Russell Sturgis, Jr. (1836-1909)
Architect, Art Critic & Co-Founder of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
He was born at Chantilly, Baltimore County, Delaware, and was brought up at the family's primary home in New York City. He graduated from the City College of New York (1856) and studied architecture under Leopold Eidlitz before travelling in Europe from 1858 to 1862, continuing his studies for a period in Munich. Returning to America he began his career as an architect primarily in New York and Connecticut and designed four buildings at Yale (Farnham Hall, Durfee Hall, Battell Chapel, and Lawrance Hall). But, it was as a commentator and a critic on architecture that he became better known. He authored and edited numerous books and articles, and was active in many professional and artistic organizations including the American Institute of Architects and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He received an honorary degree from Yale (1872) and was Professor of Architecture at City College (1878-1880). He lived in New York City and in 1864 married Sarah, daughter of Danford N. Barney, and had 7-children.
