal of the firm to receive the honor.
Legacy At least six works by the Jardine firm have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, four of which have also been designated New York City Landmarks. Two additional works are solely New York City Landmarks.
The papers of John Jardine and his son, John E. Jardine, are conserved at the North Baker Research Library of the California Historical Society.Guide to the John E. Jardine Papers, 1893-1941
Buildings D. & J. Jardine, 1865–1892 1865 – Loft building, 71 Thomas St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 70. 1866 – Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, 8 W 46th St, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 184. Built for what is now the Riverside Church congregation. Demolished. 1867 – Loft building, 540 Broadway, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 113. 1870 – Office building, 319 Broadway, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 83. A New York City Landmark. 1872 – Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, 506 Madison Ave, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 135. Demolished. 1873 – Henry Knickerbocker house, 1 E 64th St, New York Cityformer house of Henry KnickerbockerOwners of Fifth Avenue Mansions in 1898 Later owned by George Crocker, and remodeled for him circa 1899 by Brite & Bacon. Demolished. 1873 – Temple Beth-El, Lexington Ave and E 63rd St, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 21. Sold to Congregation Rodeph Sholom in 1891 and demolished in 1926. 1874 – Harlem Presbyterian Church, 43 E 125th St, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 150. Demolished. 1874 – Loft building, 678 Broadway, New York CityForgotten New York One of a pair of cast iron commercial structures for General Thomas Davies. 1877 – B. Altman and Company department store, 625 Sixth Ave, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 230. 1880 – Baumann Brothers Furniture and Carpets Store, 22-26 E 14th St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 234. A New York City Landmark. 1881 – Loft building, 478 W Broadway, New York City NRHP-listed, also a New York City Landmark. 1882 – Church of the Incarnation, Episcopal, reconstruction, 209 Madison Ave, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 280.David W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 111. 1883 – Cornell Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, 231 E 76th St, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 50. Demolished. 1883 – Emmanuel Baptist Church, 47 Suffolk St, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 63. Demolished. 1883 – Loft building, 150 Beekman St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 34. 1890 – The Wilbraham, 284 Fifth Ave, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 264. NRHP-listed, also a New York City Landmark.
Jardine, Kent & Jardine, 1892–1911 1896 – Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States branch office, 252 W 138th St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 545. 1903 – East Orange Public Library (former), 221 Freeway Dr E, East Orange, New JerseyBrickbuilder (March 1901): 55. A Carnegie library. 1903 – Easton Area Public Library, 515 Church St, Easton, PennsylvaniaCatalogue of the 18th Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York (1903) A Carnegie library. 1903 – Mankato Public Library and Reading Room (former), 120 S Broad St, Mankato, MinnesotaMankato Public Library and Reading Room NRHP documentation (1980) ** A Carnegie library, NRHP-listed. 1903 – Tacoma Public Library, 1102 Tacoma Ave, Tacoma, WashingtonImprovement Bulletin (August 17, 1901): 21. A Carnegie library. 1903 – Tenement house, 14 Christopher St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 177. 1904 – Van Tassell and Kearney Horse Auction Mart, 126-128 E 13th St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 163. NRHP-listed, also a New York City Landmark. 1908 – Elmer Darling estate, Burklyn Hall, Darling Hill Rd, Burke, VermontBurklyn Hall NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1973) NRHP-listed, also a contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Darling Estate Historic District.
Jardine, Kent & Hill, 1911–1912 1911 – Pearl Building, 8 Harlow St, Bangor, MaineGreat Fire of 1911 Historic District NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1984) A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Great Fire of 1911 Historic District. 1912 – American Jersey Cattle Club (former), 324 W 23rd St, New York City"The real estate field," New York Times, May 25, 1911. Built for the predecessor of the American Jersey Cattle Association, now based in Reynoldsburg, Ohio. 1912 – Bangor Railway and Electric Company substation, 144 Park St, Bangor, Maine A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Great Fire of 1911 Historic District.
Jardine, Hill & Murdock, 1912–1930 1912 – Bacon & Robinson Building, 15 State St, Bangor, Maine A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Great Fire of 1911 Historic District. 1915 – Harvard Crimson building, 14 Plympton St, Cambridge, MassachusettsDouglass Shand-Tucci, Harvard University: An Architectural Tour (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2001): 123. 1930 – The Sofia, 43 W 61st St, New York CityNorval White and Elliot Willensky with Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York City, 5th ed. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010): 353. NRHP-listed, also a New York City Landmark. 1931 – Calvary Baptist Church and Salisbury Hotel, 123 W 57th St, New York CityDavid W. Dunlap, From Abyssinian to Zion: A Guide to Manhattan's Houses of Worship (New York: Columbia University Press, 2004): 37.