Revealsnewandpreviouslyunknownbiographicalmaterialaboutanimportantfigureinnineteenth-centuryAmericanarchitectureandmusic.JacobWreyMouldisnotanamethatreadilycomestomindwhenwethinkofNewYorkCityarchi-tecture.Yethewasone-thirdofthepartyresponsiblefortheearlydevelopmentofthecity’sCentralPark.Tothisday,hissculpturalreliefs,tilework,andstructuresintheParkenthrallvisitors.MouldintroducedHighVictorianarchitecturetoNYC,hisfingerprintmostpronouncedinhisstrikingandcolorfulornamentaldesignsandbeautifulembellishmentsfoundinthecarveddecorationsandmosaicsattheBethesdaTerrace.ResurfacingtheforgottencontributionsofMould,HellonColor,SweetonSongpresentsastudyofthisnineteenth-centuryAmericanarchitectandmusicalgenius.JacobWreyMould,whosepersonalhistoryincludedatietoAfrica,wasborninLondonin1825andtrainedthereasanarchitectbeforemovingtoNewYorkin1852.Thefollowingyear,hereceivedthecommissiontodesignAllSoulsUnitarianChurch.Nicknamed“theChurchoftheHolyZebra,“itwasthefirstbuildinginAmericatodisplaythemixofcolorfulmaterialsandmedievalItalianinspira-tionthatwascharacteristicofHighVictorianGothicarchitecture.Inadditiontobeinganarchitectanddesigner,Mouldwasanaccomplishedmusicianandprolifictranslatorofoperalibrettos.YetanxietyovermoneyandresentmentoverlackofappreciationofhistalentssouredMould’sspirit.Unsystematic,impractical,andimmunefrommaturity,hedisplayedasingularindifferencetotherealitiesofarchitectureasacommercialenterprise.Despitehispersonalshortcomings,heinfluencedthedesignofsomeofNYC’sreveredlandmarks,includingSheepfold,theMetropolitanMuseumofArt,theAmericanMuseumofNaturalHistory,theCityHallParkfountain,andtheMorningsideParkpromenade.From1875to1879,heworkedforHenryMeiggs,the“YankeePizarro,“inLima,Peru.RestingonthefoundationofCentralParkdocentLucilleGordon’sheroiceffortstoraisefromobscurityoneofthegeniusesofAmericanarchitectureandasignificantcontributortotheworldofmusicinhistime,HellonColor,SweetonSongshedsnewlightonaforgottengeniusofAmericanarchitectureandmusic.Fundingforthisbookwasprovidedby:Furthermore:aprogramoftheJ.M.KaplanFund
