Minard was an influential American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.
Minard was also a builder who was one of the fathers of the Greek Revival movement in America.
Trained as a carpenter in the Finger Lakes region of New York, to which his family had moved in his early childhood from his birthplace near Morristown, he was entirely self-taught architecturally. He preserved all his life something of the common sense practicality of his early training, and during at least the early part of his practice in New York. In 1828 he arrived in New York and worked as a draftsman for builders. It was hard and not very rewarding work.
Minard's New York architectural firm produced a wide range of buildings in a variety of styles, but his main emphasis was on Greek and Gothic Revivals.
A few of his commissions were Holy Trinity Church, (1844–7) and the Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Church, 1842–4), both in Brooklyn Heights. Also the Whalers' First Presbyterian Church, Sag Harbour, Long Island, (1843–4), Italianate and Renaissance styles. One of his last buildings was the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York, built in 1852. On a picture of the church is printed "Designed by Minard LeFever, the Sir Christopher Wren of America, and considered one of the most beautiful sanctuaries of the country".
He published many books on the subject,
The Young Builder's General Instructor, 1829
The Modern Builder's Guide, 1833
The Beauties of Modern Architecture, 1835
The Modern Practice of Staircase and Handrail Construction, 1838
The Architectural Instructor, 1856.
Minard was also a builder who was one of the fathers of the Greek Revival movement in America.
Trained as a carpenter in the Finger Lakes region of New York, to which his family had moved in his early childhood from his birthplace near Morristown, he was entirely self-taught architecturally. He preserved all his life something of the common sense practicality of his early training, and during at least the early part of his practice in New York. In 1828 he arrived in New York and worked as a draftsman for builders. It was hard and not very rewarding work.
Minard's New York architectural firm produced a wide range of buildings in a variety of styles, but his main emphasis was on Greek and Gothic Revivals.
A few of his commissions were Holy Trinity Church, (1844–7) and the Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Church, 1842–4), both in Brooklyn Heights. Also the Whalers' First Presbyterian Church, Sag Harbour, Long Island, (1843–4), Italianate and Renaissance styles. One of his last buildings was the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York, built in 1852. On a picture of the church is printed "Designed by Minard LeFever, the Sir Christopher Wren of America, and considered one of the most beautiful sanctuaries of the country".
He published many books on the subject,
The Young Builder's General Instructor, 1829
The Modern Builder's Guide, 1833
The Beauties of Modern Architecture, 1835
The Modern Practice of Staircase and Handrail Construction, 1838
The Architectural Instructor, 1856.
Minard was an influential American architect of churches and houses in the United States in the early nineteenth century.
Minard was also a builder who was one of the fathers of the Greek Revival movement in America.
Trained as a carpenter in the Finger Lakes region of New York, to which his family had moved in his early childhood from his birthplace near Morristown, he was entirely self-taught architecturally. He preserved all his life something of the common sense practicality of his early training, and during at least the early part of his practice in New York. In 1828 he arrived in New York and worked as a draftsman for builders. It was hard and not very rewarding work.
Minard's New York architectural firm produced a wide range of buildings in a variety of styles, but his main emphasis was on Greek and Gothic Revivals.
A few of his commissions were Holy Trinity Church, (1844–7) and the Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Church, 1842–4), both in Brooklyn Heights. Also the Whalers' First Presbyterian Church, Sag Harbour, Long Island, (1843–4), Italianate and Renaissance styles. One of his last buildings was the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York, built in 1852. On a picture of the church is printed "Designed by Minard LeFever, the Sir Christopher Wren of America, and considered one of the most beautiful sanctuaries of the country".
He published many books on the subject,
The Young Builder's General Instructor, 1829
The Modern Builder's Guide, 1833
The Beauties of Modern Architecture, 1835
The Modern Practice of Staircase and Handrail Construction, 1838
The Architectural Instructor, 1856.
Minard was also a builder who was one of the fathers of the Greek Revival movement in America.
Trained as a carpenter in the Finger Lakes region of New York, to which his family had moved in his early childhood from his birthplace near Morristown, he was entirely self-taught architecturally. He preserved all his life something of the common sense practicality of his early training, and during at least the early part of his practice in New York. In 1828 he arrived in New York and worked as a draftsman for builders. It was hard and not very rewarding work.
Minard's New York architectural firm produced a wide range of buildings in a variety of styles, but his main emphasis was on Greek and Gothic Revivals.
A few of his commissions were Holy Trinity Church, (1844–7) and the Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Church, 1842–4), both in Brooklyn Heights. Also the Whalers' First Presbyterian Church, Sag Harbour, Long Island, (1843–4), Italianate and Renaissance styles. One of his last buildings was the Old Dutch Church in Kingston, New York, built in 1852. On a picture of the church is printed "Designed by Minard LeFever, the Sir Christopher Wren of America, and considered one of the most beautiful sanctuaries of the country".
He published many books on the subject,
The Young Builder's General Instructor, 1829
The Modern Builder's Guide, 1833
The Beauties of Modern Architecture, 1835
The Modern Practice of Staircase and Handrail Construction, 1838
The Architectural Instructor, 1856.
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