John Adam Street [Adelphi development] (London, England) : Number 8 John Adam Street (Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), entry

Creator:

Adam, John, 1721-1792
Adam, Robert, 1728-1792

Published/Created:

London, England, United Kingdom
1768-1772

Date Depicted:

1700 AD - 1799 AD

Materials:

brick; stone; Liardet’s cement

Notes:

Adam House (7-10 John Adam Street) is part of the Adelphi development designed in 1768-1772 by brothers Robert and John Adam. In addition to individual town houses, Robert Adam engaged in a number of urban-planning schemes. He often introduced varied shapes, including squares, crescents and circuses, although his long terraces of juxtaposed houses or unified façades on the sides of a square were more common. For these, he took the principles of his individual town-house compositions and adapted them to large and more complex groupings, often applying the delicate ornamentation in Liardet’s cement. The grandest of Adam’s schemes was the Adelphi, built on leased land between the Strand and the Thames. He embanked the Thames, raising the Royal Terrace’s houses (destroyed) above vaulted warehouses that he hoped the Government would lease. For this, and for the rest of this H-shaped development, he employed his favourite decorative elements, but in a composition without an obvious central emphasis. Though aesthetically satisfying, the Adelphi was a failure financially for the brothers.

Topics:

Architecture -- Britain -- 18th century -- (YVRC)

Period/Style:

Neoclassical

Culture:

British

Accession Number:

1A1-AJ-JA-B2

Genre:

architecture (AAT)

Format:

Image

Content Type:

Sculptures, Models, & Architecture

Rights:

Copyright Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc
The use of this image may be subject to the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) or to site license or other rights management terms and conditions. The person using the image is liable for any infringement.

Access Restrictions:

Yale Community Only

Digital:

architecture; cityscape; City planning Neoclassical; Nineteenth century buildings; dwellings; multiple dwellings; row houses; complexes; housing projects; open spaces; roads; streets

Source Creator:

Gilchrist, Scott

Source Title:

Archivision Addition Module Five

Source Created:

2878 Chamonix, Montreal QC
Archivision, Inc.

Source Note:

Purchase, Visual Resources Collection, May, 2011; photographer Scott Gilchrist

Yale Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Digital Collection:

Visual Resources Collection

Local Record Number:

4090

OID:

10050177

PID:

digcoll:1866024