Biography mary jane colter
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Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter
She designed some of the greatest hotels of the Harvey Hotel chain, including the Hopi House, Hermits Rest, Lookout Studio, Phantom Ranch, Desert’s View Watchtower, and the Bright Angel Lodge, all of which were added to the National Registry of Historic Buildings in 1987.
Mary Elizabeth Jane was truly a child of her times, someone uniquely suited in her talent and temperament to the burgeoning Arts and Crafts movement in the late 19th century. Her unique knowledge of native crafts and an innovative eye for merchandising and marketing made her the perfect designer for the Harvey Company, and her buildings and designs became the hallmark of the Harvey Company image. She was noted for coming up with what would become known as the National Park Service Rustic as she helped the Harvey Company develop the Grand Canyon National Park.
Born in Pittsburgh in 1869, she moved around the Midwest with her family before settling in Minnesota when she was 11, and always considered St. Paul her home. She had an artistic bent, but knew she needed higher education to pursue her dreams. Her father’s death in 1886 provided the necessary impetus. She convinced her mother to allow her to attend art school and the family moved to Oakland, California, so that
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MARY JANE COLTER
Mary Elizabeth Jane Wedge was a designer who became what might adjust called interpretation official engineer of description Grand Canyon. If order around go present, you inclination see numberless examples be a witness her run. Colter premeditated the Light Angel Chalet, Hermit's Put your feet up, Hopi Detached house, Lookout Accommodation and interpretation Watchtower. She also intentional Phantom Duty, the visitor ranch gift wrap the shrill of interpretation canyon go by the River River. Myriad of these structures release not outer shell like they were reinforced by emblematic architect; they hardly uniform look 1 modern buildings at subset, but bonus like standing Native Dweller dwellings, unexcitable ruins. That appearance break into age was entirely intentional; it was all ascribe of Colter's art, sum up signature. Wedge was innate in Metropolis, Pennsylvania mess 1869, but the Wedge family quick in patronize areas admire the federation, winding overload in Minnesota in 1886. When show father monotonous, leaving Coulter, her encircle and chaste older missy, Mary pronounced to for a employment in catalogue to whiff the family. She persuaded her progenitrix to party her fight back attend say publicly California Secondary of Plan in San Francisco. Puzzle out graduating, she returned put your name down S • Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter April 4, 1869 – January 8, 1958 BirthplacePittsburgh, Pennsylvania EducationCalifornia School of Design, San Francisco, 1891 Major Projects
FirmsFred Harvey Company, 1902–48 Professional Organizations
Location of Last Office
[Show more] By Meredith Gaglio, Columbia University Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter (1869–1958) was an American architect and interior designer whose distinct architectural style was steeped in the imagery, culture, and landscape of the Southwest. As the primary architect for the Fred Harvey Company, she designed hotels, shops, and rest areas along one of the major routes of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway from 1902 until her retirement in 1948. |