M A R I O N E P P L E Y H O U S E , O Y S T E R B AY, N E W Y O R K
William Lawrence Bottomley wrote and was
Bottomley died on February 1, 1951, after a
written about. In 1934 he received the Apartment
series of small strokes, with the sense that he had
House Medal of the New York Chapter of the
been typed as an eclectic, hence irrelevant in the
American Institute of Architects and the Silver
modernist world of architecture. The day after his
Medal of Honor of the Architectural League of
death, a tribute to him that appeared in the New
New York for “masterly accomplishments in the
York Herald Tribune said:
preservation of a precious phase of our architectural heritage and the skillful keeping alive of this
If architecture be the mother of the arts, then, in
noble style in the solutions of modern problems,” in
the passing of William Lawrence Bottomley, she
his restorations of historic Virginia houses and as
has lost one of her true sons; for, to him, archi-
the editor of Great Georgian Houses of America.
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tecture was truly an art . . . All who know him
He was one of 19 architects in the United States to
will sorely miss this gallant, gifted, loyal and
be elevated to a fellowship in the American
inspiring friend.52
Institute of Architects (AIA) in 1944 “for his achievements in the field of residential architec-
Now, over half a century later, Bottomley con-
ture.” The AIA stated that “many examples of
tinues to be recognized as a great architect. His
buildings designed by him and carried out under
buildings are cherished by those who live and work
his direction show uncommon understanding of the
in them, not only in Virginia, but also from Maine to
problems of planning, selection of materials and
Florida to Texas, a fact established by the degree of
relation to surroundings, which has resulted in work
care taken by owners and institutions to respect,
of high merit.”
preserve, and honor his work. It is rare to see
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I N T R O D U C T I O N ~ 37