A pleasing tribute to the memory of Christopher Wren is
to be paid by the Architectural League of New York. When the Royal Institute of British Architects does homage to Wren on Monday next, February 26th, the two hundredth anniversary of his death, at St. Paul's, a wreath will be laid on his tomb by an Attaché from the American Embassy on behalf of the Architectural League of New York. Mr. Alfred C. Bossom, the chairman of the committee, writes to me as follows :- " The only style of architecture which is looked upon more or less as the national development here is the Colonial style of archi- tecture, which is very largely the development from the work of Sir Christopher Wren, and some of our most beautiful buildings have been inspired by his works. Independence Hall in Phila- delphia, where the great step was made in making this an inde- pendent country, was inspired entirely by his motive. St. Paul's Church in New York is supposed to be either his design, or so nearly so that he is entitled to full credit for the same, due to the inspiration he gave for it. The Virginia colonial architecture is almost exclusively of Wren character, and at the present day it is a combination of his work with an Italian spirit that is prevailing still in probably ninety per cent. of our buildings."
Previous page
