Tile from New York Central Railroad Station, Rochester, New York
before 1913
4 3/4 x 6 x 7/8 in. (12.1 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm)
William H. Grueby
United States
(1867 - 1925)
Original artist
Claude Fayette Bragdon
United States
(Oberlin, OH, 1866 - 1946, New York, NY)
Architect
Object Type:
Ceramics
Medium and Support:
Ceramic
Credit Line:
Estates of Maurice R. and Maxine B. Forman
Accession Number:
1996.42
Location: Not currently on view
In 1909 Claude Bragdon received the commission for the New York Central Railroad Station in Rochester. Inspired by Louis Sullivan’s mantra, “form follows function,” Bragdon’s design for the exterior of the building was based on the wheels of a locomotive. The interior design incorporated geometric shapes with a freestyle treatment of a variety of historic styles. The New York Central Railroad Station, completed in 1913, was to be demolished in 1965. All that remains are the artist’s renderings, photographs, and tiles salvaged from the interior.
[Gallery label text, 2010]