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Male, US, born 1861-12-20, died 1934-02-28
Associated with the firm network
Palmer, Hornbostel and Jones, Architects
Résumé
George Carnegie Palmer worked with a group of associates--George E. Wood (dates unknown), Henry Hornbostel (1867-1961), Sullivan W. Jones (1878-1955), Samuel E. Plonsky (born 11/15/1876 in New York, NY)--who formed and reformed in different combinations between 1890-1925. Precise dating of the firms' formation and dissolution is tricky. George C. Palmer (1862-1925) began independent architectural practice around 1890; Partner, Wood and Palmer, Architects, New York, NY, c. 1890-1900. Wood and Palmer exhibited a line drawing in the 8th Annual Exhibition of the Architectural League of New York in 01/1893. According to architectural historian Walter C. Kidney, Palmer worked in a New York partnership with Russel P. Cooke in 1894-1895. (See Walter C. Kidney, Henry Hornbostel: An Architect's Master Touch, [Pittsburgh, PA and Lanham, MD: Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation in cooperation with Roberts Rinehart Publishers, 2002], p. 229.)
Partner, Hornbostel, Palmer and Wood, New York, NY, c. 1897-1898 and 1901; Partner, Palmer and Hornbostel, Architects, New York, NY, and Pittsburgh, PA, c. 1899-1909, c. 1918-1922. Around 1908, he associated with Henry Hornbostel and Sullivan W. Jones to form Palmer, Hornbostel and Jones, Architects, a firm that operated in various cities (New York, NY, Oakland, CA, Albany, NY and Atlanta, GA) between 1908-1919. Palmer and his partners competed for commissions nationally, gaining particular skill in designing governmental buildings and universities. Palmer, Hornbostel and Jones created plans for city halls in Oakland, CA (1911-1914) and Wilmington, DE, (1914-1917), as well as the City of Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Building, Pittsburgh, PA, ([1915-1917] designed with Edward B. Lee). Palmer, Hornbostel and Jones also designed a number of buildings on the Emory University Campus, Atlanta, GA, from 1914-1919.
Partner, Palmer and [Samuel E.] Plonsky, Architects, New York, NY, c. 1923-1934. Samuel Plonsky was an unnamed partner in the firm by the mid-1910s, whose name was misspelled "Plonskey" in the title of the firm's catalog of works: [Reproductions of the Work of] George C. Palmer, Sullivan W. Jones, Henry Hornbostel, Samuel E. Plonskey [sic], 1896-1916, (New York: Architectural Catalog Company, 1916). At a time when white Anglo-Saxon Protestant men controlled virtually all of the premier architectural firms in New York, it is likely that Plonsky long remained an uncredited partner because he was a Jew of Russian-Polish heritage. Plonsky graduated from the City College of New York with an A.B. in 1896, and earned a B.S. from Columbia University in 1900. (See Officers and Graduates of Columbia University from the Foundation of King's College in 1754, XVI Edition, "Graduates in Fine Arts, 1900-1902," p. 785.)
Member, Architectural League of New York, 1895-1934.
College
Bachelor's degree, Columbia University, New York, NY, 1883.
Relocation
George Carnegie Palmer was born in NY during the month of December 1861, and raised in affluent conditions in Manhattan. A nineteen-year-old George lived with his family (and two servants) at 576 Madison Avenue. At the turn of the century, George, Helen and their three young daughters lived in a comfortable Greenwich Village neighborhood at 48 West 9th Street along with three young European servants/nurses. According to the US Census of 1910, he and his family lived at 65 Miller Road, Morristown, NJ, and retained two servants, Mary Manning (born c. 1881 in NJ) and Mary Hunt (born c. 1864 in Ireland). In 1920, Palmer lived in a house at 71 Miller Road (perhaps the same as the one reported in 1910, renumbered), with his three daughters and Mary Hunt. He and Mary Hunt continued to live here ten years later, although all three of his daughters had moved out of the house. In 1930, the house had an estimated value of $11,000. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Morristown, Morris, New Jersey; Roll: 1374; Page: 5A; Enumeration District: 0051; Image: 400.0; FHL microfilm: 2341109, accessed 08/11/2016.) He died in Morristown on 02/28/1934.
Parents
His parents were Nicholas F. Palmer (born 08/15/1813 in New York, NY), a banker, and Sarah Parker Palmer (born c. 1825 in NY), a housewife. US Censuses vary as to the names of Palmer's siblings; those listed in the 1860 iteration included: Moses (born c. 1844 in NY), Nathan F. (born c. 1846 in NY), Marcus (born c. 1847), Mary E. (born c. 1849 in NY), Samuel (born c. 1851 in NY), Frank (born c. 1854 in NY), Charles (born c. 1856 in NY), and Maria D. Palmer (born c. 1836 in NY). Maria was placed last in the list and may have been a niece or other relative. The 1870 Census identified: M.P. (male, born c. 1844 in NY), N.F. (male, birth date unreadable in NY), M.C. (male, born c. 1848 in NY), M.E. (female, born c. 1849 in NY), S.D. (male, born c. 1850 in NY), F.H. (male, born c. 1854 in NY), C.W. (male, born c. 1859 in NY), G.C. (male, born c. 1861 in NY). The 1880 record reported: Miln P. (born c. 1846 in NY), Miles B. (born c. 1849 in NY), Mary E. (born c. 1853 in NY), Frederick N. (born c. 1855 in NY) and Charles W. (born c. 1858 in NY). "Miln," like his father, worked as a banker in 1880, Miles, a merchant, and Frederick, a stock broker. At George's death, only Charles survived him.
Spouse
He married Helen Campbell Palmer (1856-1918) c. 1892. Helen died between 1900-1910, leaving George a widower for the remainder of his life.
Children
With his wife, Palmer had four children, three of whom survived infancy: Helen C. (born 10/1895 in NY), Sarah S. (born 1897 in NY) and Georgiana K. (born 07/1899 in NY).
Biographical Notes
President, Morristown Club, Morristown, NJ; Palmer served as President for 25 years. Member, Morris County Golf Club, Morristown, NJ; Member Saint Anthony Club, New York, NY. Director, Morristown Trust Company, Morristown, NJ; Director, Morris County Savings Bank, Morristown, NJ. Palmer sailed home to New York from Hamilton, Bermuda, in 02/1929 and 06/1932.
PCAD id: 2087
| Name | Date | City | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of Oakland, City Hall #5, Oakland, CA | 1912-1914 | Oakland | CA |
