John Mervin Carrere (1858-3/1/1911) New York, New York (F.A.I.A.)

A distinguished American architect, in practice twenty-five years as partner in the nationally known firm of Carrere & Hastings.

He was born in Rio De Janeiro, the son of John Carrere of Baltimore, a coffer merchant, and descendant on his father's side of a French family which settled in Baltimore during the late eighteenth century. The youth was educated in Europe, and while a student at the Institute Breitenstein in Switzerland spent his vacation at Dieppe, France, at the home of his paternal grandmother. The careful drawings he made of the old house was evidence of the boy's interest in architecture, and later at the age of twenty, he passed the examination to enter the Ecole des Beaus Arts in Paris. Awarded his diploma in 1882, he left France to begin a professional career in New York and in the following year entered McKim, Mead & White's office. Another Beaux Arts student, Thomas Hastings, whom Carrere had known in Paris was a draftsman in the office and within a few months the two young men decided to begin architectural practice together.

Under the firm name of Carrere & Hastings they established an office in 1884, and shortly after Henry M. Flagler, American capitalist who was interest in the development of property on Florida's east coast, became their client. For him they designed a number of buildings in St. Augustine including the Hotel Ponce de Leon, the Alcazar Hotel, and the Flagler Memorial Presbyterian Church, all completed before 1890, and designed in a modified form of Spanish Renaissance.

With an auspicious start, the partners continued a successful career through the following years, designing carious public buildings in many different cities and distinctive private homes and large country estates for wealthy clients. Among their early achievements were the Congregational Church in Providence, Rhode Island, 1891; Hotel Laurel-in-the-Pines at Lakewood, New Jersey, in French Renaissance style; Life Building at 17 West 31st Street, New York, 1893; Jefferson Hotel at Richmond, Virginia; City Hall, Paterson, New Jersey; the R.B. Townsend home, Massachusetts Avenue, Washington; the New York main Public Library won in a competition in 1897 and after a long delay opened to the public in 1911; residence for Mrs. Richard Gambrill at Newport, Rhode Island, 1897; Bellefontaine, estate of Giraud Foster in Lenox, Massachusetts, 1897; the Blairsden estate in Peapack, New Jersey, 1898; the great Agriculture Building for the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, 1898-1904; the First Church of Christ Scientist in New York, 96th Street and Central Park West, 1898; Whitehall, the Flagler estate at Palm Beach, Florida, 1901.

In 1901, Mr. Carrere was appointed Chief Architect and Chairman of the Board of Architects for the Pan American Exposition of Buffalo. The firm, however, designed only the Memorial Bridge, gardens and certain decorative features. As time went on, Mr. Carrere's work was more frequently inspired by the French Renaissance, his favorite architectural style. Following the turn of the century the firm was awarded many important commissions, outstanding examples of which were Richmond Borough Hall, New York, 1903-1907; residence of the Hon. Elihu Root at 733 Park Avenue, New York, 1903; Goldwin-Smith Hall at Cornell University; the Palatial home of Murray Guggenheim at Elverson, New Jersey, 1903, awarded the A.I.A. Gold Medal of that year' St. George's Terminal Ferry, Staten Island, 1904; Webb Horton Memorial Presbyterian Church, Middletown, New York; Traders' Bank in Toronto, Canada, 1905; House and Senate Office Buildings at Washington, the firm's greatest achievement, completed 1905 and 1906 respectively; the magnificent approaches and the great arch of Manhattan Bridge, new York, 1905; Wolsey Hall and Memorial Hall at Yale University, 1906; Administration Building, Carnegie Institute, Washington; the Royal Bank of Canada at Montreal, 1906; the New Theatre (the Century), Central Park West and 62nd, 63rd Street; the William K. Vanderbilt estate, Great Neck, Long Island; and his last public work, the new City Hall at Portland, Maine, designed in collaboration with the late John C. Stevens of the city.

A figure of national eminence in the architectural profession, Mr. Carrere had been for many years a member, and in 1891, was elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects, also served four years on the National Board of Directors. In addition to his practice, he was interested in Art in its broadest sense, and was affiliated with most of the professional and cultural organizations in New York. An active member and twice elected president of the New York Chapter, A.I.A., member of the Architectural League and the Beaux Arts Society of Architects, a co-founder and past-president of the latter, he also helped organize the New York Art Commission and the Federation of Fine Arts. In addition, he was chosen a member of the Academy of Arts and Letters, served as Director and one time Instructor at the American Academy in Rome, and was elected to the National Academy of Design, an honor he prized highly.

For many years Mr. Carrere maintained a home on Staten Island, but later in life he moved to New York. Injured fatally in an automobile accident on February 12th, 1911, his death at the height of his career, was a great loss to the profession.