18 Jan a pictorial survey of john edelmann-designed architectural ornament housed in the bldg. 51 museum collection
john h. edelmann (1852–1900) was a socialist-anarchist who worked as an architect in the office of alfred zucker, a successful commercial architect of the 1880s and 1890s in new york city. as an architect, edelmann’s sole surviving monument is the former headquarters of the decker brothers piano company, the decker building (1893), at 33 union square west, new york. louis sullivan was influenced by his work with edelmann and credits edelmann’s concept of “suppressed function” with the inspiration for his maxim, “form follows function,” a watchword of modernism
before coming to new york, edelmann had worked as a draughtsman for the chicago architects william lebaron jenney and dankmar adler. it was edelmann who introduced the young louis sullivan to adler, with whom he formed a partnership.
note: captions for ornament will be provided when time permits.
