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Maria Montessori

2026-07-21T20:16:44Z

SysopJ: /* Medical career */

[[File:Maria Montessori 1.jpg|right|330px|thumb|Maria Montessori]]
'''Dr. Maria Montessori''' ([[August 31]], 1870 - [[May 6]], 1952) was an Italian physician who developed ground-breaking methods for teaching children. Her acclaimed success beginning with the House of Children in Rome led to the rapid expansion of the Montessori Method throughout the world. For ten years she was a guest at the headquarters of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]], along with her son Mario. During that period she conducted courses for teachers all over South Asia, which has had a lasting impact on education there.

== Early life and education==

Maria Montessori was born on [[August 31]], 1870, in the provincial town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father was a financial manager for a state-run industry. With the support of her well-educated mother, Maria grew up with a love of learning.<ref>"Maria Montessori," [http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/History-of-Montessori-Education/Biography-of-Maria-Montessori Association Montessori Internationale web page].</ref> In 1883, when she was just thirteen, Maria was admitted to the Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti. Few girls entered such technical schools, with more opting to study classics instead.
<blockquote>
The technical system provided seven years of a modern curriculum. These schools offered a three-year course including French, arithmetic and bookkeeping, algebra and geometry, history, geography, and smattering of science. This was followed by the four-year course at the technical institute which offered modern languages - French, German, English - and mathematics, in addition to commercial subjects. Physics and chemistry were included but occupied a less important place in the curriculum.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography,'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 32.</ref>
</blockquote>

After completing this technical education with high scores, Montessori considered becoming an engineer, but decided instead to study medicine, which no Italian woman had done before. She enrolled in the University of Rome in the fall of 1890, and studied mathematics and sciences, Latin and Italian. In the spring of 1892 she passed her examinations and received the "Diploma di licenza" that indicated she was qualified to study medicine. After many obstacles, and with her mother's support, she was permitted to begin the program consisting of six years of study and clinical work.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography,'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 34-35.</ref> Despite many obstacles, including her father's disapproval, she succeeded in becoming a physician in 1896.<ref>E. M. Standing, ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work,'' (New York: Penguin Group, 1998) 27.</ref>

Her only child, '''Mario Montessori''', was born on March 31, 1898, as the product of a secret love affair with another doctor. He was placed with a foster family for a few years, but was reunited with his mother in his teenage years and worked with her throughout most of her career.

== Medical career ==

After becoming a physician, Dr. Montessori continued research in the University's psychiatric clinic, visiting asylums in Rome. She observed children with mental challenges, leading her to read the works of educational theorists Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Édouard Séguin and other major pedagogical works from the previous 200 years.

In 1900 she became director of the Scuola Magistrale Ortofrenica, or Orthophrenic School, for developmentally challenged children. It was an institute for training teachers to deal with children with special needs, and included a laboratory classroom. Teachers studied psychology, anatomy, and physiology of the nervous system; physical anthropology; and instructional methods best suited for "disabled" children. Methods and manipulative materials developed there were later put to use in classrooms of "normal" children.
<blockquote>
Montessori began to conceptualize her own method of applying their educational theories, which she tested through hands-on scientific observation of students at the Orthophrenic School. Montessori found the resulting improvement in students' development remarkable. She spread her research findings in speeches throughout Europe, also using her platform to advocate for women's and children's rights.<ref>"Maria Montessori," [http://www.biography.com/people/maria-montessori-9412528#early-childhood-education-research Biography.com].</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:San Lorenzo.jpg|320px|thumb|Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo, 1907]]

== First House of Children ==

The first '''Casa dei Bambini''' (House of Children) was opened in Rome on [[January 6]], 1907, after a group of bankers asked Dr. Montessori to find a way to occupy the children of poor families in a San Lorenzo tenement. During a chronic housing shortage in Rome, thousands of people crowded into abandoned buildings in the San Lorenzo district. Bankers attempting to renovate the buildings wanted to find a way to handle about 50 wild, uneducated children who were being left unsupervised while their parents worked.
<blockquote>
One room was set aside for this purpose, resembling in every way a children's prison. It was hoped that a person would be found with enough social courage to tackle the problem.
 
 
I in my capacity of medical officer of hygiene was approached to take an interest in the work. Having considered the situation I demanded that at least the commonest aids in hygiene, food and sanitation be made available.<ref>Maria Montessori, "How It All Happened," 1942. See "Dr. Montessori Writes of San Lorenzo 1907" on [http://m.montessoriteacherscollective.com/montessori-lectures Montessori Teachers Collective web page].</ref>
</blockquote>
While a room and some large, rough tables had been provided, no one had thought of toys or teachers. Dr. Montessori found a woman to take charge, and enlisted the interest of some society ladies to collect funds. About 50 children, 2-6 years of age, were present on the opening day. They were frightened and crying at the strange surroundings and people.

<blockquote>
I brought them some of the materials which had been used for our work in experimental psychology, the items which we use today as sensorial material and materials for the exercises of practical life. I merely wanted to study the children's reactions. I asked the woman in charge not to interfere with them in any way as otherwise I would not be able to observe them, Some one brought them paper and coloured pencils but in itself this was not the explanation of the further events...
 
 
The children were quiet, they had no interference either from the teacher or from the parents, but their environment contrasted vividly from that which they had been used to; compared to that of their previous life; it seemed fantastically beautiful. The walls were white, there was a green plot of grass outside, though no one had yet thought to plant flowers in it, but most beautiful of all was the fact that they had interesting occupations in which no one, no one at all, interfered. They were left alone and little by little the children began to work with concentration and the transformation they underwent, was noticeable. From timid and wild as they were before, the children became sociable and communicative. They showed a different relationship with each other, of which I have written in my books. Their personalities grew and, strange though it may seem, they showed extraordinary understanding, activity, vivacity and confidence. They were happy and joyous.
 
 
But the most outstanding thing about these strange children of the St. Lawrence Quarter was their obvious gratitude. I was as much surprised by this as everyone else. When I entered the room all the children sprang to greet me and cried their welcome. Nobody had taught them any manner of good behaviour. And the strangest thing of all was that although nobody had cared for them physically, they flourished in health as if they had been secretly fed on some nourishing food, And so they had, but in their spirit. These children began to notice things in their homes, a spot of dirt on their mother's dress, untidiness in the room. They told their mothers not to hang the washing in the windows but to put flowers there instead. Their influence spread into the homes, so that after a while also these became transformed.<ref>Maria Montessori, "How It All Happened," 1942. See "Dr. Montessori Writes of San Lorenzo 1907" on [http://m.montessoriteacherscollective.com/montessori-lectures Montessori Teachers Collective web page].</ref>
</blockquote>

After a few months, the mothers asked Dr. Montessori to teach their children to read and write. She was a physician, scientist, and experimental psychologist, rather than a teacher, and at first was reluctant to tackle the issue of illiteracy. She felt that the children were too young. However, she presented the alphabet: "As then it was something new for me also, I analysed the words for them and showed that each sound of the words had a symbol by which it could be materialised. It was then that the explosion into writing occurred."<ref>Maria Montessori, "How It All Happened," 1942. See "Dr. Montessori Writes of San Lorenzo 1907" on [http://m.montessoriteacherscollective.com/montessori-lectures Montessori Teachers Collective web page].</ref>

The Montessori Method evolved from these beginnings. Dr. Montessori found that children loved repetition, loved order and silence, and exhibited amazing powers of concentration. They thrived in a system with free choice of activities, preferring work to play. Rewards and punishments were unnecessary, as the children exhibited self-discipline. They developed skills in reading and writing at a much younger age than educational theory of the time would expect.<ref>E. M. Standing, ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work,'' (New York: Penguin Group, 1998) 40-51.</ref>

== Expansion of influence ==

In 1909, Montessori began conducting teacher training programs in Città di Castello, Italy, then Rome and Milan. By 1911 she had resigned her university positions to dedicate herself to education. The great success in San Lorenzo led to interest around the world.
<blockquote>
Maria Montessori made her first visit to the United States in 1913, the same year that Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel founded the Montessori Educational Association at their Washington, DC, home. Among her other strong American supporters were Thomas Edison and Helen Keller.
 
 
In 1915, she attracted world attention with her "glass house" schoolroom exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco. On this second U.S. visit, she also conducted a teacher training course and addressed the annual conventions of both the National Education Association and the International Kindergarten Union. The committee that brought her to San Francisco included Margaret Wilson, daughter of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.
 
 
The Spanish government invited her to open a research institute in 1917. In 1919, she began a series of teacher training courses in London. In 1922, she was appointed a government inspector of schools in her native Italy, but because of her opposition to Mussolini's fascism, she was forced to leave Italy in 1934. She traveled to Barcelona, Spain, and was rescued there by a British cruiser in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War. She opened the Montessori Training Centre in Laren, Netherlands, in 1938, and founded a series of teacher training courses in India in 1939.<ref>D. Renee Pendleton. "Maria Montessori: A Brief Biography". Available at [http://www.montessori-namta.org/maria-montessori North American Montessori Teachers' Association].</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:SPNE Montessori class.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Montessori class at National Hindu Girls' School, Madras, 1918]]

By 1925 more than one thousand Montessori schools had opened in the United States.<ref>"Maria Montessori," [http://www.biography.com/people/maria-montessori-9412528#early-childhood-education-research Biography.com].</ref>

== Involvement with Theosophists ==
Dr. Montessori "went to hear [[Annie Besant]] speak in London in 1907 after Montessori had established her first '''Casa dei Bambini''' (Children’s House). Annie Besant spoke in praise of Montessori’s work in education which pleased Montessori, and thus sealed their friendship."<ref>Winifred Wylie, "Montessori and the Theosophical Society" ''Quest'' 96.2 (March-April 2008): 53-55.</ref> They "formed a friendly relationship that was renewed whenever Dr. Besant came to Rome in the years before World War I ."<ref>Rita Kramer. ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Da Capo Press, 1988), 342.</ref> Theosophists paid attention to the Montessori educational system, and were writing articles about her methods in 1913. Society members established many schools in India and Sri Lanka, and experimented with various methods to find what would work best under local conditions. Examples are night schools and elementary classes taught by college students. National Hindu Girls’ School in Madras, had a Montessori class operating by 1918, as shown in the photograph at right. At that point the school was under the supervision of the '''[[Society for the Promotion of National Education]]'''.

== Teaching in India, 1939-1949 ==
[[File:Montessori in Adyar 1.jpg|360px|right|thumb|Maria Montessori teaching her method at TS headquarters in Adyar]]

The international President of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]], [[George S. Arundale|Dr. George S. Arundale]], and his wife, the famous Indian dancer [[Rukmini Devi Arundale]], spent time in The Netherlands, visiting the [[International Theosophical Centre]] at Naarden. Both Arundales were intensely interested in children and in education. They met Dr. Montessori and invited her to come to Society [[Adyar (campus)|headquarters in Adyar]], Chennai (then called Madras) to conduct a teaching course. She flew to India in 1939 and was warmly received.
<blockquote>
Under the sponsorship of Dr. and Mrs. Arundale, Madame Montessori and her son have successfully carried through at Adyar a three months student-teacher training course, attended by 207 students from all parts of India, Burma and Ceylon, the group of students speaking eighteen different languages.

Dr. Montessori has since made a brief lecture tour in Northern India, where she was the guest of several of the governments. She has now established an Indian Section of the Association Montessori International.
[[File:Montessoris at Adyar.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Maria and Mario Montessori at Adyar]]
Of the students training course at Adyar it is said that Dr. Montessori worked a miracle. Political, religious and social differences were cancelled as people of all types fraternized for three months in a closely related life to study the educational principles which Dr. Montessori propounds.<ref>Anonymous, "Madame Montessori in India" ''The American Theosophist'' 28.11 (November, 1940): 260.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:Montessori on cover of Kalakshetra 1, 1970-1971.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Cover of ''Kalakshetra'' magazine, 1970-1971.]]
Due to her Italian citizenship, in the early days of World War II Dr. Montessori was interned by the British authorities, restricted by house arrest to the Adyar headquarters estate. She and her son Mario were released from detention, and conducted teachers' courses in Ahmedamad, Kodaikanal, Adyar, and Kashmir in India, and also in Ceylon. Adyar remained her base of operation until 1946. Then she traveled to England and Scotland, and to Italy, but returned to India late in 1947 to teach in Poona, Gwalior, and Adyar. "With Mrs. Arundale, she established a Montessori training center at [[Kalakshetra]] as a memorial to Dr. Arundale, who had died in 1945.<ref>Rita Kramer. ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Da Capo Press, 1988), 355.</ref> In 1949, she also taught in Pakistan at the invitation of the new government. After that she re-established her base of operation in The Netherlands. <ref>E. M. Standing, ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work'' (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1959), 50-51.
</ref>
 
 

== Later years ==

Montessori continued working daily even into her eighties. In August 1949, she spoke at the Eighth International Montessori Congress at San Remo, and was honored in Paris later that year. Early in 1950, she toured Sweden and Norway, then spoke at a large conference in Amsterdam, speaking in French. Many awards and honors came her way in these final years. On [[May 6]], 1952, while sitting in the garden of friends in Noordwijk aan Zee near The Hague, she died of a cerebral hemorrhage.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 367.</ref>

[[File:Maria Montessori stamp.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Indian stamp, 1970]]
[[File:Montessori banknotes.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Italian banknotes honoring Dr. Montessori]]
== Honors ==

Dr. Montessori was '''nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize''' three times—in 1949, 1950, and 1951.<ref>D. Renee Pendleton, D. Renee. "Maria Montessori: A Brief Biography". Available at [http://www.montessori-namta.org/maria-montessori North American Montessori Teachers' Association].</ref>

The University of Amsterdam awarded an honorary '''doctorate'''. She was also awarded the '''French Legion of Honor''' in 1949, and made an '''Officer of the Dutch Order of Orange Nassau'''.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 360-362.</ref>

Italy issued '''banknotes''' depicting Dr. Montessori, and India issued '''commemorative stamps''' in 1970. '''''Time'' magazine''' featured her on its cover on February 3, 1930. The August 31, 2012 '''Google Doodle''' honored her. Several cities made her an '''honorary citizen''', including Milan, Ancona, and Perugia.

== Theories about childhood development ==

The Montessori theories on childhood development were elucidated in '''''The Absorbent Mind''''' and other works. In brief, she identified four periods or "planes" of human development, each of which requires difference educational approaches:

* '''Birth to 6 years''' - child explores senses, develops self psychologically, and builds independence. Important concepts for the teacher include the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, and normalization.
* '''6 to 12 years''' - child grows physically and loses baby teeth; develops "herd instinct" of group socializing. Teacher should foster growth of reason and imagination, intellectual independence, moral sense, and social organization.
* '''12 to 18 years''' - adolescent experiences puberty, psychological instability, and difficulties in concentration. "Valorization" is a key concept - the adolescents' drive for externally derived evaluation of their worth. Teacher encourages creativity, sense of justice, and personal dignity.
* '''18 to 24 years''' - young adults embrace the study of culture and sciences. They need to experience financial independence by working for pay.

== Teaching method ==

These are features of her educational approach:
* Fantasy is postponed until the child is grounded in reality.
* Tasks and activities are reality oriented.
* Manipulative materials are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, and to support very specific educational goals.
* The intellect or "absorbent mind" is engaged early, and is challenged more over time.
* Children are free to choose their own activities in the classroom, and individual choices are respected.
* The atmosphere is calm and productive.
* Teacher is a facilitator of independent learning.
* Multi-age groups in classrooms simulate the reality of families.
* Socialization begins with respecting the independence and space of other children.
* Older children voluntarily assist each other in learning.
* Children are grounded in the realities of the formed world before delving into the spiritual realm.

== Writings ==

=== Childhood development and education ===

* '''''The Absorbent Mind'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1996. Originally published in 1949.
* '''''The Advanced Montessori Method, Volume I'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1997. Formerly ''Spontaneous Activity in Education'', published in 1918.
* '''''The Advanced Montessori Method, Volume II'''''. Los Angeles: Education Systems, 1987. Also known as ''The Montessori Elementary Materials'', originally published in 1916.
* '''''The Child in the Family'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1995. Originally published in 1936.
* '''''Discovery of the Child'''''. New York: Ballantine, 1972. Originally published in 1948.
* '''''To Educate the Human Potential'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1994. Originally published in 1948.
* '''''Education and Peace'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1995. Originally published in 1949.
* '''''Education for a New World'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1994. Originally published in 1946.
* '''''From Childhood to Adolescence'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1994. Originally published in 1948.
* '''''The Montessori Method'''''. New York: Random House, 1988. Originally published in 1909.
* '''''Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook. New York: Random House, 1988'''''. Originally published in 1914.
* '''''The Secret of Childhood'''''. New York: Ballantine, 1972. Originally published in 1936.

=== Theosophical publications ===

Both Dr. Montessori and her son Mario wrote articles for [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], the Society’s journal. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists '''[https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/union_index/entries?q=Montessori&s=author 11 articles by Maria Montessori]'''. She also wrote a pamphlet:

* '''''The Unconscious in History'''''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1949. 30 pages.

== Additional resources ==

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.montessori-ami.org Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)]
* [http://amiusa.org Association Montessori International/USA (AMI/USA)]
* [http://www.montessori.org The Montessori Foundation]
* [http://www.montessori.edu/ The International Montessori Index]
* [http://www.montessori-namta.org/ North American Montessori Teachers' Association]

=== Articles ===
* [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists [https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/union_index/entries?q=Montessori&s=title 48 articles about Montessori].
* [https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/montessori-maria Montessori, Maria] in Theosophy World.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori Gospel of the Child." ''The Theosophist'' 67 (May, 1946), 91.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori Method." ''Theosophy in Australasia'' 22.2 (May, 1916), 43.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori System." ''The Theosophist'' 62 (April, 1941), 35.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori System." ''Theosophy in Australia'' 2 (February, 1942), 5.
* Ransom, Josephine. "Schools of Tomorrow in England: The Montessori Ideal.' 'The Herald of the Star'' 7 (August, 1918), 439.
* Wylie, Winifred. [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/montessori-and-the-theosophical-society "Montessori and the Theosophical Society."] ''Quest'' 96.2 (March-April, 2008), 53-55.

=== Books ===
* Association Montessori Internationale. Maria Montessori, 1870-1952: An Anthology.
* Hainstock, Elizabeth. ''The Essential Montessori''. New York: Plume, 1997. Revised edition. Originally published in 1997.
* Kramer, Rita. ''Maria Montessori: A Biography.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976.
* Standing, E. M. ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work.'' New York: Penguin Group, 1998. Originally published in 1957.
* Pendleton, D. Renee. "Maria Montessori: A Brief Biography". Available at [http://www.montessori-namta.org/maria-montessori North American Montessori Teachers' Association].
* Povell, Phyllis. ''Montessori Comes to America: The Leadership of Maria Montessori and Nancy McCormick Rambusch''.
* Rambusch, Nancy McCormick. ''Learning How to Learn: An American Approach to Montessori''.
* Shephard, Marie Tennent. ''Maria Montessori: Teacher of Teachers''. Minneapolis: Lerner, 1996.
* Whitescarver, Keith. "Montessori in America: the First 100 years." Montessori International, July - September 2010. Included here with permission of Montessori International.
* Whitescarver, Keith. "Montessori in America: the Most Current Revival." Montessori International, October - December 2010. Included here with permission of Montessori International.
* Whitescarver, Keith, and Cossentino, Jacqueline. "Montessori and the Mainstream: A Century of Reform on the Margins.” Teachers College Record, December 2008.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Educators|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Physicians|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Writers|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Famous people|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Nationality Italian|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:People|Montessori, Maria]]

Maria Montessori

2026-07-21T20:15:12Z

SysopJ: /* Medical career */

[[File:Maria Montessori 1.jpg|right|330px|thumb|Maria Montessori]]
'''Dr. Maria Montessori''' ([[August 31]], 1870 - [[May 6]], 1952) was an Italian physician who developed ground-breaking methods for teaching children. Her acclaimed success beginning with the House of Children in Rome led to the rapid expansion of the Montessori Method throughout the world. For ten years she was a guest at the headquarters of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]], along with her son Mario. During that period she conducted courses for teachers all over South Asia, which has had a lasting impact on education there.

== Early life and education==

Maria Montessori was born on [[August 31]], 1870, in the provincial town of Chiaravalle, Italy. Her father was a financial manager for a state-run industry. With the support of her well-educated mother, Maria grew up with a love of learning.<ref>"Maria Montessori," [http://amshq.org/Montessori-Education/History-of-Montessori-Education/Biography-of-Maria-Montessori Association Montessori Internationale web page].</ref> In 1883, when she was just thirteen, Maria was admitted to the Regia Scuola Tecnica Michelangelo Buonarroti. Few girls entered such technical schools, with more opting to study classics instead.
<blockquote>
The technical system provided seven years of a modern curriculum. These schools offered a three-year course including French, arithmetic and bookkeeping, algebra and geometry, history, geography, and smattering of science. This was followed by the four-year course at the technical institute which offered modern languages - French, German, English - and mathematics, in addition to commercial subjects. Physics and chemistry were included but occupied a less important place in the curriculum.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography,'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 32.</ref>
</blockquote>

After completing this technical education with high scores, Montessori considered becoming an engineer, but decided instead to study medicine, which no Italian woman had done before. She enrolled in the University of Rome in the fall of 1890, and studied mathematics and sciences, Latin and Italian. In the spring of 1892 she passed her examinations and received the "Diploma di licenza" that indicated she was qualified to study medicine. After many obstacles, and with her mother's support, she was permitted to begin the program consisting of six years of study and clinical work.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography,'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 34-35.</ref> Despite many obstacles, including her father's disapproval, she succeeded in becoming a physician in 1896.<ref>E. M. Standing, ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work,'' (New York: Penguin Group, 1998) 27.</ref>

Her only child, '''Mario Montessori''', was born on March 31, 1898, as the product of a secret love affair with another doctor. He was placed with a foster family for a few years, but was reunited with his mother in his teenage years and worked with her throughout most of her career.

== Medical career ==

After becoming a physician, Dr. Montessori continued research in the University's psychiatric clinic, visiting asylums in Rome. She observed children with mental disabilities, leading her to read the works of educational theorists Jean Marc Gaspard Itard and Édouard Séguin and other major pedagogical works from the previous 200 years.

In 1900 she became director of the Scuola Magistrale Ortofrenica, or Orthophrenic School, for developmentally challenged children. It was an institute for training teachers to deal with children with special needs, and included a laboratory classroom. Teachers studied psychology, anatomy, and physiology of the nervous system; physical anthropology; and instructional methods best suited for "disabled" children. Methods and manipulative materials developed there were later put to use in classrooms of "normal" children.
<blockquote>
Montessori began to conceptualize her own method of applying their educational theories, which she tested through hands-on scientific observation of students at the Orthophrenic School. Montessori found the resulting improvement in students' development remarkable. She spread her research findings in speeches throughout Europe, also using her platform to advocate for women's and children's rights.<ref>"Maria Montessori," [http://www.biography.com/people/maria-montessori-9412528#early-childhood-education-research Biography.com].</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:San Lorenzo.jpg|320px|thumb|Casa dei Bambini in San Lorenzo, 1907]]

== First House of Children ==

The first '''Casa dei Bambini''' (House of Children) was opened in Rome on [[January 6]], 1907, after a group of bankers asked Dr. Montessori to find a way to occupy the children of poor families in a San Lorenzo tenement. During a chronic housing shortage in Rome, thousands of people crowded into abandoned buildings in the San Lorenzo district. Bankers attempting to renovate the buildings wanted to find a way to handle about 50 wild, uneducated children who were being left unsupervised while their parents worked.
<blockquote>
One room was set aside for this purpose, resembling in every way a children's prison. It was hoped that a person would be found with enough social courage to tackle the problem.
 
 
I in my capacity of medical officer of hygiene was approached to take an interest in the work. Having considered the situation I demanded that at least the commonest aids in hygiene, food and sanitation be made available.<ref>Maria Montessori, "How It All Happened," 1942. See "Dr. Montessori Writes of San Lorenzo 1907" on [http://m.montessoriteacherscollective.com/montessori-lectures Montessori Teachers Collective web page].</ref>
</blockquote>
While a room and some large, rough tables had been provided, no one had thought of toys or teachers. Dr. Montessori found a woman to take charge, and enlisted the interest of some society ladies to collect funds. About 50 children, 2-6 years of age, were present on the opening day. They were frightened and crying at the strange surroundings and people.

<blockquote>
I brought them some of the materials which had been used for our work in experimental psychology, the items which we use today as sensorial material and materials for the exercises of practical life. I merely wanted to study the children's reactions. I asked the woman in charge not to interfere with them in any way as otherwise I would not be able to observe them, Some one brought them paper and coloured pencils but in itself this was not the explanation of the further events...
 
 
The children were quiet, they had no interference either from the teacher or from the parents, but their environment contrasted vividly from that which they had been used to; compared to that of their previous life; it seemed fantastically beautiful. The walls were white, there was a green plot of grass outside, though no one had yet thought to plant flowers in it, but most beautiful of all was the fact that they had interesting occupations in which no one, no one at all, interfered. They were left alone and little by little the children began to work with concentration and the transformation they underwent, was noticeable. From timid and wild as they were before, the children became sociable and communicative. They showed a different relationship with each other, of which I have written in my books. Their personalities grew and, strange though it may seem, they showed extraordinary understanding, activity, vivacity and confidence. They were happy and joyous.
 
 
But the most outstanding thing about these strange children of the St. Lawrence Quarter was their obvious gratitude. I was as much surprised by this as everyone else. When I entered the room all the children sprang to greet me and cried their welcome. Nobody had taught them any manner of good behaviour. And the strangest thing of all was that although nobody had cared for them physically, they flourished in health as if they had been secretly fed on some nourishing food, And so they had, but in their spirit. These children began to notice things in their homes, a spot of dirt on their mother's dress, untidiness in the room. They told their mothers not to hang the washing in the windows but to put flowers there instead. Their influence spread into the homes, so that after a while also these became transformed.<ref>Maria Montessori, "How It All Happened," 1942. See "Dr. Montessori Writes of San Lorenzo 1907" on [http://m.montessoriteacherscollective.com/montessori-lectures Montessori Teachers Collective web page].</ref>
</blockquote>

After a few months, the mothers asked Dr. Montessori to teach their children to read and write. She was a physician, scientist, and experimental psychologist, rather than a teacher, and at first was reluctant to tackle the issue of illiteracy. She felt that the children were too young. However, she presented the alphabet: "As then it was something new for me also, I analysed the words for them and showed that each sound of the words had a symbol by which it could be materialised. It was then that the explosion into writing occurred."<ref>Maria Montessori, "How It All Happened," 1942. See "Dr. Montessori Writes of San Lorenzo 1907" on [http://m.montessoriteacherscollective.com/montessori-lectures Montessori Teachers Collective web page].</ref>

The Montessori Method evolved from these beginnings. Dr. Montessori found that children loved repetition, loved order and silence, and exhibited amazing powers of concentration. They thrived in a system with free choice of activities, preferring work to play. Rewards and punishments were unnecessary, as the children exhibited self-discipline. They developed skills in reading and writing at a much younger age than educational theory of the time would expect.<ref>E. M. Standing, ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work,'' (New York: Penguin Group, 1998) 40-51.</ref>

== Expansion of influence ==

In 1909, Montessori began conducting teacher training programs in Città di Castello, Italy, then Rome and Milan. By 1911 she had resigned her university positions to dedicate herself to education. The great success in San Lorenzo led to interest around the world.
<blockquote>
Maria Montessori made her first visit to the United States in 1913, the same year that Alexander Graham Bell and his wife Mabel founded the Montessori Educational Association at their Washington, DC, home. Among her other strong American supporters were Thomas Edison and Helen Keller.
 
 
In 1915, she attracted world attention with her "glass house" schoolroom exhibit at the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition in San Francisco. On this second U.S. visit, she also conducted a teacher training course and addressed the annual conventions of both the National Education Association and the International Kindergarten Union. The committee that brought her to San Francisco included Margaret Wilson, daughter of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson.
 
 
The Spanish government invited her to open a research institute in 1917. In 1919, she began a series of teacher training courses in London. In 1922, she was appointed a government inspector of schools in her native Italy, but because of her opposition to Mussolini's fascism, she was forced to leave Italy in 1934. She traveled to Barcelona, Spain, and was rescued there by a British cruiser in 1936, during the Spanish Civil War. She opened the Montessori Training Centre in Laren, Netherlands, in 1938, and founded a series of teacher training courses in India in 1939.<ref>D. Renee Pendleton. "Maria Montessori: A Brief Biography". Available at [http://www.montessori-namta.org/maria-montessori North American Montessori Teachers' Association].</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:SPNE Montessori class.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Montessori class at National Hindu Girls' School, Madras, 1918]]

By 1925 more than one thousand Montessori schools had opened in the United States.<ref>"Maria Montessori," [http://www.biography.com/people/maria-montessori-9412528#early-childhood-education-research Biography.com].</ref>

== Involvement with Theosophists ==
Dr. Montessori "went to hear [[Annie Besant]] speak in London in 1907 after Montessori had established her first '''Casa dei Bambini''' (Children’s House). Annie Besant spoke in praise of Montessori’s work in education which pleased Montessori, and thus sealed their friendship."<ref>Winifred Wylie, "Montessori and the Theosophical Society" ''Quest'' 96.2 (March-April 2008): 53-55.</ref> They "formed a friendly relationship that was renewed whenever Dr. Besant came to Rome in the years before World War I ."<ref>Rita Kramer. ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Da Capo Press, 1988), 342.</ref> Theosophists paid attention to the Montessori educational system, and were writing articles about her methods in 1913. Society members established many schools in India and Sri Lanka, and experimented with various methods to find what would work best under local conditions. Examples are night schools and elementary classes taught by college students. National Hindu Girls’ School in Madras, had a Montessori class operating by 1918, as shown in the photograph at right. At that point the school was under the supervision of the '''[[Society for the Promotion of National Education]]'''.

== Teaching in India, 1939-1949 ==
[[File:Montessori in Adyar 1.jpg|360px|right|thumb|Maria Montessori teaching her method at TS headquarters in Adyar]]

The international President of the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society based in Adyar, India]], [[George S. Arundale|Dr. George S. Arundale]], and his wife, the famous Indian dancer [[Rukmini Devi Arundale]], spent time in The Netherlands, visiting the [[International Theosophical Centre]] at Naarden. Both Arundales were intensely interested in children and in education. They met Dr. Montessori and invited her to come to Society [[Adyar (campus)|headquarters in Adyar]], Chennai (then called Madras) to conduct a teaching course. She flew to India in 1939 and was warmly received.
<blockquote>
Under the sponsorship of Dr. and Mrs. Arundale, Madame Montessori and her son have successfully carried through at Adyar a three months student-teacher training course, attended by 207 students from all parts of India, Burma and Ceylon, the group of students speaking eighteen different languages.

Dr. Montessori has since made a brief lecture tour in Northern India, where she was the guest of several of the governments. She has now established an Indian Section of the Association Montessori International.
[[File:Montessoris at Adyar.jpg|250px|right|thumb|Maria and Mario Montessori at Adyar]]
Of the students training course at Adyar it is said that Dr. Montessori worked a miracle. Political, religious and social differences were cancelled as people of all types fraternized for three months in a closely related life to study the educational principles which Dr. Montessori propounds.<ref>Anonymous, "Madame Montessori in India" ''The American Theosophist'' 28.11 (November, 1940): 260.</ref>
</blockquote>

[[File:Montessori on cover of Kalakshetra 1, 1970-1971.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Cover of ''Kalakshetra'' magazine, 1970-1971.]]
Due to her Italian citizenship, in the early days of World War II Dr. Montessori was interned by the British authorities, restricted by house arrest to the Adyar headquarters estate. She and her son Mario were released from detention, and conducted teachers' courses in Ahmedamad, Kodaikanal, Adyar, and Kashmir in India, and also in Ceylon. Adyar remained her base of operation until 1946. Then she traveled to England and Scotland, and to Italy, but returned to India late in 1947 to teach in Poona, Gwalior, and Adyar. "With Mrs. Arundale, she established a Montessori training center at [[Kalakshetra]] as a memorial to Dr. Arundale, who had died in 1945.<ref>Rita Kramer. ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Da Capo Press, 1988), 355.</ref> In 1949, she also taught in Pakistan at the invitation of the new government. After that she re-established her base of operation in The Netherlands. <ref>E. M. Standing, ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work'' (Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild, 1959), 50-51.
</ref>
 
 

== Later years ==

Montessori continued working daily even into her eighties. In August 1949, she spoke at the Eighth International Montessori Congress at San Remo, and was honored in Paris later that year. Early in 1950, she toured Sweden and Norway, then spoke at a large conference in Amsterdam, speaking in French. Many awards and honors came her way in these final years. On [[May 6]], 1952, while sitting in the garden of friends in Noordwijk aan Zee near The Hague, she died of a cerebral hemorrhage.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 367.</ref>

[[File:Maria Montessori stamp.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Indian stamp, 1970]]
[[File:Montessori banknotes.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Italian banknotes honoring Dr. Montessori]]
== Honors ==

Dr. Montessori was '''nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize''' three times—in 1949, 1950, and 1951.<ref>D. Renee Pendleton, D. Renee. "Maria Montessori: A Brief Biography". Available at [http://www.montessori-namta.org/maria-montessori North American Montessori Teachers' Association].</ref>

The University of Amsterdam awarded an honorary '''doctorate'''. She was also awarded the '''French Legion of Honor''' in 1949, and made an '''Officer of the Dutch Order of Orange Nassau'''.<ref>Rita Kramer, ''Maria Montessori: A Biography'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976), 360-362.</ref>

Italy issued '''banknotes''' depicting Dr. Montessori, and India issued '''commemorative stamps''' in 1970. '''''Time'' magazine''' featured her on its cover on February 3, 1930. The August 31, 2012 '''Google Doodle''' honored her. Several cities made her an '''honorary citizen''', including Milan, Ancona, and Perugia.

== Theories about childhood development ==

The Montessori theories on childhood development were elucidated in '''''The Absorbent Mind''''' and other works. In brief, she identified four periods or "planes" of human development, each of which requires difference educational approaches:

* '''Birth to 6 years''' - child explores senses, develops self psychologically, and builds independence. Important concepts for the teacher include the absorbent mind, sensitive periods, and normalization.
* '''6 to 12 years''' - child grows physically and loses baby teeth; develops "herd instinct" of group socializing. Teacher should foster growth of reason and imagination, intellectual independence, moral sense, and social organization.
* '''12 to 18 years''' - adolescent experiences puberty, psychological instability, and difficulties in concentration. "Valorization" is a key concept - the adolescents' drive for externally derived evaluation of their worth. Teacher encourages creativity, sense of justice, and personal dignity.
* '''18 to 24 years''' - young adults embrace the study of culture and sciences. They need to experience financial independence by working for pay.

== Teaching method ==

These are features of her educational approach:
* Fantasy is postponed until the child is grounded in reality.
* Tasks and activities are reality oriented.
* Manipulative materials are designed to be aesthetically pleasing, and to support very specific educational goals.
* The intellect or "absorbent mind" is engaged early, and is challenged more over time.
* Children are free to choose their own activities in the classroom, and individual choices are respected.
* The atmosphere is calm and productive.
* Teacher is a facilitator of independent learning.
* Multi-age groups in classrooms simulate the reality of families.
* Socialization begins with respecting the independence and space of other children.
* Older children voluntarily assist each other in learning.
* Children are grounded in the realities of the formed world before delving into the spiritual realm.

== Writings ==

=== Childhood development and education ===

* '''''The Absorbent Mind'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1996. Originally published in 1949.
* '''''The Advanced Montessori Method, Volume I'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1997. Formerly ''Spontaneous Activity in Education'', published in 1918.
* '''''The Advanced Montessori Method, Volume II'''''. Los Angeles: Education Systems, 1987. Also known as ''The Montessori Elementary Materials'', originally published in 1916.
* '''''The Child in the Family'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1995. Originally published in 1936.
* '''''Discovery of the Child'''''. New York: Ballantine, 1972. Originally published in 1948.
* '''''To Educate the Human Potential'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1994. Originally published in 1948.
* '''''Education and Peace'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1995. Originally published in 1949.
* '''''Education for a New World'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1994. Originally published in 1946.
* '''''From Childhood to Adolescence'''''. Oxford, England: Clio, 1994. Originally published in 1948.
* '''''The Montessori Method'''''. New York: Random House, 1988. Originally published in 1909.
* '''''Dr. Montessori's Own Handbook. New York: Random House, 1988'''''. Originally published in 1914.
* '''''The Secret of Childhood'''''. New York: Ballantine, 1972. Originally published in 1936.

=== Theosophical publications ===

Both Dr. Montessori and her son Mario wrote articles for [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], the Society’s journal. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists '''[https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/union_index/entries?q=Montessori&s=author 11 articles by Maria Montessori]'''. She also wrote a pamphlet:

* '''''The Unconscious in History'''''. Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1949. 30 pages.

== Additional resources ==

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.montessori-ami.org Association Montessori Internationale (AMI)]
* [http://amiusa.org Association Montessori International/USA (AMI/USA)]
* [http://www.montessori.org The Montessori Foundation]
* [http://www.montessori.edu/ The International Montessori Index]
* [http://www.montessori-namta.org/ North American Montessori Teachers' Association]

=== Articles ===
* [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists [https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/union_index/entries?q=Montessori&s=title 48 articles about Montessori].
* [https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/montessori-maria Montessori, Maria] in Theosophy World.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori Gospel of the Child." ''The Theosophist'' 67 (May, 1946), 91.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori Method." ''Theosophy in Australasia'' 22.2 (May, 1916), 43.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori System." ''The Theosophist'' 62 (April, 1941), 35.
* Jinarajadasa, C. "The Montessori System." ''Theosophy in Australia'' 2 (February, 1942), 5.
* Ransom, Josephine. "Schools of Tomorrow in England: The Montessori Ideal.' 'The Herald of the Star'' 7 (August, 1918), 439.
* Wylie, Winifred. [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/montessori-and-the-theosophical-society "Montessori and the Theosophical Society."] ''Quest'' 96.2 (March-April, 2008), 53-55.

=== Books ===
* Association Montessori Internationale. Maria Montessori, 1870-1952: An Anthology.
* Hainstock, Elizabeth. ''The Essential Montessori''. New York: Plume, 1997. Revised edition. Originally published in 1997.
* Kramer, Rita. ''Maria Montessori: A Biography.'' Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1976.
* Standing, E. M. ''Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work.'' New York: Penguin Group, 1998. Originally published in 1957.
* Pendleton, D. Renee. "Maria Montessori: A Brief Biography". Available at [http://www.montessori-namta.org/maria-montessori North American Montessori Teachers' Association].
* Povell, Phyllis. ''Montessori Comes to America: The Leadership of Maria Montessori and Nancy McCormick Rambusch''.
* Rambusch, Nancy McCormick. ''Learning How to Learn: An American Approach to Montessori''.
* Shephard, Marie Tennent. ''Maria Montessori: Teacher of Teachers''. Minneapolis: Lerner, 1996.
* Whitescarver, Keith. "Montessori in America: the First 100 years." Montessori International, July - September 2010. Included here with permission of Montessori International.
* Whitescarver, Keith. "Montessori in America: the Most Current Revival." Montessori International, October - December 2010. Included here with permission of Montessori International.
* Whitescarver, Keith, and Cossentino, Jacqueline. "Montessori and the Mainstream: A Century of Reform on the Margins.” Teachers College Record, December 2008.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Educators|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Physicians|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Writers|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Famous people|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:Nationality Italian|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Montessori, Maria]]
[[Category:People|Montessori, Maria]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-20T00:20:12Z

SysopJ:

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Pond brothers]]
=== Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

In 1885, Pond helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.

Both organizations are still in operation.

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of the American Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-20T00:19:36Z

SysopJ: /* Settlement House movement */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg|right|270px|thumb|Pond brothers]]
=== Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

In 1885, Pond helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.

Both organizations are still in operation.

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of the American Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-19T20:42:42Z

SysopJ: /* Archival collections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg|right|270px|thumb|Pond brothers]]
=== Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

In 1885, Pond helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of the American Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-19T20:41:44Z

SysopJ: /* Participation in architectural organizations */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg|right|270px|thumb|Pond brothers]]
=== Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

In 1885, Pond helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-19T20:41:04Z

SysopJ: /* Social clubs and memberships */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg|right|270px|thumb|Pond brothers]]
=== Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-19T20:40:33Z

SysopJ: /* Architectural work */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg|right|270px|thumb|Pond brothers]]
=== Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

File:Pond Brothers in office.jpg

2026-07-19T20:37:21Z

SysopJ: Irving Kane Pond (at right) and Allen Bartlitt Pond in their architectural office.

== Summary ==
[[Irving Kane Pond]] (at right) and Allen Bartlitt Pond in their architectural office.

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-19T20:32:19Z

SysopJ: /* Training and early work */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Irving Pond, 1912]]

=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

File:Irving Kane Pond, 1912.jpg

2026-07-19T18:31:22Z

SysopJ: Irving Kane Pond in 1912.

== Summary ==
[[Irving Kane Pond]] in 1912.

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-19T16:46:27Z

SysopJ: /* Personal life */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==

[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|130px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
[[File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png|right|250px|thumb|1879 UM football team; Pond at left, middle row]]
When the first University of Michigan played its first game of '''football''' on May 30, 1979, Irving Pond was on the team. He scored the first and only goal. At that time the game was more like rugby than like modern American collegiate football.<ref>[https://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1879fbt.htm 1879 Football Team]. University of Michigan, Bentley Historical Library, U-M Athletics History. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref><ref>[https://www.instagram.com/umichfbalumni/ Football Alumni of Michigan] on Instagram. Accessed July 19, 2026.</ref>

== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

File:Pond in 1879 UM football team.png

2026-07-19T16:21:45Z

SysopJ: Irving Kane Pond in 1879 University of Michigan football team.

== Summary ==
[[Irving Kane Pond]] in 1879 University of Michigan football team.

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-18T13:55:20Z

SysopJ: /* Circus and acrobatics */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms''''', which was an expansion of ''A Day Under the Big Top'', an essay presented to the Chicago Literary Club in 1924. Both are thoroughly engaging accounts of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms, cycles, and order of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T23:34:40Z

SysopJ:

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.
That is the supreme function of art - to irradiate life with joy. -- I. K. Pond in ''A Day Under the Big Top'' and in ''Big Top Rhythms''.
[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms'''''. It is a thoroughly engaging account of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms and cycles of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T23:29:16Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms'''''. It is a thoroughly engaging account of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms and cycles of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers.
* Superb skill in writing on diverse subjects.
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
* Recognizing the spiritual component of popular entertainments - the circus for Pond and community singing and light shows for Bragdon.

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T22:52:23Z

SysopJ: /* Social clubs and memberships */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms'''''. It is a thoroughly engaging account of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms and cycles of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===

In 1885, he helped organize the '''Chicago Architectural Sketch Club''', since renamed as the Chicago Architectural Club.

Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers
* Skill in writing
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
*

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T22:50:41Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms'''''. It is a thoroughly engaging account of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms and cycles of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. They had much in common:
* Architectural careers
* Skill in writing
* Love of Shakespeare's plays, with Pond participating in amateur theatricals while Bragdon designed sets and costumes for Broadway productions.
*

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Claude Fayette Bragdon

2026-07-17T22:49:53Z

SysopJ: /* Impact on Theosophical Society headquarters campus */

[[File:Claude Bragdon.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Claude Bragdon]]
'''Claude Fayette Bragdon''' (1866-1946) was an American architect, artist, writer, and publisher who was active in the [[Theosophical Society in America]]. He operated the [[Manas Press]] in Rochester, New York, and was the first publisher of [[P. D. Ouspensky|P. D. Ouspensky's]] work, '''''Tertium Organum'''''.

[[James Cousins|Dr. James Cousins]] referred to him as "Claude Bragdon of America to whom Architecture is Theosophy in stone."<ref>James H. Cousins, "The Life and Work of Jean Delville, Theosophist Painter-Poet." ''The Theosophist'' 47 no. 3 (December 1925): 396.</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Claude Bragdon was born on August 1, 1866 in Oberlin, Ohio. His father was George Chandler Bragdon (1832–1910), the editor of a succession of small-town newspapers in New York. The family moved several times to Adams, Ithaca, Utica, and Watertown as George established new papers, only to have the businesses fail despite his excellence as a writer and editor. Claude's mother was Katherine Elmina Shepherd.<ref> Claude Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs: An Autobiography'' (Rochester, NY: Manas Press, 1917), 3-4.</ref>

Claude worked after school in Oswego, lettering documents for a local architect. He was never able to attend college, but explored several potential careers. He apprenticed with an architect and with a wood engraver; worked as a cartoonist; and provided drawings to ''Scribner's'' magazine. After working in an architectural partnership for a few years, he was able to take off time to travel in Europe, spending most of his time sketching in Italy and France.<ref>Bragdon, ''Secret Springs'', 29-44.</ref>

[[File:Eugenie Macaulay Bragdon.png|right|140px|thumb|Eugenie Macauley Bragdon]]
== Personal life and marriages ==
[[File:Claude and Chalotte Bragdon, 1903.jpg|left|170px|thumb|Claude and Charlotte Bragdon,1903]]
Claude Bragdon was married twice. His first marriage was to Charlotte Coffin May Wilkinson (1872–1907) on November 3, 1902 in Syracuse, New York. She had been a brilliant student at Smith College, and was very active as an editor, social worker, and organizer for the National League of Women Workers, even though her health was fragile. Her social connections aided Bragdon's career.<ref>Claude Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs" An Autobiography'' (New York: Cosimo, 2005), 56-57.</ref> Their first son was Henry Wilkinson Bragdon (1906–1980). Charlotte died on December 16, 1907, immediately following the birth of their second son Chandler Bragdon (1907–1969). The father was left alone to raise the two young boys, with aid of a nurse and housekeeper. Both boys tooks degrees at Ivy League schools, and later at Cambridge University, having the kind of educational experience that Claude missed in his own life.

On July 13, 1912 he married Eugenie Macaulay. She was an intuitive woman, a psychic. Her husband documented her teachings in the book '''''Oracle''''' and in '''''Delphic Woman'''''. She died in 1920.

== Architectural career ==

''Claude Bragdon and the Beautiful Necessity '', a collection of essays edited by Eugenia Victoria Ellis, and ''Crystal and Arabesque'', a Bragdon biography by Jonathan Massey, provide a wealth of information and imagery from Bragdon's important architectural career, which is too broad a topic to cover here. He designed several major buildings in and around Rochester; bridges in Canada; and dozens of houses. Many were classically inspired and symmetrical, with influence from Bragdon's European tour. The First Universalist Church, the Bevier Memorial Building, and the Rochester Athletic Association feature patterned brock work, colored terra-cotta, and decorative cornices and arches.

Some of the structures for which he is best known include:

* '''Otis Arch''', a temporary structure built in 1900 to celebrate Civil War General Elwell Otis.
* '''Rochester Athletic Association''', 1903.
* '''Rochester First Universalist Church''', constructed in 1907-1908. Bragdon took satisfaction in it.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 161.</ref>
* '''Bevier Memorial Building''', 1910, built for the Rochester Athenæum and Mechanics Institute, was a project Bragdon enjoyed. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
* '''New York Central Railroad Station''', 1914. Bragdon worked on this project for four years.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 163-167.</ref>
* '''Rochester Chamber of Commerce''', 1917, a project sponsored by George Eastman, with whom Bragdon broke off relations after artistic differences.
* '''Hunter Street Bridge''', 1918, a concrete bridge over the Otonabee River in Peterborough Ontario, which Bragdon designed with engineer Frank Barber.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 161-163.</ref>

<gallery widths="160px" perrow="5">
File:Otis Arch.JPG|<center>Otis Arch, 1900</center>
File:Rochester Athletic Association, 1903.jpg|<center>Rochester Athletic Association, 1903</center>
File:Rochester First Universalist Church.jpg|<center>Rochester First Universalist Church, 1907</center>
File:Bevier Memorial Building.jpg|<center>Bevier Memorial Building, 1903</center>
File:Bevier Memorial Building doorway.jpeg|<center>Bevier Memorial Building doorway, 1903</center>
File:Rochester-NYCentral-Railroad-Union-Depot-Bragdon.jpg|<center>NY Central RR Station, 1914</center>
File:NYC RR Station doorway.jpg|<center>NY Central RR Station doorway, 1914</center.
File:Chamber of Commerce interior.jpg|<center>Chamber of Commerce, 1917</center>
File:Hunter Street Bridge in Peterborough.png|<center>Hunter Street Bridge, 1918</center>
</gallery>

Bragdon was active in his profession as a writer and lecturer in addition to his architectural design work. He was a Fellow of the American Institute of Architecture; Scammon Lecturer at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1915; Lecturer on "Design in Space" at Princeton University in 1934; and a teacher of contemporary arts at Briarcliff Junior College. He especially admired the architectural work and personal qualities of '''Louis H. Sullivan''', with whom he corresponded, but was somewhat more reserved about '''Frank Lloyd Wright'''. He enjoyed the active mind of another contemporary, '''Ralph Adams Cram'''. <ref>Bragdon, ''Secret Springs'', 146-153.</ref>

[[File:Projective ornament chart.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Projective ornament]]
Following Sullivan's example of developing an individual style of ornamentation, Bragdon derived a new decorative mode from mathematics and geometry. He called it '''Projective Ornament'''.

<blockquote>
Architectural forms are usually the outgrowth of some structural necessity, but the same is not true of ornament, which develops not from the power and need to ''build'', but from the need to ''beautify.'' Arising thus from a psychological need rather than from a physical necessity, ornament is in some sort a ''mirror'' of consciousness, closely related to the psychological mood. Consciousness is now preoccupied with the '''fourth dimension''', and geometry being the field in which I had decided to search for a new ornamental mode expressive of modernity, it was in the geometry of four dimensions that I planted my metaphysical spade.
</blockquote>

His philosophy of architecture, as expressed in the '''Scammon Lectures''' of 1915 at the Art Institute of Chicago, is that there are '''two orders of architecture - ''arranged'' and ''organic'''''.<ref>Bragdon, ''Secret Springs'', 176.</ref>
<blockquote>
Arranged architecture is that produced by talent and governed by taste; organic architecture, on the other hand, is the product of some obscure inner necessity which is subconsious, and closely related to natural growth. The one unfolds, like a flower; the other is cut, like a gem.<ref>Bragdon, ''Secret Springs'', 176.</ref>
</blockquote>
He regarded Gothic architecture as organic, and Renaissance architecture as arranged: "Organic architecture, both in its forms and in the disposition of those forms, follows everywhere the line of least resistance... In arranged architecture, on the other hand, this principle yeilds precedence to a metaphysical ideal of pure or abstract beauty, achieved by the employment of forms, rhythms, and arrangements developed by a process of selection and survival." <ref>Bragdon, ''Secret Springs'', 176.</ref>
[[File:Song and light festival poster, 1918.jpg|350px|right|thumb|Festival poster, 1918]]

== Community singing events ==
[[File:Lanterns,1915.jpg|right|140px|thumb|Bragdon lantern designs]]
The first '''Festival of Song and Light''' took place on September 30, 1915 in a natural amphitheater of Highland Park, Rochester. Its roots were in a community chorus established by Harry Barnhart in 1913, and in a large party held by the Bragdons that featured colored lanterns. Bragdon described the festival:
<blockquote>
The chorus and band occupied the far end of a long valley. Ranged above them hung electric lamps concealed from the audience by circular and rectangular shields... which reflected the light backward and downward, creating a Watteauesque picture, as of some fête champêtre amid sylvan surroundings. Great lanterns of fanciful design hung high up in the loftiest trees, supplemented by a multitude of Japanese lanterns. The affair was so successful that it was repeated the following year."<ref>Claude Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs: an Autobiography'' (New York: Cosimo, 2005), 72-73.</ref>
</blockquote>
These events inspired similar festivals in Central Park of New York City, and in Syracuse and Buffalo, and in Plainfield, New Jersey. After World War I and a lapse of a few years, Barnhart and Bragdon produced an event in White Plains with an "all-Negro" chorus, and then a final series festivals with an African-American chorus of 1000 held in Madison Square Garden in 1931 with Harry conducting and Claude managing the lights. Bicycle races alternated with music, and several of these performances took place.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 113-114.</ref>

== Colored lights and music ==

Bragdon was fascinated by the combination of colored lights with sound. He devoted chapter of his autobiography to the history of this subject and his own thoughts. He developed an organ keyboard associating the diatonic scale with the colors of the rainbow.

<blockquote>
My very first experiment convinced me that I should preoccupy myself less with the similarities between light and sound, music and colour, than with their differences.

Music unfolds in ''time''. Time implies ''succession''. Colour-music unfolds in ''space'', and space implies ''simultaneity''. If there be a workable correlation between music and mobile colour it should be sought, therefore, rather in the domain of harmony, which involves simultaneity, than in melody, which is succession. Moreover, the eye is more sluggish and less analytical than the ear, which means, in this connection that light-changes should succeed one another less rapidly than notes in music.

Accordingly, in my second experiment, without abandoning my colour-scale altogether, I attempted no arbitrary translation of music into colour, but rather the induction of a desired mood through the appeal of a kind of visible beauty made up of coloured light into which the element of mobility entered.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 117-118.</ref>
</blockquote>

During the years of his marriage to Eugenie, Bragdon set up his color organ in an empty store, and then in the hayloft of a former stable. He worked late at night. "All alone in the cavernous spaces of that enormous hayloft, I would seat myself at the keyboard of my instrument and conjure out of the darkness forms and colours of such beauty that I often lost all sense of where I was."<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 119.</ref> '''Leopold Stokowski''' remarked to him that "in light there was probably an art greater even than music."<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 119.</ref> Eventually the cost of his experiments grew too great, and Bragdon scrapped his color-organ. Later, Kirpatrick Brice finance a laboratory in Huntington, Long Island, where Bragdon worked with painter Van Deering Perrine and Thomas Wilfred in a group called "The Prometheans" to create a "Clavilux."<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 120.</ref>

Bragdon continued for many years to explore the relationships of colors to emotions, studying the work of clairvoyants like Theosophists [[Charles Webster Leadbeater]] and [[Dora van Gelder Kunz]]. He believed that music is "mathematics made audible" and wanted to make mathematics visible through an animated cartoon technique. He drew hundreds of drawings to illustrate musical compositions, and a pantomime called ''The Immortal Beloved'', but never found a producer for the animations or pantomime.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 125-127.</ref>

== Theatrical design career ==
[[File:Hamlet design, 1925.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Set design for ''Hamlet'', 1925]]
From a young age, Bragdon was drawn to the world of theater. When [[Walter Hampden]], the famous actor and producer, spent time in Rochester, he and the architect became fast friends. Bragdon designed sets for two of Hampden's Shakespearian productions.

<blockquote>
In the summer of 1923 Walter Hampden visited me in Rochester and announced that he was considering taking a year's lease of the National Theatre in New York. He did not want to do so, however, without my assurance that I would design and supervise his productions, as I had done previously in ''Hamlet'' and Macbeth''. Though this would involve moving to New Yo9rk and the abandonmnet of my architectural practice, I accepted his offer, interpreting it as the knocking of destiny at my door, for I had not been happy in Rochester after Eugenie's death.<ref>Claude Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs: an Autobiograph'' (New York: Cosimo, 2005), 72-73.</ref>
</blockquote>

Their first productions was ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', followed by ''The Light of Asia'', ''Caponsacchi'', ''Richilieu'', and ten others.<ref>''Walter Hampden in "Cyrano de Bergerac"''. New York: Arthur Klar, 1936. Theater program. Costumes and sets designed by Claude Bragdon.</ref>
<ref>''Walter Hampden in "Caponsacchi" and "Hamlet"''. New York: Arthur Klar, 1900. Theater program. Costumes and sets designed by Claude Bragdon.</ref>
<ref>''Catalog of an exhibition of drawings and designs for Walter Hampden's dramatic productions by Claude Bragdon.'' Buffalo : Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, Albright Art Gallery, 1927.</ref>
<ref>Lytton, Edward Bulwer. ''Richilieu''. New York: Appleton, 1930. Playbill. "Poli's Theatre, S.Z. Poli, proprietor, direction Messrs. Lee and J.J. Shubert, T.D. Bonneville, Mgr., Walter Hampden in "Richelieu," a new version of Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton's play of the same name by Arthur Goodrich, entire scenic production designed and supervised by Claude Bragdon, staged and directed by Mr. Goodrich and Mr. Hampden."</ref><ref>Bragdon, Claude. "The Hamlet problem from the standpoint of the artist in the theatre." ''The Architectural Record'', Vol. 59, 1926, pp. 1-6.</ref> His work was in collaboration with '''[[Walter Hampden]]''', who produced, directed, and starred in many of the productions. Bragdon joined the American Federation of Labor, Scenic Artists' Local 829, a subsidiary of the Decorators' and Paperhangers' Union.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 194-195.</ref>

During Bragdon's New York years, his best friends were Walter Kirkpatrick Brice or "Kirk," and Harry Barnhart, who had both moved from Rochester to NYC and continued to work in community chorus events. He had an active social life, associating with many artists, social reformers, and Theosophists. In 1924 he moved into a highrise hotel, the Shelton, where he lived for the rest of his life. Fellow residents included photographer '''Alfred Stieglitz''' and painter '''Georgia O'Keeffe'''.

[[File:Silver Circus book jacket.jpg|right|176px|thumb|Book jacket design]]

== Design work ==
Throughout his life, Bragdon engaged in thousands of design projects. He drew cartoons and illustrations; worked on lanterns for his festivals; designed book plates, book jackets, costumes, stained glass windows, gravestones, and innumerable other objects.

=== Book jackets ===

From the early days of his career, Bragdon designed '''"bindings for books"''' or book jackets, like these:
* ''At the Sign of the Sphinx: A Book of Charades'' by Carolyn Wells, New York: Stone and Kimball, 1896.<ref>See title page of book at [https://archive.org/details/atsignofsphinxbo00well Internet Archive].</ref>
* ''Stories from the Chap-book; Being a Miscellany of Curious and Interesting Tales, Histories, &c'', a compilation by many authors. Chicago: Herbert S. Stone and Company, 1896. <ref>See title page of book at [https://archive.org/details/storieschapbook00editrich Internet Archive], and [https://archive.org/details/beingmisctales00essarich Internet Archive].</ref>
* ''The Will of Song; a Dramatic Service of Community singing'' by Percy Mackay. New York: Boni and Liveright, 1910.
* ''Dostoevsky'' by André Gide. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 1926.
* ''Cora'' by Ruth Suckow. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1929.
* ''Silver Circus'' by A. E. Coppard. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1929.

=== Examples of design work ===
[[File:Borzoi Books advertisement, 1928.jpg|right|360px|thumb|Advertisement showing projective ornament]]
Here are some examples of his designs:

<gallery widths="160px" perrow="5">
File:Chap Book poster, 1896.jpg|<center>Poster for ''Chap Book'', 1896</center>
File:Chicago Womens Club book plate, 1902.jpg|<center>Book plate, 1902</center>
File:Claude Bragdon Theosophical Library book plate.jpg|<center>Book plate</center>
File:Grueby Pottery circular.jpg|<center>Circular</center>
</gallery>

== Theosophical Society involvement ==

Claude Bragdon was introduced to [[Theosophy]] by his father, '''George C. Bragdon''', who joined the [[Theosophical Society]] on November 6, 1884.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 3084 (website file: 1B/5).</ref> The '''Rochester Branch''' of the Society was formed on [[July 27]], 1882 by [[Josephine Cables]], her husband James, and fourteen others.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entries 1285-1299 (website file: 1A/42).</ref> The lodge grew to at least 25 members, including '''[[Matilda Joslyn Gage]]''', a remarkable feminist and mother-in-law of [[L. Frank Baum]], who joined the lodge on March 26, 1885.<ref>Theosophical Society General Membership Register, 1875-1942 at [http://tsmembers.org/ http://tsmembers.org/]. See book 1, entry 3274 (website file: 1B/11).</ref><ref>See [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/sp-1469793668 A Notable Theosophist: L. Frank Baum] by John Algeo.</ref> The Rochester area was described by [[William Quan Judge]] as "the vital centre" of Theosophy, with Genesee, White Lotus, and Iris lodges forming quickly.<ref>"The Rochester Theosophical Society" ''The Theosophist'' Supplement Vol. 6 (December, 1885), 162.</ref> Mrs. Cables published [[The Occult Word (periodical)|''The Occult Word'']], the first Theosophical periodical in the United States.

Bragdon wrote about incorporating Theosophy into his life on a Sunday morning in 1898 when he was reading [[Ralph Waldo Emerson|Ralph Waldo Emerson's]] ''Conduct of Life'':
<blockquote>
He [Bragdon's father] was a great admirer of Ralph Waldo Emerson, a life-size portrait of the Sage of Concord hung on our stair landing, and his complete works adorned our library shelves. One morning, when I was just emerging from my adolescence, I took up Emerson's ''Conduct of Life'', and became so utterly absorbed in it that I lost all sense of the passage of time...

I date my conversion to Theosophy from that hour, for Emerson's essays are so largely a distillation of the Ancient Wisdom through the consciousness of a New England Brahmin. Emerson and Thoreau were among the first Americans to read and ponder the ''Sacred Books of the East'' in English tranlation, and it is clear both from the record of their lives and from internal evidence that this coloured all their thought.

My more self-conscious and considered acceptance of the Theosophical cosmo-conception occurred years after my Emersonian initiation... I came upon ... A. P. Sinnett's ''Esoteric Buddhism''... I was completely fascinated; it was unlike anything I had ever read. I found there unfolded a conception of life and of the cosmos so sublime, so all-inclusive, and at the same time so reasonable and consistent, that it seemed to me to transcend the power of any merely human mind to have conceived; and because I could not but accept this teaching, I had also to accept the idea of superhuman intelligences...

I devoured other Theosophical books in my father's library, such as ''Isis Unveiled'', by Madame Blavatsky, ''The Perfect Way'', by Maitland and Kingsford, and ''Light on the Path;', by Mabel Collins.<ref>Claude Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs" An Autobiography'' (New York: Cosimo, 2005), 51-52. Chapter VI.</ref>
</blockquote>

The date of Claude Bragdon's acceptance as a member of the Society is not precisely known. Theosophy remained an intellectual pursuit to Bragdon, however, rather than a lifestyle, until he met [[C. Jinarajadasa]].<ref>Ibid, 54-55.</ref> Then a small group banded together to form the Genessee Lodge of the Theosophical Society on March 19, 1909, with Bragdon as president. He lectured, wrote, and distributed Theosophical booklets, placing his ''Episodes from an Unwritten History'' in every hotel room in Rochester.<ref>Ibid, 54-55.</ref>

in 1911 on June 6th in New York City, he and ATS president [[Weller Van Hook]] sponsored '''[[Walter Hampden|Walter Hampden's]]''' membership in the [[American Theosophical Society]].<ref>Membership Ledger Cards roll 3, number 03547. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref>.

Bragdon was always a very active member at local and national levels. He served on the American Editorial Committee for [[The Theosophist (periodical)|''The Theosophist'']], along with [[Anita Henkel#Marriage and later years|H. Douglas Wild]] and [[Fritz Kunz]].<ref>"American Editorial Committee," ''The American Theosophist" 24.3 (March 1936), 70.</ref>

=== Lodge activities ===

Genesee Lodge worked with Rochester Lodge to draw high-caliber lecturers such as [[Irving S. Cooper]] and [[L. W. Rogers]] for public lectures and member classes.<ref>Lillian B. Daily, "The Field," ''The Theosophic Messenger'' 11.12 (September, 1910), 759.</ref> Genesee was able to purchase a headquarters building in 1915, and established a policy that no other organization could rent space in it. "It was thought best to take no risk of giving the public the impression that Theosophy is allied to [[Rosicrucianism]], [[New Thought]], or any other organizations however occult or progressive."<ref>"Lodge Notes from Here and There" ''The Messenger'' 11.12 (May 1924), 204.</ref> Bragdon was creative and successful in his efforts to increase lodge membership. In addition to lecturing for civic groups like the Century Club, he placed copies of some of his Theosophical writings in every hotel room in Rochester.

=== Manas Press ===

[[File:Entrance Arch 1.jpg|right|450px|thumb|Blueprint of Entrance Arch, 1940]]
Bragdon recognized the need for a publishing house to print Theosophical pamphlets and books. The '''[[Manas Press]]''' was esdtablished Rochester around October, 1909. It is especially noteworthy for publishing the first English-language edition of [[P. D. Ouspensky|P. D. Ouspensky's]] Russian work ''Tertium Organum'', and for printing Bragdon's excellent writings on Theosophy, art, and architecture. The publishing house was named after the Sanskrit term '''[[Manas]]''', or "mind," the intellectual faculty of human beings.

=== Impact on Theosophical Society headquarters campus ===

In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to serve as architect. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond, Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend [[Irving Kane Pond]], and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President [[L. W. Rogers]] sent both drawings to Bragdon, who sent back a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''.

Bragdon did design an important structure at the [[Olcott (campus)|headquarters campus]] that was unveiled for members in a [[Co-Freemasonry|Co-Masonic]] dedication ceremony at the summer convention in 1940. An '''[[Bragdon Arch|arch]]''' was built at the Main Street entrance to the campus. The cost of the project was underwritten anonymously by a member from Portland, Oregon, later acknowledged to be John H. Mason. Two stone and brick support columns are topped by carved Platonic solids – a dodecahedron and an icosahedron. Between them is a wrought iron arch with the name of the Society in America]] and the TS emblem in the center. Originally a lighted lantern hung from the emblem, but it had to be removed in later years when vehicles became taller.

In 1942, then-President [[Sidney A. Cook]] wrote:
<blockquote>
As I look out my office window a car stops at our gateway, as cars often do, while its occupants read the bronze plaques on its pillars, moving from the one to the other to read the whole of the statements they contain as to the founding, the Founders and the principles. The car passes on, but our Headquarters has made its impression; the breadth and dignity of our principles have sown seed.
<ref>S.A.C.[Sidney A. Cook], "Our Gateway," ''The American Theosophist'' 30.3 (March, 1942), 70.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1989, the entire gateway had to be moved a few feet to accommodate a turn lane in Main Street, when an apartment complex was built across the street. It remains one of the most admired features of the headquarters estate.

=== Lecturing ===

Much in demand as a lecturer, Bragdon spoke at many lodges in North America, such as Toronto, Hartford, and Buffalo; and in other venues like the International Hindustani Society and the Mecca Temple in New York. In the early 1920s he lectured at the '''Master Institute of United Arts''', founded by [[Nicholas Roerich]].<ref>Nicholas Roerich, ''Adamant'' (New York: Corona Mundi International Arts Center, 1923): back matter. Printed in Paris at Presse Franco-Russe. Available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044034438218&seq=1 Hathitrust].</ref> For many years his center of activity was New York City, where he frequently lectured at the lodges and at the New York Theosophical Federation. Topics were wide-ranging, such as yoga, mysticism, science, music, the fourth dimension, the machine age, education, and Emerson.

== Later years ==

Mr. Bragdon passed away on [[September 17]], 1946.

== Association with famous people ==

While lecturing a Princeton, Bragdon met '''[[Albert Einstein]]''', who asked his opinion of thought transference. "I told him about certain significant experiments carried on in that field by Fritz Trautmann and myself."<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 108.</ref>

He was very close to '''[[Nicholas Roerich]]''', who gave him an ancient ring of turquoise and silver from a Tibetan lamasery and explored its symbolism.<ref>Bragdon, ''The Secret Springs'', 136.</ref>

'''Alfred Stieglitz''' and '''Georgia O'Keeffe''' lived in the same hotel that Bragdon used in New York, and spent a good deal of time in each other's company.

Others of whom he wrote in his autobiographical works include Herbert Stone, Gelett Burgess, Elbert Hubbard, Louis H. Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, Adelaide Crapsey, Algernon Crapsey, and John Cowper Powys.

=== Manly P. Hall ===

Basanta Koomar Roy related a story about Bragdon's meeting with [[Manly P. Hall]]:
<blockquote>
The first question Mr. Claude Bragdon, American mystic, asked Mr. Hall immediately after their first meeting was:

"Mr. Hall, how do you know so much more about the mathematics of [[Pythagoras]] than even the authorities on the subject?"

Standing beside both these dear American friends of mine, I was wondering with trepidation in my heart what reply Mr. Hall would make.

"Mr. Bragdon," answered Mr. Hall quickly, unhesitatingly, and with a simultaneous flash of smile in his eyes and on his lips, "you are an occult philosopher. You know that it is easier to know things than to know how one knows those things."

In silence Claude Bragdon, the famous authority in the Fourth Dimension, looked at the radiant face, and into the fathomless eyes of Manly P. Hall; and in silence the four eyes spoke in the solemn language of the soul.<ref>Basanta Koomar Roy, "America's Timeless Philosopher." Horizon 1, no. 4 (November-December 1941), 15.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Writings ==

Claude Bragdon was a prolific writer, with a lively and engaging style, and amazing use of language. His earliest writings were contributions to magazines like ''Scribner's'', the ''Chap Book'', and ''The Philistine''.

=== Articles ===
Bragdon frequently wrote articles for Theosophical magazines. The [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists '''[https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/union_index/entries?q=Claude+Bragdon&s=author 65 articles by Claude Bragdon]'''. Some of his books were serialized as "Theosophy and Architecture" and "H.P.B. and Theosophy." One interesting topic was "Camp Sherman," a military training facility in Ohio, which he visited in 1918.

He frequently submitted essays to magazines like ''Dial'' and ''Forum''; architectural and design journals; and early issues of ''Rosicrucian Digest'' published by A.M.O.R.C. Here are some examples:

* '''"Some Chinese Letters of Willard Straight"''' ''Scribner's'' June 1919. On China and the "Spirit of the East."
* '''"The Star of Perfection"''' ''Journal of Calendar Reform'' (December 1936): 175-177. Bragdon used ideas from the prospecuts of [[George H. Felt]].

=== Books and pamphlets ===
His books about architecture, art, and Theosophy are listed here in alphabetical order. Most are compilations of essays or lecture transcriptions. Major titles like ''Architecture and Democracy'', ''The Beautiful Necessity'', ''The Frozen Fountain'', and ''Projective Ornament'' have been reprinted many times and translated into multiple languages.

* '''''The Arch Lectures: Eighteen Discourses on a Great Variety of Subjects Delivered in New York, During the winter of 1940'''''. New York, Creative Age Press, 1942.
* '''''Architecture and Democracy'''''. New York, A. A. Knopf, 1918. Available at [https://archive.org/details/architectureandd12625gut Internet Archive], [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/423683.html Hathitrust], [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/12625 Gutenberg.org], and other sources.
* '''''Argentina from a British Point of View'''''. [Place of publication not identified] : General Books, 2010.
* '''''The Beautiful Necessity: Seven Essays on Theosophy and Architecture'''''. 1910. Rochester, NY: Manas Press. 109 p. Available at [http://www.archive.org/details/beautifulnecessi00bragiala Internet Archive], [http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924008627949 Internet Archive], [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/4219201.html Hathitrust], [http://books.google.com/books?id=-gtQAAAAMAAJ Google Books], and [http://books.google.com/books?id=wtwtAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''''A Brief Life of Annie Besant, President of the Theosophical Society'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: The Manas Press, 1909. 20 pages. Pamphlet.
* '''''Delphic Woman'''''. New York, London, A.A. Knopf, 1936. Twelve essays reprinted from ''The New Image'' and ''Old Lamps for New''.
* '''''Details from Italian palaces'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Cutler Manufacturing Co., 1897.
* '''''Diary of Claude Fayette Bragdon'''''. [Watertown, N.Y.], [Printed by the Watertown Daily Times], 1974. "This diary ... was printed serially in the ''Watertown Daily Times'' in October, November and December of 1972." Introduction and notes by Henry W. Bragdon.
* '''''An Educated Heart'''''. Written with Katherine Susan Anthony. [New York] : [Dial Pub. Co.], 1910. Reviews of Visits to Walt Whitman in 1890-1891, by John Johnston and J.W. Wallace and The letters of Anne Gilchrist and Walt Whitman. In a whole issue of the ''Dial'', v. 66, no. 781 (Jan. 11, 1919).
* '''''Episodes from an Unwritten History'''''. Rochester, NY: Manas Press. In 1910, an enlarged second edition was published. Available at [https://archive.org/details/episodesfromunwr00brag Internet Archive].
* '''''The Eternal Poles'''''. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1931.
* '''''Explorations into the Fourth Dimension'''''. Formerly ''Four Dimensional Vistas''.
* '''''Four Dimensional Vistas: a Primer of Higher Space'''''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1916. Available at [https://archive.org/details/fourdimensional00braggoog Internet Archive], [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/1448931.html Hathitrust], and [https://archive.org/details/fourdimensionalv11906gut Internet Archive].
* '''''The Frozen Fountain'''''. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1932. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/683025.html Hathitrust].
* '''''The Gift of Asia'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Manas Press, 1914. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=WctTAAAAYAAJ Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101065416800&view=1up&seq=5 Hathitrust].
* '''''The Golden Person of the Heart'''''. Gouverneur, N.Y., Brothers of the Book, 1898. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=0vBDAQAAMAAJ Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435018158170&view=1up&seq=12 Hathitrust]. The "Golden Person" refers to the Higher Self.
* '''''The Hamlet Problem from the Standpoint of the Artist in the Theatre'''''. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1926. From ''The Architectural Record'', Vol. 59, 1926, pp. 1-6.
* '''''The "Heathen" Invasion; an Open Letter to the Editor of the Hampton-Columbian Magazine'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Manas Press, 1911. 15 pages.
* '''''The Home of the Rochester Chamber of Commerce at Rochester, New York'''''. Boston: Rogers and Manson, 1918. A reprint from the ''Architectural Forum'' Dec. 1917.
* '''''An Introduction to Yoga'''''. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1933.
* '''''Karma Once More'''''. 1915. Pamphlet.
* '''''Man and Death'''''. 1915. Pamphlet.
* '''''Man the Square: a Higher Space Parable'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Manas Press, 1912. 34p. Available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924117653919&view=1up&seq=7 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=1hw2AQAAMAAJ Google Books], both signed by author.
* '''"The Master of the Blue Cape"''' [story]. This inspired two members of the St. Petersburg Lodge to stage an impromptu play on December 21, 1938.<ref>''Bulletin of the Florida Federation''. January 15, 1939. From clipping in National Secretary's files for St. Petersburg Lodge. Theosophical Society in America.</ref>
* '''''Merely Players'''''. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1929. Essays continuing themes of "Old Lamps for New." Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b3314925 Hathitrust]. Personal accounts of "Purple Cow" poet Gelett Burgess; architects Harvey Ellis and Louis H. Sullivan; poet [[Kahlil Gibran]]; clairvoyant [[Dora van Gelder Kunz]]; mystic Francis Grierson; artists [[Nicholas Roerich]] and Van Deering Perrine; poets [[George William Russell]] (Æ) and Adelaide Crapsey; and Nicholas Bessaraboff.
* '''''The Message of Buddha'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Manas Press, 1914. 15 pages.
* '''''Minor Italian Palaces'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Cutler Manufacturing Co., 1897. Portfolio, 6 plates.
* '''''More Lives Than One'''''. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1938. Available at [http://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/1333280.html Hathitrust].
* '''''The New Image'''''. New York: A.A. Knopf, 1928. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/497788.html Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=v7U0AAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''''The New Rochester Chamber of Commerce Building'''''. Rochester, NY: 1919. Available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435080569866&view=1up&seq=1 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=lBtGAQAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''''Old Lamps for New, or The Ancient Wisdom in the Modern World'''''. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1925.
* '''''Oracle'''''. Rochester, NY: Manas Press, 1921. 64 p. Portrait in frontispiece. Available at [https://archive.org/details/oracle00brag Internet Archive] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=bm1HAQAAMAAJ Google Books]. Bragdon collected messages that had been received by his deceased wife Eugenie Julier Macaulay Bragdon via automatic writing. Some are epigrammatic personal messages, and others are prophetic.
* '''''A Primer of Higher Space (the Fourth Dimension)'''''. Rochester, NY: Manas Press, 1913. 78 p. Illustrated. Available at [https://archive.org/details/aprimerhighersp00braggoog Internet Archive]. "The clearest and most capable presentation of the Fourth Dimension in our literature," per ''The Theosophical Messenger'', November 1928.
* '''''Projective Ornament'''''. Rochester NY: Manas Press, 1915. 78 p. Illustrated. Reprinted New York : A.A. Knopf, 1927.
* '''''Revival: an Introduction to Yoga'''''. 1933.
* '''''The Secret Springs: an Autobiography'''''. Rochester, N.Y.: Manas Press, 1917. Reprinted by New York: Cosimo Classics, 2005.
* '''''Self Education: An Address Given Before the Boston Architectural Club April the third 1909'''''. 1910. Rochester, NY: Manas Press. 16 p. Available at [https://archive.org/details/selfeducationadd00brag Internet Archive].
* '''''Six Lectures on Architecture'''''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1917. Scammon Lectures. Coauthors were Ralph Adams Cram and Thomas Hastings. Available at [https://archive.org/details/sixlectureson00cram Internet Archive], [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/907655.html Hathitrust], [https://books.google.com/books?vid=HARVARD:HN2WCM&printsec=titlepage#v=onepage&q&f=false Google Books], and other sources. Bragdon lectures included "Organic Architecture" and "The Language of Form."
* '''''The Small Old Path'''''. Rochester, NY: Manas Press, 1911. 2nd edition. available at [https://archive.org/details/smalloldpathbycl00brag Internet Archive], [https://archive.org/details/sixlecturesonarc01cram Internet Archive], [https://archive.org/details/sixlecturesonarc00cram Internet Archive], and [https://archive.org/details/sixlecturesonarc1917cram Internet Archive].
* '''''Tapestry Brickwork'''''. Boston: Fiske & Co., 1909. "Artistic Brickwork: Its Achievements and Possibilities / by Claude Bragdon."
* '''''Theosophy and the Theosophical Society'''''. Rochester, NY: Manas Press, 1909. Available at [https://archive.org/details/theosophytheosop00brag Internet Archive]. Expanded in 1910 into ''Episodes from an Unwritten History''.
* '''''Wake Up and Dream!''''' [New York], [Outlook Co.], 1931. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/66291146.html Hathitrust].
* '''''Where Are You Going, My Pretty Maid?'''''. Wheaton, Ill.: League for American Womanhood, 1941. 7 pages. "An address delivered by Claude Bragdon before the friends of Carman Barnes, at the Arch Headquarters, 170 East 78th Street, New York, on the twentieth day of November, nineteen hundred and forty... Inquiry into the interests, activities, aspirations (if she has any), of the modern young woman, and an indication of the direction in which I think she should be headed." 7 pages.
* '''''Yoga for You'''''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943.

=== Forewords, chapters, translations, and other contributions ===

* Brandon, Wilfred. '''''Open the Door!'''''. New York, A.A. Knopf, 1935. Introduction by Claude Bragdon. Available at [https://archive.org/details/opendoor00bran Internet Archive] and [https://openlibrary.org/books/OL6317227M/Open_the_door! Open Library].
* Gargano, James W. '''''Critical Essays on Henry James: the Late Novels'''''. Boston, Mass. : G.K. Hall, 1987. Essay "The Golden Bowl: Thought as the Novelist's Sole Material" by Claude Bragdon.
* Hodson, Geoffrey, and Alexander Horne. '''''Some Experiments in Four Dimensional Vision'''''. Rider & co., 1933. Introduction by Claude Bragdon.
* Mallgrave, Harry Francis. '''''Architectural Theory'''''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2007. Extract from ''Architecture and Democracy'' by Claude Bragdon.
* Mumford, Lewis. ''''' Roots of Contemporary American Architecture: a Series of Thirty-seven Essays Dating from the Mid-nineteenth Century to the Present'''''. New York : Reinhold, 1952. Essay "The Language of Form" by Claude Bragdon.
* Ouspenskii, P. D. '''''Tertium Organum: the Third Canon of Thought, a Key to the Enigmas of the World'''''. Rochester, NY: Manas Press, 1920. Translated from the Russian by Nicholas Bessaraboff and Claude Bragdon ; with an introduction by Claude Bragdon. Available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.31210000485068&view=1up&seq=5 Hathitrust], [https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuPWAAAAMAAJ Google Books], and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000108753777&view=1up&seq=9 Hathitrust].
* Parents Theosophical Research Group. '''''A Theosophical Guide for Parents'''''. Ojai, Calif.: Parents Theosophical Research Group, 1981, 1984. Essay "The Ritual of Play" by Claude Bragdon.
* Perrine, Van Dearing. '''''Van Dearing Perrine, the Light Years: [exhibition] November 2-December 16, 1989.''''' New York, N.Y.: Graham, 1989. Text by Claude Bragdon.
* Plummer, George Winslow. '''''Consciously Creating Circumstances'''''. West Hoathly [England] : Derricke Ridgway, 1953. Foreword by Claude Bragdon.
* Roerich, Nicholas. '''''Altai-Himalaya'''''. New York: Frederick A. Stokes & Co., 1930. Introduction by Claude Bragdon.
* Schmidt, Carl Frederick. '''''Cobblestone Architecture'''''. [Rochester, N.Y.], [Great lakes Press], 1944. Preface by Claude Bragdon.
* Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition. '''''Triad'''''. New York, N.Y.: Society for the Study of Myth and Tradition, 1989. Essay "An Architecture of Changeless Change" by Claude Bragdon. From ''Parabola'', the magazine of myth and tradition,; v. 14, no. 4.
* Sullivan, Louis H. '''''The Autobiography of an Idea'''''. New York, Press of the American Institute of Architects, 1924. Reprinted New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1956. Foreword by Claude Bragdon.
* Sullivan, Louis H. '''''Kindergarten Chats on Architecture, Education and Democracy'''''. [Lawrence? Kan.]: Scarab Fraternity Press, 1934. "First printed, in 1901, in fifty-two successive numbers of the Interstate architect and builder," per introduction. Edited and introduced by Claude F. Bragdon. Available at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x006193798&view=1up&seq Hathitrust] and [https://archive.org/details/kindergartenchat0000sull Internet Archive].
* Uhlfelder, Eric. '''''The Origins of Modern Architecture: Selected Essays from "Architectural Record." Mineola, N.Y. : Dover Publications, 1998. Essay "The New Architecture" by Claude Bragdon.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===
* [[Union Index of Theosophical Periodicals]] lists '''[https://theosophicalsociety.org.au/union_index/entries?q=Claude+Bragdon&s=title 30 articles about Claude Bragdon]'''
* Brown, Frank Chouteau. '''"Shakespeare, Hampden and Bragdon"'''. ''The Drama''. 11: March 1921: 197-199.
* Costa, Erville. '''"Claude F. Bragdon, Architect, Stage Designer, and Mystic."''' ''Rochester ' 29' October 1967: 1-20.
* Massey, Jonathan. '''"Organic Architecture and Direct Democracy: Claude Bragdon's Festivals of Song and Light"'''. ''Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians'' 65 no. 4 (2006): 578-613. Chicago, Ill.: Society of Architectural Historians, 2006.
* '''[https://www.libraryweb.org/rochimag/architecture/Architects/Bragdon/Intro.htm Claude Bragdon: His Work in Rochester].''' Photo essay from Monroe County Library System of Bragdon's work in Rochester.

=== Books and pamphlets ===
* Chait, Richard. '''''Rochester's Famed Bragdon Station: Its Architect, History, and Legacy'''''. Fairfax: Allegra, 2018. 130 pages.
* Ellis, Eugenia Victoria. '''''Claude Bragdon & the Beautiful Necessity: Eleven Essays'''''. Rochester, NY: Rochester Institute of Technology, 2010.
* Ellis, Eugenia Victoria. '''''Squaring the Circle: the Regulating Lines of Claude Bragdon's Theosophic Architecture'''''. Ph. D. dissertation; Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University; 2005. 389 pages.
* Fuchs, Theodore. '''''Stage Lighting'''''. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1929; reprinted., New York: Benjamin Blom, Inc., 1957.
* Massey, Jonathan. '''''Art and Involution: Claude Bragdon's Projective Ornament'''''. Ph. D. dissertation; Princeton University; 2001.
* Massey, Jonathan. '''''Crystal and Arabesque: Claude Bragdon, Ornament, and Modern Architecture'''''. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2009. 336 pages. This is an excellent biography of Bragdon's life and work.
* Meyers, Carole. '''''Wake Up and Dream!: Claude Bragdon's Idea of Theatre'''''. Undergraduate dissertation, University of Rochester class of 1988. Department of English, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, 1987.
* Nixon, Mary. '''''Technically Symbolic: the Significance of Schema and Claude Bragdon's Sinbad Drawings in The Frozen Fountain'''''. Ph. D. dissertation in Architecture; University of Pennsylvania; 2005. 241 pages.
* Oenslager, Donald. '''''Stage Design, Four Centuries of Scenic Invention'''''. New York: The Viking Press, 1975.
* Siegfried, David Allen. '''''Claude Bragdon, Artist-in-the-Theatre'''''. Ph. D. dissertation; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; 1979.

=== Video ===

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbs3NQ2mf4c Thomas Wilfred - Master of Light]''' posted by ZCZ Films on Feb 19, 2018. Demonstration of the Clavilux that Wilfred worked on with Bragdon.

=== Archival records ===
* '''Theosophical Society in America Archives''' has architectural drawings related to the arch that Bragdon designed, and also a limited amount of correspondence to/from or about Bragdon.
* '''[https://rbscp.lib.rochester.edu/finding-aids/AB81 Bragdon Family Papers]''' at the University of Rochester, The Department of Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation (RBSCP). This is a rich source of correspondence, drawings, photographs, and other materials.
* '''[https://maybragdon.lib.rochester.edu May Bragdon Diaries]''' at University of Rochester Libraries. See also [https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/may-bragdons-diaries-offer-window-into-past-179052 "May Bragdon Diaries offer online window into Rochester’s past"].
* '''[https://www.nypl.org/research/research-catalog/bib/b18930176 Claude Bragdon Scenic Designs]''' at the New York Public Library, in Performing Arts Research Collections - Theater. Call numbers CT-Vim 2010-047 Box 1 and 2, and T-Vim 2010-047 Oversized Folder 1.
* '''[https://www.libraryweb.org/rochimag/architecture/Architects/Bragdon/stone.htm Rochester Chamber of Commerce: Pictures from the Albert R. Stone Negative Collection]'''. Monroe County Library System. Photographs of Chamber of Commerce Building.

=== Websites ===

* '''[https://socks-studio.com/?s=Bragdon Sock Studio]''' has Bragdon drawings.

== Notes ==
<references/>
[[Category:Architects|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:Writers|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:Artists|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:Editors|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:Publishers|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:Famous people|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Bragdon, Claude]]
[[Category:People|Bragdon, Claude]]

L. W. Rogers Building

2026-07-17T22:47:49Z

SysopJ: /* History */

[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|470px|thumb|right|L. W. Rogers Building, front view, 2007]]
[[File:Historic Building plaque.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Historic building plaque, 2025]]
The '''L. W. Rogers Building''' is the headquarters of the [[Theosophical Society in America]], located on the [[Olcott (campus)|Olcott campus]] in Wheaton, Illinois. It houses the business offices, auditorium, classroom, meditation room, staff residences, guest rooms, and the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]]. The building came to be named after [[L. W. Rogers]], during whose term as Theosophical Society president it was built. It has been listed on the '''[https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm#table National Register of Historic Places]''' under Reference Number 100011694.

See more of the building in videos '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw#t=60 The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour]''' and '''[https://vimeo.com/1198174626 Centennial of Theosophical Society in Wheaton]'''.

== History ==
[[File:Rogers_at_desk_1927.jpg|200px|thumb|right|L. W. Rogers at his desk in 1927. Image from TSA Archives.]]

In 1925 the [[American Theosophical Society]], now known as the [[Theosophical Society in America]], purchased land in Wheaton, Illinois for a new headquarters campus. The Board of Directors approached architect '''[[Claude Bragdon]]''', a prominent member of the Society, to design a building to serve as the national administrative center. Bragdon was then closing down his architectural practice to begin a career in theatrical design, and recommended a Chicago architect, '''[[Irving Kane Pond]]''', of Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, to take on the project. The architectural firm submitted two designs, and the Board could not decide between them, so President [[L. W. Rogers]] sent the drawings to Bragdon for review. Bragdon wired back that he preferred the asymmetrical design by Irving Pond over a symmetrical rendering by one of his partners.<ref>Claude Bragdon telegram to L. W. Rogers, 1926, TSA Archives.</ref>

The drawings from Irving Kane Pond's proposal were published in [[The Messenger (periodical)|''The Messenger'']], and the members were excited to see them. The original art works were created with pen and pastels. Along with blueprints, correspondence, and specifications, they have been preserved using grant funding from the '''Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board''' by the Archives Department of the Theosophical Society.
<gallery widths="140px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|Headquarters from southeast
File:Reception Hall.jpg|Reception hall
File:Library.jpg|Library
File:Front Elevation.jpg|Front Elevation
File:First Floor Plan.jpg|First Floor Plan
File:Second Floor Plan.jpg|Second Floor Plan
File:Third Floor Plan.jpg|Third Floor Plan
File:Basement Plan.jpg|Basement Plan
File:Irving Kane Pond initials.jpg|Irving Kane Pond signature
</gallery>

== Cornerstone ceremony ==
[[File:Cornerstone_crowd.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Crowds at cornerstone ceremony.]]
[[File:Cornerstone_1.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Annie Besant in cornerstone ceremony.]]
[[File:Cornerstone_parchment.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Parchment sealed in cornerstone]]
Construction began in 1926, and the cornerstone was laid on the afternoon of Sunday, [[August 29|August 29th]] in a [[Co-Freemasonry|Co-Masonic]] ceremony led by [[Annie Besant]]. [The precise time was not recorded.] The event was heavily covered by the ''Chicago Tribune'' and other newspapers, and people came by the hundreds on the interurban trains from Chicago to be present. In the photograph at the right, Annie Besant and [[A. P. Warrington]] are in front; [[L. W. Rogers]] appears between them; and architect '''Irving Kane Pond''' is third from the right (older man in dark suit). [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]] accompanied Annie Besant to Wheaton, but he does not appear in photographs of the ceremony. The architect mentioned the event in his autobiography. The cornerstone was filled with copies of major Theosophical texts such as ''The Secret Doctrine''. Also enclosed was a parchment signed by L. W. Rogers, vice president C. T. Holland, and the directors of the Board: Maude N. Couch, M. B. Hudson, E. C. Boxell, and H. Kay Campbell. Many prominent Theosophists were present, including [[Marie Poutz]], Albert Schwartz, [[Irving S. Cooper]], and [[Beatrice Wood]].

The cornerstone ceremony was featured in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube.
 
 
 

== Dedication ceremony ==

A dedication ceremony was conducted by the international president of the Theosophical Society, [[George S. Arundale]] on [[August 28]], 1927. He appears in the middle of the photograph below that appeared in the ''Chicago Tribune''. His wife [[Rukmini Devi Arundale|Rukmini Devi]] and L. W. Rogers are at the left, and A. P. Warrington at the far right. On [[September 17|September 17th]] the staff moved their offices and residences from Chicago.
[[File:Rogers_Building_Dedication_2.jpg|260px|thumb|center|Dedication, August 28, 1927.]]

== Architecture ==
[[File:Rogers Building from northeast 1931.jpg|280px|left|thumb|Rogers Building in 1931, from northeast]]
The architecture of Irving Kane Pond is difficult to classify, but the Rogers Building is generally considered to be Collegiate Gothic in style, with interiors influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement. The exterior was constructed of Bedford limestone and red brick, with a carved stone lintel over the main entrance.

The original roof was a mixture of purple and green slates. The building's asymmetrical design helps to create an impression that the building evolved organically over time, adjusting to the needs of its inhabitants. In point of fact, the exterior appearance has hardly changed over the years, and most spaces in the building are still used for the same functions they were designed to support. Architectural elements on the exterior include horizontal band courses, dentils, and decorative windows. Inside, most rooms are accented simply with dark wood. The three areas with more interesting design features are the lobby, the library, and the meditation room.
 
 
 
== Photo gallery of construction and 1920s exteriors ==
<gallery widths="140px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Construction1 1926 from SE.jpg|Construction site, taken from southeast in 1926
File:Construction2 1927 from SE.jpg|View from southeast in 1927
File:Construction3 from west July 1927.jpg|View from west in 1927
File:Construction4_from_NW_Jul_27_1927.jpg|View from northwest, July 27, 1927
File:From east 1927.jpg|View from east in 1927
File:Construction5_from_NE_July_1927.jpg|View from northeast, July, 1927
File:View from ESE with new driveway.jpg|View from east southeast, late in 1927
File:Rear view late 1920s.jpg|View from west, late 1920s
File:Rogers Building from NW.jpg|View from northwest, late 1920s
</gallery>

== Photo gallery of 1920s interiors ==
<gallery widths="140px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Reception Hall 1.jpg|Reception hall
File:Reception Hall 2 .jpg|Reception hall
File:Presidents Office.jpg|President L. W. Rogers
File:Kay Campbell in office 1928.jpg|National Secretary Kay Campbell
File:Living Room.jpg|Living room
File:Library 1928.jpg|Library
File:Bookkeeping Office.jpg|Bookkeeping office
File:Records Office.jpg|Records office
File:Records Office 2.jpg|Records office
File:Bedroom 1928.jpg|Bedroom
File:Furnace Room 1927.jpg|Boiler room
</gallery>

== Lobby and murals ==

The lobby is a open two-story space with entrances on the east and west. An oriel window permits the President's secretary to see visitors from above. The outstanding feature of the lobby is the '''[[Murals at Olcott (art work)|mural]]''' painted by [[Richard Blossom Farley]] on commission from Theosophist and arts patron [[Georgine Shillard-Smith]]. '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNwSxchQ18 "Murals at Olcott: Discover the Rich History and Symbolism of a Breathtaking Work of Art"]''' is a video presentation of its history and imagery.

== Meditation room ==

The meditation room is a serene space used only for meditation or meditation classes. Staff members gather every morning at 8:30 for 15 minutes for a group practice, and a healing group meets each Wednesday evening. Beautiful art works and oriental carpets line the room, including a thanka presented by the [[Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] in 1981 and a painting of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky by [[Gutzon Borglum]], sculptor of Mount Rushmore. Just outside the doors of the meditation room are two pastels by Theosophist [[Burton Callicott]] They are [[Mandorla (art work)|''Mandorla'']] and [[Antahkarana (art work)|''Antahkarana'']].

== Library ==
[[File:Library_reading_room.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Library reading room]]
The [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]], formerly known as the [[Olcott Library and Research Center]], is a beautiful space that is used for meetings and performances as well as traditional library activities. The library was expanded in 1964 to add space on three levels. The architects were Theosophists Lillian and Wilbur Leenhouts of Milwaukee.
 
== Auditorium ==
[[File:Auditorium.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Auditorium]]
The third-floor auditorium is used for lectures, workshops, yoga classes, conferences, and numerous other activities throughout the year. The space was remodeled in 2009, benefiting from the Bland administration's Capital Funds Campaign. A column was removed to improve sight-lines for the audience. The sub-floor was rebuilt and new carpeting was installed. Co-Masons donated a beautiful door and door frame featuring stained glass with the Society's emblem etched into it. New audiovisual equipment was installed to support Webcasts and recording of programs.

The anteroom to the auditorium was established as the '''Olcott Gallery''' during the administration of [[John Algeo]]. Exhibits were changed quarterly, with the artists are announced in [[The Quest (periodical)|''Quest'' magazine]]. In recent years a permanent display of photos has filled the gallery.
 
 

== Art works on permanent display ==
[[File:Krishnamurti painting.jpg|130px|right|thumb|J. Krishnamurti portrait. Painted from a photograph in 1926 by Henry Schwartz.]]
Numerous paintings, sculptures, Buddhist thankas, and oriental rugs decorate the building. Some of the most prominent works include:
* Madonna by Italian Renaissance painter Il Morreto (Alessandro Bonvicino, 1498-1554), in library.
* [[Schwartz Portrait of Krishnamurti (art work)|Portrait]] of [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]], by Henry Schwartz, in second-floor hall.
* Three paintings, ''Demon Queller'', ''Toys'', and ''Suffering Fools'', by [[Don Kruse]], temporarily in storage.
* Portrait of H. P. Blavatsky by [[Gutzon Borglum]], in Meditation Room.
* [[Antahkarana (art work)|''Antahkarana'']], pastel by [[Burton Callicott]], by Meditation Room door.
* [[Mandorla (art work)|''Mandorla'']], pastel by [[Burton Callicott]], by Meditation Room door.
* [[Mandorla No. 12 (art work)|''Mandorla No. 12'']], painting by [[Burton Callicott]], in staircase to auditorium.
* ''Tantric Circle'' sculpture, by Michael Cullen Todd, 1985, on front lawn.
* ''Slant'' sculpture, by David Middlebrook, 1984, on front lawn.
* Thanka donated by [[Dalai Lama]], 1981, in Meditation Room.
* Portrait of [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] by [[Erling Roberts]], temporarily in storage.
* [[The Three Objects (art work)|''The Three Objects'']], 1944, calligraphy by [[A. Theodore Bondy]], in second-floor hall.
* Bust of [[Annie Besant]] by D. R. Choudhri, 1935, in second-floor hall.
* Drypoint etching ''Buddha Serenity'' by Bertha Jaques, 1934, in Member Services office.
* Painting ''Toward the Light'' by [[E. L. Thomson]], in Webinar Department office.
* Portrait of [[Annie Besant]] by E. Hodgson Smart, temporarily in storage.

Buddhist scholar Glenn Mullin created a video tour called [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaoly96xxBw Buddhist Art at the Theosophical Society in America].

== Kitchen and dining room ==

In 2010, the basement kitchen and dining area were extensively remodeled. The dining room was renamed '''Nicholson Hall''' in honor of the Nicholson family whose generous donation made the renovation possible.

== Guest rooms ==
[[File:Guest room.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Guest room]]
Guest rooms are available at modest cost for visitors such as lecturers, board members, and academic researchers. The building was designed to provide housing for staff members, and since September 1927, there have always been some employees living there.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===
* [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/coloring-in-the-lines-around-my-think?highlight=WyJrcnVzZSJd Coloring in the Lines around My Think] by Don Kruse. This is an article by an artist who donated paintings that hang in the building.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kane_Pond Irving Kane Pond] in Wikipedia.

=== Books ===
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'''''. Edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009. A photocopy of the handwritten manuscript for this autobiography is in the Theosophical Society in America Archives.

=== Video ===

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw#t=60 The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour]'''. Posted on YouTube on June 13, 2012. Narrated by Tim Boyd.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 40th Annual Convention of the American Theosophical Society]'''. Highlights of the 1926 annual convention in Chicago, including cornerstone ceremony for the new headquarters building.
* '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaoly96xxBw Buddhist Art at the Theosophical Society in America]'''. A tour of the Buddhist art in the building, as described by Buddhist scholar Glenn Mullin.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNwSxchQ18 Murals at Olcott: Discover the Rich History and Symbolism of a Breathtaking Work of Art]'''. A video presentation of the history and imagery of the murals.
* '''[https://vimeo.com/1198174626 Centennial of Theosophical Society in Wheaton]'''. Presented by Janet Kerschner and Alex Audziayuk at the Wheaton Public Library on May 13 2026, sponsored by the Wheaton Historic Commission. Posted June 3, 1926 on City of Wheaton TV. Note that the background, captions, and photo frames of most slides were altered for Vimeo.

=== Archival materials ===

* Theosophical Society in America '''Archives Department''' has architect's drawings, 1926 blueprints, correspondence, and detailed specifications for each subcontractor (plumbing, roofing, etc.). See Records Series 09.04.01 for Rogers Building Construction Records, and series 43 for Blue prints and Architectural Renderings.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:TS Adyar]]

L. W. Rogers Building

2026-07-17T22:47:34Z

SysopJ: /* History */

[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|470px|thumb|right|L. W. Rogers Building, front view, 2007]]
[[File:Historic Building plaque.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Historic building plaque, 2025]]
The '''L. W. Rogers Building''' is the headquarters of the [[Theosophical Society in America]], located on the [[Olcott (campus)|Olcott campus]] in Wheaton, Illinois. It houses the business offices, auditorium, classroom, meditation room, staff residences, guest rooms, and the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]]. The building came to be named after [[L. W. Rogers]], during whose term as Theosophical Society president it was built. It has been listed on the '''[https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm#table National Register of Historic Places]''' under Reference Number 100011694.

See more of the building in videos '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw#t=60 The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour]''' and '''[https://vimeo.com/1198174626 Centennial of Theosophical Society in Wheaton]'''.

== History ==
[[File:Rogers_at_desk_1927.jpg|200px|thumb|right|L. W. Rogers at his desk in 1927. Image from TSA Archives.]]

In 1925 the [[American Theosophical Society]], now known as the [[Theosophical Society in America]], purchased land in Wheaton, Illinois for a new headquarters campus. The Board of Directors approached architect [[Claude Bragdon]], a prominent member of the Society, to design a building to serve as the national administrative center. Bragdon was then closing down his architectural practice to begin a career in theatrical design, and recommended a Chicago architect, '''[[Irving Kane Pond]]''', of Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, to take on the project. The architectural firm submitted two designs, and the Board could not decide between them, so President [[L. W. Rogers]] sent the drawings to Bragdon for review. Bragdon wired back that he preferred the asymmetrical design by Irving Pond over a symmetrical rendering by one of his partners.<ref>Claude Bragdon telegram to L. W. Rogers, 1926, TSA Archives.</ref>

The drawings from Irving Kane Pond's proposal were published in [[The Messenger (periodical)|''The Messenger'']], and the members were excited to see them. The original art works were created with pen and pastels. Along with blueprints, correspondence, and specifications, they have been preserved using grant funding from the '''Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board''' by the Archives Department of the Theosophical Society.
<gallery widths="140px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|Headquarters from southeast
File:Reception Hall.jpg|Reception hall
File:Library.jpg|Library
File:Front Elevation.jpg|Front Elevation
File:First Floor Plan.jpg|First Floor Plan
File:Second Floor Plan.jpg|Second Floor Plan
File:Third Floor Plan.jpg|Third Floor Plan
File:Basement Plan.jpg|Basement Plan
File:Irving Kane Pond initials.jpg|Irving Kane Pond signature
</gallery>

== Cornerstone ceremony ==
[[File:Cornerstone_crowd.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Crowds at cornerstone ceremony.]]
[[File:Cornerstone_1.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Annie Besant in cornerstone ceremony.]]
[[File:Cornerstone_parchment.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Parchment sealed in cornerstone]]
Construction began in 1926, and the cornerstone was laid on the afternoon of Sunday, [[August 29|August 29th]] in a [[Co-Freemasonry|Co-Masonic]] ceremony led by [[Annie Besant]]. [The precise time was not recorded.] The event was heavily covered by the ''Chicago Tribune'' and other newspapers, and people came by the hundreds on the interurban trains from Chicago to be present. In the photograph at the right, Annie Besant and [[A. P. Warrington]] are in front; [[L. W. Rogers]] appears between them; and architect '''Irving Kane Pond''' is third from the right (older man in dark suit). [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]] accompanied Annie Besant to Wheaton, but he does not appear in photographs of the ceremony. The architect mentioned the event in his autobiography. The cornerstone was filled with copies of major Theosophical texts such as ''The Secret Doctrine''. Also enclosed was a parchment signed by L. W. Rogers, vice president C. T. Holland, and the directors of the Board: Maude N. Couch, M. B. Hudson, E. C. Boxell, and H. Kay Campbell. Many prominent Theosophists were present, including [[Marie Poutz]], Albert Schwartz, [[Irving S. Cooper]], and [[Beatrice Wood]].

The cornerstone ceremony was featured in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube.
 
 
 

== Dedication ceremony ==

A dedication ceremony was conducted by the international president of the Theosophical Society, [[George S. Arundale]] on [[August 28]], 1927. He appears in the middle of the photograph below that appeared in the ''Chicago Tribune''. His wife [[Rukmini Devi Arundale|Rukmini Devi]] and L. W. Rogers are at the left, and A. P. Warrington at the far right. On [[September 17|September 17th]] the staff moved their offices and residences from Chicago.
[[File:Rogers_Building_Dedication_2.jpg|260px|thumb|center|Dedication, August 28, 1927.]]

== Architecture ==
[[File:Rogers Building from northeast 1931.jpg|280px|left|thumb|Rogers Building in 1931, from northeast]]
The architecture of Irving Kane Pond is difficult to classify, but the Rogers Building is generally considered to be Collegiate Gothic in style, with interiors influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement. The exterior was constructed of Bedford limestone and red brick, with a carved stone lintel over the main entrance.

The original roof was a mixture of purple and green slates. The building's asymmetrical design helps to create an impression that the building evolved organically over time, adjusting to the needs of its inhabitants. In point of fact, the exterior appearance has hardly changed over the years, and most spaces in the building are still used for the same functions they were designed to support. Architectural elements on the exterior include horizontal band courses, dentils, and decorative windows. Inside, most rooms are accented simply with dark wood. The three areas with more interesting design features are the lobby, the library, and the meditation room.
 
 
 
== Photo gallery of construction and 1920s exteriors ==
<gallery widths="140px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Construction1 1926 from SE.jpg|Construction site, taken from southeast in 1926
File:Construction2 1927 from SE.jpg|View from southeast in 1927
File:Construction3 from west July 1927.jpg|View from west in 1927
File:Construction4_from_NW_Jul_27_1927.jpg|View from northwest, July 27, 1927
File:From east 1927.jpg|View from east in 1927
File:Construction5_from_NE_July_1927.jpg|View from northeast, July, 1927
File:View from ESE with new driveway.jpg|View from east southeast, late in 1927
File:Rear view late 1920s.jpg|View from west, late 1920s
File:Rogers Building from NW.jpg|View from northwest, late 1920s
</gallery>

== Photo gallery of 1920s interiors ==
<gallery widths="140px" heights="100px" perrow="5">
File:Reception Hall 1.jpg|Reception hall
File:Reception Hall 2 .jpg|Reception hall
File:Presidents Office.jpg|President L. W. Rogers
File:Kay Campbell in office 1928.jpg|National Secretary Kay Campbell
File:Living Room.jpg|Living room
File:Library 1928.jpg|Library
File:Bookkeeping Office.jpg|Bookkeeping office
File:Records Office.jpg|Records office
File:Records Office 2.jpg|Records office
File:Bedroom 1928.jpg|Bedroom
File:Furnace Room 1927.jpg|Boiler room
</gallery>

== Lobby and murals ==

The lobby is a open two-story space with entrances on the east and west. An oriel window permits the President's secretary to see visitors from above. The outstanding feature of the lobby is the '''[[Murals at Olcott (art work)|mural]]''' painted by [[Richard Blossom Farley]] on commission from Theosophist and arts patron [[Georgine Shillard-Smith]]. '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNwSxchQ18 "Murals at Olcott: Discover the Rich History and Symbolism of a Breathtaking Work of Art"]''' is a video presentation of its history and imagery.

== Meditation room ==

The meditation room is a serene space used only for meditation or meditation classes. Staff members gather every morning at 8:30 for 15 minutes for a group practice, and a healing group meets each Wednesday evening. Beautiful art works and oriental carpets line the room, including a thanka presented by the [[Tenzin Gyatso, the XIV Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] in 1981 and a painting of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky by [[Gutzon Borglum]], sculptor of Mount Rushmore. Just outside the doors of the meditation room are two pastels by Theosophist [[Burton Callicott]] They are [[Mandorla (art work)|''Mandorla'']] and [[Antahkarana (art work)|''Antahkarana'']].

== Library ==
[[File:Library_reading_room.jpg|200px|thumb|right|Library reading room]]
The [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]], formerly known as the [[Olcott Library and Research Center]], is a beautiful space that is used for meetings and performances as well as traditional library activities. The library was expanded in 1964 to add space on three levels. The architects were Theosophists Lillian and Wilbur Leenhouts of Milwaukee.
 
== Auditorium ==
[[File:Auditorium.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Auditorium]]
The third-floor auditorium is used for lectures, workshops, yoga classes, conferences, and numerous other activities throughout the year. The space was remodeled in 2009, benefiting from the Bland administration's Capital Funds Campaign. A column was removed to improve sight-lines for the audience. The sub-floor was rebuilt and new carpeting was installed. Co-Masons donated a beautiful door and door frame featuring stained glass with the Society's emblem etched into it. New audiovisual equipment was installed to support Webcasts and recording of programs.

The anteroom to the auditorium was established as the '''Olcott Gallery''' during the administration of [[John Algeo]]. Exhibits were changed quarterly, with the artists are announced in [[The Quest (periodical)|''Quest'' magazine]]. In recent years a permanent display of photos has filled the gallery.
 
 

== Art works on permanent display ==
[[File:Krishnamurti painting.jpg|130px|right|thumb|J. Krishnamurti portrait. Painted from a photograph in 1926 by Henry Schwartz.]]
Numerous paintings, sculptures, Buddhist thankas, and oriental rugs decorate the building. Some of the most prominent works include:
* Madonna by Italian Renaissance painter Il Morreto (Alessandro Bonvicino, 1498-1554), in library.
* [[Schwartz Portrait of Krishnamurti (art work)|Portrait]] of [[Jiddu Krishnamurti]], by Henry Schwartz, in second-floor hall.
* Three paintings, ''Demon Queller'', ''Toys'', and ''Suffering Fools'', by [[Don Kruse]], temporarily in storage.
* Portrait of H. P. Blavatsky by [[Gutzon Borglum]], in Meditation Room.
* [[Antahkarana (art work)|''Antahkarana'']], pastel by [[Burton Callicott]], by Meditation Room door.
* [[Mandorla (art work)|''Mandorla'']], pastel by [[Burton Callicott]], by Meditation Room door.
* [[Mandorla No. 12 (art work)|''Mandorla No. 12'']], painting by [[Burton Callicott]], in staircase to auditorium.
* ''Tantric Circle'' sculpture, by Michael Cullen Todd, 1985, on front lawn.
* ''Slant'' sculpture, by David Middlebrook, 1984, on front lawn.
* Thanka donated by [[Dalai Lama]], 1981, in Meditation Room.
* Portrait of [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] by [[Erling Roberts]], temporarily in storage.
* [[The Three Objects (art work)|''The Three Objects'']], 1944, calligraphy by [[A. Theodore Bondy]], in second-floor hall.
* Bust of [[Annie Besant]] by D. R. Choudhri, 1935, in second-floor hall.
* Drypoint etching ''Buddha Serenity'' by Bertha Jaques, 1934, in Member Services office.
* Painting ''Toward the Light'' by [[E. L. Thomson]], in Webinar Department office.
* Portrait of [[Annie Besant]] by E. Hodgson Smart, temporarily in storage.

Buddhist scholar Glenn Mullin created a video tour called [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaoly96xxBw Buddhist Art at the Theosophical Society in America].

== Kitchen and dining room ==

In 2010, the basement kitchen and dining area were extensively remodeled. The dining room was renamed '''Nicholson Hall''' in honor of the Nicholson family whose generous donation made the renovation possible.

== Guest rooms ==
[[File:Guest room.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Guest room]]
Guest rooms are available at modest cost for visitors such as lecturers, board members, and academic researchers. The building was designed to provide housing for staff members, and since September 1927, there have always been some employees living there.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===
* [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/coloring-in-the-lines-around-my-think?highlight=WyJrcnVzZSJd Coloring in the Lines around My Think] by Don Kruse. This is an article by an artist who donated paintings that hang in the building.
* [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Kane_Pond Irving Kane Pond] in Wikipedia.

=== Books ===
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'''''. Edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009. A photocopy of the handwritten manuscript for this autobiography is in the Theosophical Society in America Archives.

=== Video ===

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw#t=60 The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour]'''. Posted on YouTube on June 13, 2012. Narrated by Tim Boyd.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 40th Annual Convention of the American Theosophical Society]'''. Highlights of the 1926 annual convention in Chicago, including cornerstone ceremony for the new headquarters building.
* '''[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jaoly96xxBw Buddhist Art at the Theosophical Society in America]'''. A tour of the Buddhist art in the building, as described by Buddhist scholar Glenn Mullin.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quNwSxchQ18 Murals at Olcott: Discover the Rich History and Symbolism of a Breathtaking Work of Art]'''. A video presentation of the history and imagery of the murals.
* '''[https://vimeo.com/1198174626 Centennial of Theosophical Society in Wheaton]'''. Presented by Janet Kerschner and Alex Audziayuk at the Wheaton Public Library on May 13 2026, sponsored by the Wheaton Historic Commission. Posted June 3, 1926 on City of Wheaton TV. Note that the background, captions, and photo frames of most slides were altered for Vimeo.

=== Archival materials ===

* Theosophical Society in America '''Archives Department''' has architect's drawings, 1926 blueprints, correspondence, and detailed specifications for each subcontractor (plumbing, roofing, etc.). See Records Series 09.04.01 for Rogers Building Construction Records, and series 43 for Blue prints and Architectural Renderings.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Places]]
[[Category:TS Adyar]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T16:01:40Z

SysopJ: /* Circus and acrobatics */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
Pond first saw a circus as a young child and was deeply impressed. He and his brother practiced acrobatics, walking along the top of a wooden fence and hanging trapezes in the barn. Throughout his life Pond remained highly athletic, performing handsprings and leaping into the air for a quick aerial somersault. His profound appreciation of the skill and artistry of circus performers was expressed in his 1937 book '''''Big Top Rhythms'''''. It is a thoroughly engaging account of his experiences with circus people, and their discipline in perfecting their performances, along with the rhythms and cycles of circus life.

Pond often made use of his athletic skills
<blockquote>
Before the age of five, I had begun those exercises in the air which eliminated all sense of fear of altitudes. . . and gave me a self-reliance which has contributed to a practical as well as an aesthetic advantage. In me was instilled the confidence to walk, as I have many a time in supervising construction, the four or five inch flange of an I-beam two hundred feet in the air - with a chance to fall the entire distance; or to stand, gesticulating with legs and feet, on my head upon a perch about eighteen inches in diameter at the top of a skeleton spire with a clear fall of one hundred and fifty feet beneath me, as I did some time in my thirteenth year.<ref>Irving Kane Pond ''Big Top Rhythms'' (Chicago: Willett, Clark and Company,, 1937), 45-46.</ref>
</blockquote>

On his 80th birthday, he grabbed his bare knees with both hands and performed a that was caught in a published in ''Life'' magazine in June 1937.<ref>Anonymous, "Life on the American Newsfront: Octogenarian Architect Turns Birthday Back Flip" ''Life'' (June 14, 1937): 28. See [https://books.google.com/books?id=yUQEAAAAMBAJ&dq=Life+1937+Pond&pg=PA28 Life]].</ref>

[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]

=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T15:07:09Z

SysopJ:

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

== Theosophical Society connections ==
[[File:Headquarters view from southeast.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Drawing of Rogers Building]]
Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==
[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T14:58:58Z

SysopJ: /* Writings */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
== Theosophical Society connections ==

Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==

* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois Society of Architects. ''Monthly Bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1 (June-July, 1934): 6-8.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T14:56:00Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
== Theosophical Society connections ==

Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance. . . I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==

* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois society of architects. ''Monthly bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1, June-July, 1934. 6-8 pages.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T14:55:37Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
== Theosophical Society connections ==

Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult [Theosophical Society], notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance...I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==

* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois society of architects. ''Monthly bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1, June-July, 1934. 6-8 pages.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-17T14:54:52Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
== Theosophical Society connections ==

Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who returned a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult, notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance...I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==

* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois society of architects. ''Monthly bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1, June-July, 1934. 6-8 pages.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T21:42:37Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
== Theosophical Society connections ==

Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who sent back a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]'''. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult, notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance...I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==

* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois society of architects. ''Monthly bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1, June-July, 1934. 6-8 pages.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T21:40:26Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

ľ'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''Irving Kane Pond''' (1857-1939) and his brother '''Allen Bartlitt Pond''' (1858–1929) were Chicago architects, and leading partners in the prominent firm Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd. Irving Kane Pond designed the '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''', headquarters of the [[American Theosophical Society]] in Wheaton, Illinois.

[[File:Autobiography of I K Pond.jpg|170px|right|thumb|''Autobiography'']]
== Personal life ==
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Irving_Kane_Pond,_1876.jpg|170px|left|thumb|Irving Kane Pond, 1876]]
== Architectural work ==
 
 

=== Training and early work ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
=== Philosophy and style ===
<blockquote>
The Ponds sought to create a modern American architecture without rejecting architectural stylistic traditions, but simplifying them through the emphasis of geometry and the inherent quality of building materials and construction. In that regard, the Ponds were strongly influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement, with the emphasis on honest materials used honestly.<ref>David Swan, Preface to ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Eliihu'' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum (Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009), vii.</ref>
</blockquote>

Strong sense of social responsibility .....

<blockquote>
Stylistically Irving Pond did not totally fit in one category or another. He stood in the role of an intermediary, halfway between the revolutionary aesthetics and technology of the Chicago School and the Prairie School and the taste for traditional architecture his clients often felt that precedent or literary aesthetics required. His architecture used traditional materials especially brick and employed traditional forms such as gable roofs, but his designs embraced a geometric simplicity with no embellishments — a tenet of the Arts & Crafts movement.<ref>from Ravinia School nomination ..... </ref>
</blockquote>

=== Participation in architectural organizations ===

=== Gallery of architectural projects ===
'''The L. W. Rogers Building and similar structures'''
[[File:Rogers_Building_1a.jpg|center|400px|thumb|L. W. Rogers Building, 1926]]

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:MIchigan Union, 1919.png|Michigan Union, 1919
File:Purdue Memorial Union, 1924.JPG||Purdue Memorial Union, 1924
File:MSU Union Building, 1925.jpg|Michigan State University Union, 1925
File:Kansas Memorial Union, 1927.png|Kansas Memorial Union, 1927
File:Michigan League, 1929.jpg|Michigan League, 1929
</gallery>

'''Examples of other buildings'''

<gallery widths="200px" perrow="4">
File:Highland Park Club House..png|Highland Park Club House, 1891
File:Oregon Public Library.jpg|Oregon Public Library, 1909
File:Manor House Kenosha.jpg|Manor House, Kenosha, WI, 1926
</gallery>

== Other activities ==

=== Circus and acrobatics ===
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
[[File:Northwestern_University_Settlement_House_.jpg|right|220px|thumb|Northwestern University Settlement House]]
=== Settlement House movement ===

The Pond brothers were strong supporters of the settlement house movement that developed in Chicago during the Progressive Era. They designed many facilities for '''Jane Addams' Hull House''', a complex of thirteen buildings providing social services, child care, and adult education. Allen Bartlitt Pond served on the board of directors for Hull House.

The '''Northwestern University Settlement House''' at 1400 West Augusta was designed by Pond and Pond in 1901, and has been designated a Chicago Landmark.
 
 
 

=== Social clubs and memberships ===
Chicago Literary Club

[[File:Big Top Rhythms.jpg|right|170px|thumb|''Big Top Rhythms'']]
== Theosophical Society connections ==

Theosophist and architect '''[[Claude Fayette Bragdon]]''' (1866-1946) was a friend of Irving Kane Pond. In 1926, when the [[American Theosophical Society]] was planning its new national center in Wheaton, Illinois, Bragdon was asked to design it. He was then reorienting his career from architecture to stage design, so he declined. He recommended engaging Pond & Pond, Martin & Lloyd, the Chicago architectural firm headed by his friend Irving Kane Pond, and the Society followed his advice. The architects submitted two designs for consideration, and the Society's Board of Directors was evenly divided over which should be the finalist. President L. W. Rogers sent both drawings to Bragdon, who sent back a telegram saying that his preference would be the "asymmetrical" design, and that is the one that was built. It is now called the [[L. W. Rogers Building]]. Pond wrote:
<blockquote>
Bragdon referred his clients to me as one who could empathize with their ideas and minister to their needs. The building was built from our plans and at the laying of the corner stone, as well as upon other occasions, I had the prestige of meeting many of the internationally famous of the Cult, notably [[Annie Besant]] and the newly discovered messiah, [[Jiddu Krishnamurti|Krishnamurti]], a soulful eyed boy who was being led about as in a trance...I stood where it was indicated that I should stand until, when at a point in the ritual, I should step forward and lay the stone "plum" and "square" and "true." I stayed after the ceremony and helped the mason reset the stone properly. I found laiety (sic) and leaders to be a gentle lot and later learned that Krishnamurti had developed an individuality, which, probably, he had been at pains to conceal, and refused further to be exploited.<ref>Irving Kane Pond, ''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu'', edited by David Swan and Terry Tatum, with an introduction by Guy Szuberla (Oak Park, Illinois: Hyoogen Press Inc, 2009):304-305.</ref>
</blockquote>

Pond can be seen at the cornerstone ceremony with Annie Besant in a '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-vuNwK3RU 1926 silent film]''' that is available on YouTube. He also presented Mrs. Besant with a tube, but the contents are not known.

Another Theosophist with whom Pond had some connection was the Chicago etcher '''[[Bertha Jaques]]'''. When her book ''A Country Quest'' was published in 1936, she gave a copy to Irving Kane Pond, bearing the inscription "To Irving K. Pond with best wishes. Bertha E. Jaques. Christmas 1936." It is possible that they met at the cornerstone ceremony in Wheaton, Illinois on August 29 ten years earlier, but otherwise they may have become acquainted through artistic or social groups. Both were heavily engaged in the arts and social activism, and they shared a love of Michigan, the subject of her book. The copy that she gave to Pond was donated with his library to his alma mater, the University of Michigan, and is available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/740477891.html Hathitrust].

== Writings ==

* '''''The Meaning Of Architecture: An Essay In Constructive Criticism'''''. Boston, Marshall Jones Company, 1918. 226 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/971540.html Hathitrust] and several versions at [https://archive.org/details/meaningofarchite00pond Internet Archive]. A historical reproduction of the 1923 edition is available at [https://www.amazon.com/meaning-architecture-essay-constructive-criticism/dp/1117177548 Amazon.com].
* '''"Eliel Saarinen and his work a word of appreciation and greeting"'''. 1923. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=bctPAAAAMAAJ and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008062880&seq=1 Hathitrust]. Pages extracted from ''The Western Architect'' 32 no. 7 (July, 1923): 75-76 plus plates.
* '''''A Day Under the Big Top, a Study in Life and Art'''''. Chicago: Chicago Literary Club, 1924. 40 pages, with 4 diagrams. "Edition, five hundred and fifteen copies, printed for members of the club in the month of March, nineteen hundred and twenty-four." About circus and acrobatics. Available at [https://books.google.com/books?id=tWB0SUDY1JoC Google Books] and [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015062226652&seq=7 Hathitrust].
* '''''The College Union'''''. [New York], 1931. 16 pages. Limited availability at [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015004162973 Hathitrust] and [https://books.google.com/books?id=a_fVAAAAMAAJ Google Books].
* '''"Pullman - America's First Planned Industrial Town"'''. Illinois society of architects. ''Monthly bulletin'' vol. 18-19, nos. 12-1, June-July, 1934. 6-8 pages.
* '''''Big Top Rhythms: A Study in Art and Life''''', written and illustrated by Pond. Chicago, New York, Willett, Clark and Company, 1937. 229 pages, illustrations.
* '''''A Strange Fellow, and Other Club Papers''''', written and illustrated by Pond New York, Chicago, Priv. Print. by Willett, Clark and Company, 1938. 224 pages, illustrations. Available at [https://catalog.hathitrust.org/api/volumes/oclc/2976903.html Hathitrust], [https://libsysdigi.library.illinois.edu/OCA/Books2012-05/strangefellowoth00ilpond/ Open Content Alliance], and [https://archive.org/details/strangefellowoth00ilpond Internet Archive].
* '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond''''', written in the 1930s and published posthumously. Edited by Terry Tatum and David Swan. Oak Park, IL: Hyoogen Press, 2009.

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===

* Szuberla, Guy. "⁨Irving Kane Pond: a Michigan Architect in Chicago" ''Old Northwest'' 5 no. 2 (Summer, 1979): 109-140.

=== Books ===

* Pond, Irving Kane. '''''The Autobiography of Irving K. Pond: The Sons of Mary and Elihu''''' ed.David Swan and Terry Tatum. Oak Park, Ill: The Hyoogen Press, 2009.

=== Archival collections ===

* '''The University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library'''.
** [https://findingaids.lib.umich.edu/catalog/umich-bhl-852090 Pond Family Papers, 1841-1939]. "Correspondence of Elihu B. Pond, editor of Michigan Argus, his sons, Chicago architects, Irving Kane and Allen Bartlit Pond, founders of firm of Pond & Pond, and other family members; include materials concerning family affairs, architectural projects, Jane Addams and the work of Hull House, European travels, politics especially as relates to period of the Civil War and the election of 1896; also photographs, architectural drawings and other visual materials."
* '''The Art Institute of Chicago: Ryerson and Burnham Art and Architecture Archives''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://www.artic.edu/artworks/262324/pond-and-pond-collection Pond and Pond Collection, c.1895-1938]. "Correspondence, albums, black and white photographic prints, architectural drawings, and architectural reprographic prints."
* '''The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts''', Chicago, Illinois.
** [https://explore.chicagocollections.org/ead/newberry/72/xw4 American Circus Collection, 1891-1939]. "Late 19th and early 20th century circus and theater related illustrations, publicity, programs, photographs and memorabilia" donated by Irving Kane Pond, 1939.
** [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/398 Chicago Literary Club records]. Irving Kane Pond was active in this club, and its records include "weekly papers read by over 250 members, but also correspondence, minutes, a visitors' register, cashbook, and scrapbooks."
* '''Columbia University Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library''', New York.
** [https://findingaids.library.columbia.edu/pdf/cul-3460598.pdf Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue architectural drawings and papers 3460598]. Materials related to Irving Kane Pond, Claude Bragdon, and many other architects.
* '''Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog''' Historic American Buildings Survey, Engineering Record, Landscapes Survey, Washington DC.
** [https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/il1014/ Junior League of Chicago, 1447 North Astor Street, Chicago, Cook County, IL]
* '''The Athenaeum of Philadelphia''', Philadelphia, PA.
** [https://archives.philaathenaeum.org/agents/people/116 Pond, Irving K. (Irving Kane), 1857-1939]. "Correspondence to Seeler from architects, designers, and/or members of theAmerican Institute of Architects, both in Boston and Washington DC."

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Architects|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Writers|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:Nationality American|Pond, Irving Kane]]
[[Category:People|Pond, Irving Kane]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T21:26:28Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T21:25:12Z

SysopJ: /* Settlement House movement */

Bing Escudero

2026-07-16T18:53:22Z

SysopJ: /* Websites */

[[File:Bing Escudero.jpg|190px|right|thumb|Bing Escudero]]
'''Bing Escudero''' was a prominent lecturer and teacher in the [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]].

== Early years and education ==

Francisco T. Escudero, known as "Bing," was born on [[April 19]], 1930 in Jolo, Sulu, the Philippines.<ref>Francisco T. Escudero in Membership Ledger Cards roll 2. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> He was a graduate in Philosophy and Psychology at the Far Eastern University in Manilla, and worked as a management consultant at Perco, Inc. He and his wife Rosalina ("Rosie") had several children.

[[File:Rosie and Bing Escudero.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Rosie and Bing Escudero]]
[[File:Bing Escudero at TAMU.png|right|180px|thumb|Advertisement for lecture]]

== Theosophical work ==

He became a member of the Theosophical Society in 1949 and served as National President of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines for a short while in 1969.<ref>[http://theosophy.ph/TSPhistory.html Brief Chronology of the Theosophical Society]. Posted by the Theosophical Society in the Philippines. Accessed February 20, 2024.</ref> He transferred his membership to the American Section on December 12, 1972.<ref>Francisco T. Escudero in Membership Ledger Cards roll 2. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> Rosalina worked as Vice Consul for the Philippines.

After settling in Seattle, Washington, Bing held office as President of the Northwest Federation of the Theosophical Society in America. From June 1977 to 1988, he worked at the national center in Wheaton, Illinois, living on campus with his wife Rosie. As a national lecturer, he traveled all over the United States speaking to theosophical groups, and also to other audiences on behalf of the TSA. For example, in 1983 he lectured on "Spiritual and Psychic Powers" to the TAMU Metaphysical Society at Texas A&M University.<ref>Advertisement in ''Battalion'' [student newspaper]. (February 16, 1983): 3.</ref>

Some of his lectures are available as '''[[Bing Escudero#Audio|audio recordings]]'''.

== Involvement with the Martinist Order ==

In 1991, Mr. Escudero came in contact with the Martinist Order of the Netherlands in 1991. He became one if its Initiators three years later, and influenced the growth of Martinism in the central United States.<ref>Martinist Order of the Netherlands Web page [http://kingsgarden.org/english/organizations/om.gb/Escudero/Escudero.html], accessed March 30, 2012.</ref>

== Later years ==

During his last years, he founded and presided over the Unisophia Research Institute at the Narada Theosophical Society in 2000. It was dedicated to the publication and preservation of his writings. He wrote monthly lessons in a newsletter called ''Summa Sophia''.

He died on [[April 29]], 2005.

== In memorium ==

The Theosophical Society in Seattle posted this on their Website:

<blockquote>
It is with Deep Regret that we announce to the Theosophical world the death of our Theosophical Scholar and Mentor, Bing Escudero passed into the Light on April 29, 2005 at around 4:30 pm at the home of his son Riel in Kent, Washington, USA.

He leaves a great chasm. He also leaves us a legacy, The Unisophia Research Study Institute which we hope to help grow and prosper celebrating Bing's dedicated life as its Legacy. We hope to disseminate among all T. S. his works, (writings, etc. that he has accomplished in this incarnation.)

Bing Escudero had been an active member of the Theosophical Society since 1949. He was a graduate in Philosophy and Psychology, Far Eastern University, Manila, was formerly the National President of the Theosophical Society in the Philippines. He had a varied background in philosophy, industrial engineering and management consulting, university teaching and administration. Bing was born in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines.

He had conducted courses of study on The Secret Doctrine, The Ancient Mysteries and other theosophical themes in many of the major cities of the United States. He previously held office as President of the Northwest Federation of the Theosophical Society in America and in June, 1977 began to work full time for the American Section and became its leading lecturer.

He made Speaking Tours throughout the American Section, visiting over a hundred places, and had been enthusiastically accepted by the membership. He had the heart of a little child and his tenderness was only equaled by his strength His energy, his vision, his simplicity in explaining deep occult teachings, his absolute loyalty to the Theosophical Society.

During his later years he worked with The Narada Theosophical Society, bringing his teachings, writings, and lectures to many students of Theosophy. Our love and thoughts are with Rosie and Bing's family at this time of his leaving. Remember- he is in the Light. Recall him only as Being in the Light! Bing was our Scholar and our mentor and helped our Lodge back into active Being. We will honor him by bringing his vehicle - Unisophia Research Study Institute to life and being!

Submitted by the Narada Theosophical Society for posting on Theosophical Society in Seattle Web page.<ref>"Bing Escudero," Theosophical Society in Seattle Web page [http://www.seattle-ts.org/Bing.htm] accessed March 30, 2012.</ref>
</blockquote>

== Additional resources ==

=== Audio ===

All of these presentations were made at the Theosophical Society in America, Wheaton, Illinois, unless otherwise stated.

* '''Basic Teachings of Theosophy series''':
** Part 1 - '''[https://archive.org/details/basicteachingsoftheosophymaintenetsoftheosophy Main Tenets of Theosophy]'''. 1980. 86 minutes. The sevenfold nature of the cosmos, karma, reincarnation, and various approaches to a Theosophical life.
** Part 2 - '''[https://archive.org/details/basicteachingsoftheosophyourseptenaryuniverse Our Septenary Universe]'''. 1980. 86 minutes. Harnessing higher energies and inner forces to live more intelligently.
** Part 3 - '''[https://archive.org/details/basicteachingsoftheosophyour7foldnatureconsciousness Our Seven-fold Nature and Consciousness]'''. 1980. 89 minutes. Explanation of the levels of the human being beyond the physical.
** Part 4 - '''[https://archive.org/details/basicteachingsoftheosophykarmiclawsandrebirthcycles Karmic Laws and Rebirth Cycles]'''. 1980. 86 minutes. How karma helps us understand inequities of human existence.
** Part 5 - '''[https://archive.org/details/basicteachingsoftheosophyapproachestothelifespiritual Approaches to the Life Spiritual]'''. 1980. 89 minutes. The transformative role of study, meditation, and service.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/thoughtintuitionaction Thought, Intuition, and Action]'''. 1986. 58 minutes. The nature of spiritual laws that operate in the universe are discussed in the context of ideals and virtues.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/thebasisofoccultwisdom The Basis of Occult Wisdom]'''. 1982. 82 minutes.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/1071_20190725 The Nature of Christian Mysticism]'''. 1984. 78 minutes. The nature of Christian symbolism involved in the mass, sacrifice, consecration, and communion are related to stages in Christ's life.
*''' [https://archive.org/details/theesotericsignificanceofchristmas The Esoteric Significance of Christmas]'''. 1979. 56 minutes. A discussion of literal interpretations in Christianity.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/innerpathandinititiation The Inner Path and Initiation]'''. 1984. 69 minutes. The inner path is about turning away from outer senses and focusing on an inner journey.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/resurrectionasasymbolofspiritualgrowth Resurrection as a Symbol of Spiritual Growth]'''. 1984. 83 minutes. Symbolizes stages of spiritual growth through the events in Christ's life and relates this to everyday life.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/practicalaspectsofmeditation Practical Aspects of Meditation]'''. 1986. 87 minutes. Discussion on how to meditate. Study guide available online with audio.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/study-of-pleasure-and-pain Study of Pleasure and Pain]'''. 1981. 66 minutes. Levels of pain; physical, emotional, and mental and just what it is that experiences this pain. Specific suggestions for pain management.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/creativesolutionstocriticalproblems Creative Solutions to Critical Problems]'''. 1985. 66 minutes. Explores global and individual problems and offers creative ways of solving them.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/principles-of-meditation Principles of Meditation]'''. 62 minutes. Discussion regarding how we are looking for truth, reality, that extra something in life. We try to find it outside ourselves, but it is in ourselves.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/theesotericbasisofchristianity The Esoterica Basis of Christianity]'''. 1985. 60 minutes. A discussion about esoteric symbolism in Christianity.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/thecycleoflifeandrebirth The Cycle of Life and Rebirth]'''. Presented in 1986. 55 Minutes. This talk focuses on cycles, matter, energy, and states of consciousness between lives.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/118901 Cosmic Order and Karma]''' in two parts. 1983. 84 minutes. An explanation of types of karma including total, ripe and future karma as well as individual, family and national karma.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/exploringnewdirections Exploring New Directions]'''. 1987. 44 minutes. A panel discussion during the 101st Annual Summer School Convention for the Theosophical Society in America about the direction and meaning of the work of the Theosophical Society and of Theosophy itself.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Lecturers|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:Writers|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:Educators|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:Business careers|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:General Secretaries in TS Adyar|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:Nationality Filipino|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:Nationality Naturalized American|Escudero, Bing]]
[[Category:People|Escudero, Bing]]

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T15:46:38Z

SysopJ: /* Theosophical Society connections */

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T15:28:08Z

SysopJ: /* Writings */

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T14:17:47Z

SysopJ:

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T08:08:28Z

SysopJ: /* Writings */

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T08:07:56Z

SysopJ: /* Other activities */

Irving Kane Pond

2026-07-16T08:07:12Z

SysopJ: /* Other activities */

File:Northwestern University Settlement House .jpg

2026-07-16T07:50:57Z

SysopJ: Northwestern University Settlement House at 1400 West Augusta, Chicago. This building was designed by Irving Kane Pond and Allen Bartlitt Pond in 1901. Image from Wikimedia.

== Summary ==
Northwestern University Settlement House at 1400 West Augusta, Chicago. This building was designed by [[Irving Kane Pond]] and Allen Bartlitt Pond in 1901. Image from Wikimedia.

Olcott (campus)

2026-07-13T21:27:39Z

SysopJ: /* Additional resources */

[[File:Olcott Aerial view.jpg|430px|right|thumb|Aerial view of campus in 1940s. Image from TSA Archives.]]
[[File:Olcott_Arboretum_logo.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Logo of the '''[[Olcott Arboretum]]''']]
'''Olcott''' is the headquarters estate of the [[Theosophical Society in America]], located in Wheaton, Illinois. It comprises about 41 acres (16.6 hectares) of land, with offices and library in the [[L. W. Rogers Building]], now listed on the '''[https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nationalregister/database-research.htm#table National Register of Historic Places]''', '''Reference Number 100011694'''. Other structures include the [[Quest Bookshop (Wheaton)|Quest Bookshop]] and the [[Theosophical Publishing House (Wheaton)|Theosophical Publishing House]] in the Joy Mills Building; warehouse, garages, and maintenance buildings; and houses occupied by employees. The campus and its buildings are entirely vegetarian, and the staff practices recycling, composting, and community gardening in partnership with '''[https://sustaindupage.com/garden Sustain DuPage]'''.

The park-like grounds and '''[https://labyrinthlocator.org/?fwp_city=Wheaton&fwp_state=il labyrinth]''' are open to the public from dawn to dusk throughout the year. In 2019 the campus was designated as '''[https://theosophy.wiki/en/Olcott_Arboretum Olcott Arboretum]''' by ArbNet, an international body of accreditation for arboreta.

These are video tours of the campus and its history:
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFXPgUdWdHw ''The Theosophical Society in America: A Brief Tour'']''', 2012.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLI-uLS6IBg ''The Olcott Campus'']''' by Susan Ohlhaber, 2002.

== Purchase of the land ==
President [[L. W. Rogers]] of the [[American Theosophical Society]], now known as the Theosophical Society in America, initiated a search for a permanent headquarters location. The Society had outgrown its Chicago building at 826 Oakdale Avenue. Mr. Rogers sought a new site that was centrally located - that is, within 500 miles of Chicago; near excellent rail transportation; with inexpensive land available in an attractive rural setting. The search was well publicized. Society members wrote to propose locations, and local officials from across the Midwest offered sites. National Secretary Kay Campbell found land in Wheaton that fulfilled all the requirements, and early in 1925 the Society purchased almost 10 acres (4 hectares) of farmland on North Main Street. The original acreage is shown in the aerial photograph above.

No mortgage was ever necessary to purchase land or finance construction. L. W. Rogers and his successor [[Sidney A. Cook]] worked out a plan for members to lend money in exchange for interest-bearing bonds, even through the difficult years of the Great Depression. Many of the paid-off bonds were burned in a joyful ceremony at the 1938 summer convention, and the final debt was eliminated in 1944.<ref>Janet Kerschner, "When We Burned the Bonds," ''Quest'' 95.5 (September-October, 2007). Available at [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/when-we-burned-the-bonds?highlight=WyJrZXJzY2huZXIiXQ== TSA website].</ref>

Over the years, many Society members bought parcels of land adjoining the estate, and donated them to expand the headquarters estate to its current dimensions.

== Landscaping in 1920s and 1930s ==
When purchased, the land was plowed a farm field. The first priority of members was to establish a grove of trees, so on [[May 6]], 1925, Kay Campbell and several others planted the first sapling, a silver linden. Within a few weeks, dozens of trees were planted. A small cottage was built for the caretaker, who started to work on a water feature to take advantage of the stream of water that ran across the middle of the acreage. Members nationwide donated money and plants to create a park-like atmosphere at their new headquarters, and followed the progress each month in [[The Messenger (periodical)|''The Messenger'']] and [[The Theosophical Messenger (periodical)|''The Theosophical Messenger'']].

Gradually the estate took on a park-like atmosphere. Several groves and gardens were established from donations of specific members, such as the Aubrey Garden named after the deceased young son of [[Sidney A. Cook]]. Members donated money for recreational facilities to be used by the staff, and by visitors during the summer sessions. A tennis court was constructed, along with three smaller courts for quoit-tennis (also called deck tennis). The water feature was shaped with blocks of stone, and included several pools for water lilies. Unfortunately, the water table dropped sometime in the later 1930s or early 1940s, when Geneva Road (the north boundary of the property) was paved, and water no longer flowed to fill the ponds.
<gallery>
File:Planting first tree 1925.jpg|Kay Campbell planting first tree at Olcott.
File:Water garden from SE.jpg|Water garden under construction, August 1925.
File:Grove and cottage Aug 8 1926 view to W.jpg|Grove and cottage on August 8, 1926, viewed from east.
File:Mr Gill with tractor Jul 24 1927.jpg|Caretaker Mr. Gill with Fordson tractor on July 24, 1927.
</gallery>

== L. W. Rogers Building ==

The '''[[L. W. Rogers Building]]''' was constructed in 1926-1927. From that time it has housed the Society's administrative offices, national library, and public programming.

[[File:Gateway arch 1.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Entrance arch by Claude Bragdon]]
== Entrance arch ==

At the summer convention in 1940, a new structure was unveiled for members in a [[Co-Freemasonry|Co-Masonic]] dedication ceremony. An '''archway''' was installed at the Main Street entrance to the campus. It was designed by Theosophist [[Claude Bragdon]], an architect, artist, writer, and editor from New York. The cost of the project was underwritten anonymously by a member from Portland, Oregon, later acknowledged to be John H. Mason.
[[File:Entrance Arch 1.jpg|left|220px|thumb|Blueprint of Entrance Arch, 1940]]
Two stone and brick support columns are topped by carved Platonic solids - a dodecahedron and an icosahedron. Between them is a wrought iron arch with the name of the Theosophical Society in America and the TS emblem in the center. Originally a lighted lantern hung from the emblem, but it had to be removed in later years when vehicles became taller.

In 1942, then-President [[Sidney A. Cook]] wrote:
<blockquote>
As I look out my office window a car stops at our gateway, as cars often do, while its occupants read the bronze plaques on its pillars, moving from the one to the other to read the whole of the statements they contain as to the founding, the Founders and the principles. The car passes on, but our Headquarters has made its impression; the breadth and dignity of our principles have sown seed.
<ref>S.A.C.[Sidney A. Cook], "Our Gateway," ''The American Theosophist 30.3 (March, 1942), 70.</ref>
</blockquote>
[[File:Perkins Pond.jpg|240px|right|thumb|Perkins Pond, 2010]]
In 1989, the entire gateway had to be moved a few feet to accommodate a turn lane in Main Street, when an apartment complex was built across the street.

== Perkins Pond ==
Land at the south central portion of the estate was donated by [[Georgine Shillard-Smith]] for an arts center. Funding for the building was never available, and eventually, President [[James S. Perkins]] decided to follow the natural flow of water across the land and create a pond on that site. He himself operated the construction equipment used to carve it out, and the pond was named after him. It serves as a beautiful focal point of the park and as a means of water retention in rainy seasons, enjoyed by visitors and by ducks, geese, frogs, and fish.

== Joy Mills Building and TPH Warehouse ==
[[File:Mills Building exterior 1.jpg|230px|right|thumb|Joy Mills Building]]
In 1969, a new building was constructed to house the [[Theosophical Publishing House (Wheaton)|Theosophical Publishing House]] and the [[Quest Bookshop (Wheaton)|Quest Bookshop]]. The cornerstone ceremony took place on July 18th during the annual convention. [[Joy Mills]], [[James S. Perkins]], and TPH Manager Stephen Kellogg spoke at the ceremony, crediting support of [[The Kern Foundation]] in the greatly increased publishing activity that justified the new construction.<ref>The T. P. H. Building The Corner Stone Laying," ''The American Theosophist'' 57.9 (September, 1969), 254-255.</ref> Most of the ground floor originally served as a book warehouse and shipping room, with offices located on the upper floor. After a separate warehouse was built, the Mills Building was remodeled to move offices to the ground floor. The upper level was converted into apartments for resident staff. Another round of remodeling in 2006 improved the Bookshop and office spaces.

[[File:Drumming_at_Youth_Circle.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Drumming at Youth Circle]]
== Youth Circle ==
In the mid-1950s, members of the [[Young Theosophists]] at Wheaton constructed a stone circle and fire pit near the western edge of the campus. It has been used in recent years for campouts and is popular for drumming groups. The fire pit has also been used by the Prairie School of DuPage to boil down sap from campus trees to make maple syrup.
 
 
 
[[File:Labyrinth 3.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Labyrinth]]

== Labyrinth ==
In 2001, a seven-circuit Cretan-style [[Labyrinth|labyrinth]] was constructed at the west side of the property. Many visitors enjoy walking the pattern, including church groups on labyrinth tours. "You walk the Olcott labyrinth by entering from the northwest, where the stepping-stone path begins. You follow the path to the center, where you may wish to pause for a few moments. Then you reverse your direction and retrace your path back out to the starting point. In walking any labyrinth, you should always complete the pattern by following the path both inward and outward, rather than cutting across the pattern at any point. The inward movement needs to be complemented by a corresponding outward return."<ref>John Algeo, "The Labyrinth: A Brief Introduction to its History, Meaning and Use" Quest 89.1 (January-February, 2001), 24-25. Available at [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/the-layrinth-a-brief-introduction-to-its-history-meaning-and-use?highlight=WyJsYWJ5cmludGgiXQ== Quest website]</ref>

[[File:Olcott campus Garden of Remembrance.jpg|230px|right|thumb|Garden of Remembrance]]
== Garden of Remembrance ==
The '''[[Garden of Remembrance at Olcott]]''' was established as a serene setting for meditation and for remembering loved ones who have passed away. The concept was modeled after the garden of the same name at the international headquarters at [[Adyar (campus)|Adyar, India]].
 
 
 

== Additional resources ==
* '''[https://www.theosophyforward.com/pdf/Olcott.pdf ''Olcott in Wheaton'']''', an e-book published in May 2012 by [[Theosophy Forward (periodical)|''Theosophy Forward'']] Electronic Editions. This link is to a PDF version.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Places|Olcott (campus)]]
[[Category:TS Adyar|Olcott (campus)]]

Clairvoyance

2026-07-13T18:46:52Z

SysopJ: /* Video */

'''Clairvoyance''' is a term derived from French, ''clair'' meaning "clear" and ''voyance'' meaning "vision". This form of extra-sensory perception is a [[siddhi]] by which the seer or clairvoyant can perceive subtler states of matter.

[[H. P. Blavatsky]] defined it as follows:

<blockquote>Clairvoyance. The faculty of seeing with the inner eye or spiritual sight. As now used it is a loose and flippant term, embracing under its meaning a happy guess due to natural shrewdness or intuition, and also that faculty which was so remarkably exercised by Jacob Boehme and Swedenborg. Real clairvoyance means the faculty of seeing through the densest matter (the latter disappearing at the will and before the spiritual eye of the Seer), and irrespective of time (past, present and future) or distance.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Theosophical Glossary'' (Krotona, CA: Theosophical Publishing House, 1973), 85.</ref></blockquote>

== Additional resources ==
=== Articles ===
*[https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/clairvoyance Clairvoyance] in Theosophy World.
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/hpb_clai.html# H.P. Blavatsky on Clairvoyance] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/theosophy/judge/articles/delusions-of-clairvoyance.htm# Delusions of Clairvoyance] by William Q. Judge
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/theosophy/judge/articles/shall-we-teach-clairvoyance.htm# Shall We Teach Clairvoyance?] by William Q. Judge
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/leadb3.html# Difficulties in Clairvoyance] by C. W. Leadbeater
*[http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/leadb4.html# How Clairvoyance is Developed] by C. W. Leadbeater

=== Books and pamphlets ===
*[http://www.anandgholap.net/Clairvoyance-CWL.htm# Clairvoyance] by C. W. Leadbeater
*[https://www.anandgholap.net/AP/Investigations_Into_Super-physical-AB.htm Investigations Into the Super-Physical] by Annie Besant. Adyar Pamphlet No. 36.

===Audios===
*[https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Hodson,%20G/1140%20Hodson,%20G-%20Clairvoyance%20&%20its%20Use.mp3# Clairvoyance & its Use] by Geoffrey Hodson

===Video===
* '''[https://archive.org/details/1090_20190726 Medical Diagnosis by Clairvoyance]''' by Phoebe Bendit. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Society in America, 1957. 44 minutes. Recorded from a live radio broadcast, Phoebe Bendit, and her husband Laurence, discuss the many aspects of clairvoyance and how she used it for over thirty years in her medical practice.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZGKoevhflA Clairvoyance: The Art of Seeing Clearly]''' by Kurt Leland, presented on October 3, 2024 at the Theosophical Society in America.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Psychism]]
[[es: Clarividencia]]

Egregore

2026-07-13T18:44:32Z

SysopJ: /* Additional resources */

An '''egregore''' (from the Greek word ''egrégoroi'' or "watcher;" pronounced egg' gree gore) is a group [[Thought-Forms|thought-form]]. It can be created either intentionally or unintentionally, and becomes an autonomous entity with the power to influence. A group with a common purpose like a family, a club, a political party, a church, a business, or a country can create an egregore, for better or worse depending upon the type of thought that created it.

== The Theosophical viewpoint ==

The concept that thoughts are objective non-material forms was discussed in early Theosophical literature and is well-known in esoteric thought, but it is not a mainstream idea. In discussing this [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>Every thought so evolved with energy from the brain, creates ''nolens volens'' [willingly or unwillingly] a shape. [This shape is] perfectly unconscious unless it is the creation of an [[adept]], who has a pre-conceived object in giving it consciousness, or rather in sending along with it enough of his will and intelligence to cause it to appear conscious. This ought to make us more cautious about our thoughts.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. X (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1988), 224.</ref></blockquote> Theosophists [[Annie Besant]] and [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]] made this concept more widely known through their book [[Thought Forms (book)|''Thought Forms'']] in the early twentieth century.

The thought-forms that a person produces, attracts astral and mental semi-intelligent forces called [[elementals]], which turns thought-forms into temporary entities. Because of the action of these elementals, thought-forms of a same kind tend to aggregate, forming a kind of collective entity:

<blockquote>Elementals have a tendency to be attracted towards others of a similar kind—aggregating together in classes, being, in a sense, gregarious on their own account—and when a man sends out a thought-form it not only keeps up a magnetic link with him, but is drawn towards other thought-forms of a similar type, and these congregating together on the [[Emotional_Plane|astral plane]] form a good or evil force, as the case may be, embodied in a kind of collective entity.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Karma'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2002), 17.</ref></blockquote>

== Other definitions ==

In his article "Understanding the Occult: What is an Egregore," Theron Dunn offers four more definitions –

* “An '''energized [[astral]] form''' produced consciously or unconsciously by human agency. In particular, (a) a strongly characterized form, usually an archetypal image, produced by the imaginative and emotional energies of a religious or magical group collectively, or (b) an astral shape of any kind, deliberately formulated by a magician to carry a specific force."<ref>Melita Denning and Osborne Phillips, ''Planetary Magick: Invoking and Directing the Powers of the Planets'' (Woodbury, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1989).</ref>

* "from a Greek word meaning “watcher” - a '''[[thought-form]] created by [[will]] and visualization'''. A group egregore is the distinctive energy of a specific group of magicians who are working together, creating and building the same thought-form or energy-form."<ref>[http://wolf.mind.net/library/ancient/qabala/kabgloss.htm#E ''Golden Dawn Glossary''] at Wolf.Mind.net.</ref>

* "Any '''symbolic pattern''' that has served as a focus for human emotion and energy will build up an egregore of its own over time, and the more energy that is put into such a pattern, the more potent the egregore that will form around it. The gods and goddesses of every religion, past and present, are at the centers of vast egregore charged with specific kinds of power. This power is defined by, and contacted through, the traditional symbolism of the deity in question."<ref>John Michael Greer, ''Inside a Magical Lodge'' (St. Paul, Minnesota: Llewellyn Publications, 1998).</ref>

* "An egregore is an '''angel''', sometimes called watcher; in Hebrew the word is ''ir'', and the concept appears in ''The Book of Enoch''.... Thus, Irim, the city of the Nephilim is again linked with the Book of Enoch, since the Nephilim, according to that Book, were the sons of the Irim (the egregores.)....Although the Irim, the egregores, are angels on both sides of the camp - fallen angels as well as faithful ones."<ref>L.S. Bernstein, "Egregore" at [http://www.crcsite.org/egregor.htm Confraternity of the Rose Cross website].</ref>

Other words that have been used to describe an egregore are '''archetype''', '''group consciousness''', and '''zeitgeist'''. Rupert Sheldrake’s '''morphogenic fields''' are egregores.

== Effects on groups ==

This collective entity acts as a psychological force that influences those who have thoughts of a similar type, thus stimulating certain points of view and strengthening certain types of feeling:

<blockquote>To these aggregations of similar thought-forms are due the characteristics, often strongly marked, of family, local, and national opinion; they form a kind of astral atmosphere through which everything is seen, and which colours that to which the gaze is directed, and they react on the desire bodies of the persons included in the group concerned, setting up in them responsive vibrations. Such family, local or national karmic surroundings largely modify the individual's activity, and limit to a very great extent his power of expressing the capacities he may possess.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Karma'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2002), 17-18.</ref></blockquote>

In 1896 a Frenchman by the name of Gustave Le Bon wrote a book called ''The Crowd, A Study of the Popular Mind''. In the book Le Bon shows how an individual on his own may act with the highest moral character and compassionate heart but in a crowd that same individual can be swept away and behave as a total “blockhead” losing the sense of his own personal integrity to the energy of the crowd. The “lynch mob mentality” is an excellent example here. Wall Street is another example of the ''crowd mentality'', when a few manipulators sell strategically and the whole market plummets. A small group can create an egregore, and that psychic energy can spread to the crowd who mindlessly follow. As Gustav La Bon pointed out, reason is not part of the crowd mentality. Becoming caught up in the passionate hatred or love of an egregore can be hard to resist, especially for those who have not developed a strong independent mind.

Egregores can exist in any organization – be it a church, or civil rights movement, Ku Klux Klan, or a monastery, regardless of whether the group is organized to do good or evil. Depending on its nature, the egregore can help raise people from the material to the spiritual or increase their passions and negative emotions. Egregores can attach themselves to buildings or places, according to clairvoyants like [[Charles Webster Leadbeater]] and [[Geoffrey Hodson]], and many of these are positive forces. Ancient cathedrals are often known for their healing powers or supernatural connections to the unseen worlds and unseen entities. Caves where ancients used to worship have become the object of pilgrimages. These locality-based egregores can be fed with emotion and intent for hundreds of years by local residents or pilgrims. Examples of negative energies can be found in battlefields and sites of massacres, which invoke dread where the ground is psychically damaged.

== Physical effects ==

According to Theosophical teachings, the Earth and humanity are intimately connected, so that planetary and human activity are constantly reacting on each other. [[Annie Besant]] explained that "the influence of these congregated [[Elemental|elementals]] is not confined to that which they exercise over men through their desire bodies." When this collective entity is made up of thought-forms of a destructive type, the elementals act as a disruptive energy and they often work on the physical plane.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Karma'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2002), 18.</ref> She added:

<blockquote>When men generate a large number of malignant thought-forms of a destructive character, and when these congregate in huge masses on the astral plane, their energy may be, and is, precipitated on the physical plane, stirring up wars, revolutions, and social disturbances and upheavals of every kind, falling as collective [[karma]] on their progenitors and effecting widespread ruin. Thus then, collectively also man is the master of his destiny, and his world is moulded by his creative action.

Epidemics of crime and disease, cycles of accidents, have a similar explanation. Thought-forms of anger aid in the perpetration of a murder; these Elementals are nourished by the crime, and the results of the crime — the hatred and the revengeful thoughts of those who loved the victim, the fierce resentment of the criminal, his baffled fury when violently sent out of the world — still further reinforce their host with many malignant forms; these again from the astral plane impel an evil man to fresh crime, and again the circle of new impulses is trodden, and we have an epidemic of violent deeds. Diseases spread, and the thoughts of fear which follow their progress act directly as strengthened of the power of the disease; magnetic disturbances are set up and propagated, and react on the magnetic spheres of people within the affected area. In every direction, in endless fashions, do man's evil thoughts play havoc, as he who should have been a divine co-builder in the Universe uses his creative power to destroy.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Karma'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2002), 77-78.</ref></blockquote>

Fortunately, the power of collective thought also works for good. If we encourage feelings of love and compassion, this benevolent energy is also accumulated on higher planes, in what we can call a "repository of goodness," which acts in beneficent ways to help human evolution.

== Energy that feeds the egregore ==

[[Annie Besant]] explained that two factors that maintain [[thought-forms]] alive:

<blockquote>The life-period of these ensouled thought-forms depends first on their initial intensity, on the energy bestowed upon them by their human progenitor; and secondly on the nutriment supplied to them after their generation, by the repetition of the thought either by him or by others.

Their life may be continually reinforced by this repetition, and a thought which is brooded over, which forms the subject of repeated meditation, acquires great stability of form on the psychic plane. So again thought-forms of a similar character are attracted to each other and mutually strengthen each other, making a form of great energy and intensity, active in this [[Emotional Plane|astral world]].<ref>Annie Besant, ''Karma'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 2002), 17-18.</ref></blockquote>

Thus, this psychic or astral entity will continue as long as thought energy feeds it, but it does not have to be the same people feeding energy for the entity to continue.

According to author Gaeten Delaforgem, Egregores can be kept alive when new generations add their thought energy to the entity. '''Santa Claus''', the '''Easter Bunny''', the '''Spirit of Christmas''' are all egregores, as are the '''Devil''' and the '''Grim Reaper'''.

== World War II examples of egregore ==

Perhaps the most powerful and destructive example of an egregore in recent history is the Nazi regime in World War II. It is said that Adolf Hitler used the hatred and anger in the minds of the German people after their defeat in World War I to create an egregore, focusing that energy.

=== Adolf Hitler ===

[[File:Woten Large.png|right|350px|thumb|Images depicting Woten]]
By the time Hitler came to power the ground work for the egregore of the Nazi party was in place. German nationalism was founded in the work of '''Guido von List''', a Viennese author and occultist. He drew on pagan myths, old legends, [[Kabbalah]], a few concepts from [[Theosophy]], and [[Occultism|occult]] sources to build a cohesive myth of the history of the Germanic peoples.

[[File:Hitler Mesmerizing the Crowd.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hilter's hypnotic effect on the crowd]]

List wanted to create a purely German identity. He began openly persecuting Jews as morally inferior and different from the Germans. He adopted [[Helena Petrovna Blavatsky|Madame Blavatsky's]] [founder of the [[Theosophical Society]]] concept of the [[root races]] and decided that the Germanic "[[Aryan]]" people formed the fifth sub-race of the Fifth Root Race, something that departed from Blavatsky's teachings. List also took elements from [[Freemasonry]] and [[Rosicrucianism]] and corrupted them to suit the needs of his mythology.

After the humiliating defeat of World War I, List’s new mythology of German superiority helped the Germans to recover their national pride. Hitler gave them enemies on which to focus in order to take back what the people regarded as their rightful place in the world, applying his warlike passion to List’s fantasy.

Hitler was a mesmerizing speaker. Some commentators have suggested that Hitler was possessed during his speeches – perhaps channeling the egregore that is the god '''Wotan''', the god of violence, war and destruction. Hitler served as an open conduit for violent forces that existed in the unseen, a focal point for them to enter this world with direction and intent.

=== Dion Fortune ===

[[File:Dion_Fortune_in_regalia.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Dion Fortune in regalia]]
During World War II, [[Dion Fortune]], a prominent British occultist and author, gathered her followers in Britain together for a psychic war against Germany. Her group, the '''Fraternity of the Inner Light''', were not able to meet in person because of wartime travel restrictions but she got the word out to her group in writing. “The war has to be fought and won on the physical plane,” she wrote, “before physical manifestation can be given to the archetypal ideals. What was sown will grow and bear seed.”<ref>Mara Freeman, [http://www.chalicecentre.net/dion_fortune_holy_grail.html "Dion Fortune and the Holy Grail"] in the Chalice Centre website. Published originally in ''The Cauldron'', May 2014. For more on this subject see Mara Freeman's book, ''Grail Alchemy.''</ref>

Fortune invoked ancient spirits pledged to protect Britain, including King Arthur, Merlin, St. Michael and St. George. Here is a description of the process Dion Fortune followed to create the '''protective egregore''':
<blockquote>The working began with the formulating of the symbol of the Rose-Cross. As this symbol was built on the astral planes each week, it developed through a series of changes in a clear sequence – a sign that the inner powers had been contacted and were responding. First, the Rose-Cross was surrounded by a golden light, then a diamond light, indicating a very high grade of power. Soon it became clear that the Rose-Cross was situated in a cavern deep beneath Glastonbury Tor. The figures of seven of the Masters then appeared around it. In later meditations, three key figures appeared: King Arthur, Merlin and the Master Jesus, later joined by the figure of the Virgin Mary, also seen as Binah and the heavenly Isis, bearing the Grail.<ref>Ibid.</ref>
</blockquote>

Britain was never invaded despite the immense power of the Nazi war machine.

== Egregore in everyday experience ==

The atmosphere created by an egregore can be so common we may be inclined to ignore it. Everyone has walked into a room full of people and immediately been hit with a sense of something – dread, fear, joy. It can also be very subtle, so subtle you are not aware of its influence until you are away from the group supporting the egregore. The test of a knowledgeable person of strong character is to be aware of the presence of the egregore, to keep separate from it, and to decide whether to allow its influence.

Every group, congregation, society, or party, has an egregore, a '''group consciousness''', which may be weak or strong. Before joining any organization, it is important to have awareness that affiliation makes one subject to the egregore of that group. This awareness makes it easier to understand that the views of the group do not necessarily have to be your views. Accepting the group influence is a conscious decision.

== Opposing the egregore ==

Science says that energy cannot be created or destroyed – it can only change form. This brings to mind the question whether an egregore can be destroyed or must the energy of it be transformed? In Dion Fortune’s exercise she called on the egregore to defend England from invasion – not to destroy Nazism. Unity Church often calls for a day of prayer for world peace, not for the end of those who disrupt the peace.

Dion Fortune discussed the phenomenon of the '''group mind''' when it is in a frenzy typical of a Hitler speech:
<blockquote>
But however potent the personality, however vast the resources, however popular the catch-phrases, if the movement is contrary to cosmic law it is only a matter of time till the whole group rushes madly down a steep slope into the sea. For in such a case it is the very momentum that is worked up which is the cause of its destruction. Give a false movement enough rope and it will always hang itself, falling by its own weight when that has grown sufficiently top-heavy to overbalance it.<ref>Dion Fortune and Gareth Knight, ''The Magical Battle of Britain'' (Bradford on Avon: Golden Gates, 1993).</ref>
</blockquote>

As Albert Amao states in ''Healing Without Medicine'', “After Germany was defeated the Nazi egregore gradually faded away because there were no more masses feeding it. Thus, in time, when the emotions and feelings that were feeding an egregore disappear, the egregore slowly dissolves.”<ref>Albert Amao. ''Healing Without Medicine: From Pioneers to Modern Practice: How Millions Have Been Healed by the Power of the Mind Alone'' (Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 2014), 175.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Thought-Forms]]

== Additional resources ==

=== Articles ===
* [https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/egregores-the-occult-entities-that-watch-over-human-destiny Egregores: the Occult Entities that Watch over Human Destiny] book review by Richard Smoley of Mark Stavish book, Rochester, Vt.: Inner Traditions, 2018.
* [https://togethermag.eu/egregore-entrepreneurs-the-power-of-collective-intelligence/ Egrégore entrepreneurs: The power of collective intelligence] in ''Together Online''. Posted July 19, 2019.
* [https://bluwr.com/en/p/35028214 Collective thoughtforms and their influence - egregores] posted by Tupan on Bluwr.com.

=== Books ===
* Amao, Albert. ''Healing Without Medicine: From Pioneers to Modern Practice: How Millions Have Been Healed by the Power of the Mind Alone''. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 2014.

* Fortune, Dion. ''Applied Magic''. York Beach, Me: S. Weiser, 2000.

* Fortune, Dion, and Gareth Knight. ''The Magical Battle of Britain''. Bradford on Avon: Golden Gates, 1993.

* Goodrick-Clarke, Nicholas. ''The Occult Roots of Nazism: Secret Aryan Cults and Their Influence on Nazi Ideology: the Ariosophists of Austria and Germany, 1890-1935''. New York: New York University Press, 1992.

* Le, Bon G. ''The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind''. New York: Macmillan, 1896 and many subsequent editions and printings. Available at [https://archive.org/stream/crowdastudypopu00bongoog#page/n5/mode/2up Internet Archive].

* Stavish, Mark. ''Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny''. Rochester, Vt: Inner Traditions, 2018. 140 pp. This book was reviewed by Richard Smoley in [[Quest (periodical)|''Quest'']] magazine for Winter, 2019.

=== Video ===

* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wNSHLhhys8 Thought-Forms, Egregores, and Magic: The Hidden Power of Repetitive Thought] by Peggy Heubel, presented January 15, 2026 at the Theosophical Society in America.

=== Websites ===
* [http://theosophy.ph/encyclo/index.php?title=Thought_Forms "Thought Forms"] in Theosopedia.
* [http://www.thelemicgnosticism.org/aa/contacts.htm ThelemicGnosticism.org].
* [http://www.illuminati-news.com/00360.html "Understanding the Occult: What is an Egregore?"] by Theron Dunn. December 26, 2008 blog post in Illuminati News website.
* [http://www.patheos.com/blogs/betweentheshadows/2015/08/the-magical-battle-of-britain/ "The Magical Battle of Britain"] by Sable Aradia. August 1, 2015 blog entry in BetweentheShadows website.
* [http://www.chalicecentre.net/dion_fortune_holy_grail.html "Dion Fortune and the Holy Grail"] in the Chalice Centre website. Published originally in ''The Cauldron'', May 2014.
* [https://www.thisismariya.com/workshop-thrive-business Thrive Business: Become a Creator!] from ThisIsMariya.com offers workshops for the "sacred co-creation" of "an in-depth mastermind created specifically for entrepreneurs, business owners, and people who want to open their business."

=== Games and popular culture ===

* '''[https://store.steampowered.com/app/2858380/Egregore/ Egregore]''' is the name of a "first-person mystery-adventure game where you are whisked away to a mysterious café in Cairo. Adopt a new perspective, and shape reality to your will as you unravel an occult mystery hidden in plain sight."
* '''Business egregore''' is the concept of using the collective intelligence of a group of entrepreneurs to strengthen all of their endeavors.

== Notes ==
<references/>
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]

Reincarnation

2026-07-13T18:33:48Z

SysopJ: /* Video */

[[File:Reincarnation by AB.jpg|right|220px|thumb|''Reincarnation'' by Annie Besant]]
'''Reincarnation''' literally means "to enter again the the flesh" (from Latin ''re''=again, ''in''=into, ''carnem''=flesh). It is the theory that after the death of the body, [[consciousness]] returns to life in a new physical form. In the Theosophical tradition, a [[Soul#Human_soul|human soul]] can only reincarnate in a human body. Other traditions accept the possibility of reincarnation in an animal or plant. Other terms frequently used interchangeably with the word reincarnation are metempsychosis and transmigration. In Buddhism, the preferred term is ''rebirth''.

The doctrine of reincarnation is a central tenet within the majority of Indian religions such as [[Hinduism]], [[Jainism]], [[Sikhism]] and [[Buddhism]] (although the latter prefer to use the word re-birth). In the West, the idea was also fundamental to some [[Greek philosophy|Greek philosophers]] as well as in other religions such as [[Druidism]] and in some schools of [[Judaism]] and early [[Christianity]].

== General description ==

[[H. P. Blavatsky]] defined it as follows:

<blockquote>Reincarnation, or Re-birth; the once universal doctrine, which taught that the Ego is born on this earth an innumerable number of times. Now-a-days it is denied by Christians, who seem to misunderstand the teachings of their own gospels. Nevertheless, the putting on of flesh periodically and throughout long cycles by the higher human Soul (Buddhi-Manas) or Ego is taught in the Bible as it is in all other ancient scriptures, and "resurrection" means only the rebirth of the Ego in another form.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''The Key to Theosophy'', Glossary (Pasadena, CA: Theosophical University Press, 1972), 362-363.</ref></blockquote>

The entity that reincarnates is the [[Ego#Higher ego|higher ego]], and not the [[Principle#Individuality and personality|personalities]]:

<blockquote>It is the personal Ego—wrongly believed by the Spiritists to be reincarnated with its personal consciousness a number of times—that appears upon this earth but once, while the Individual Spiritual monad which—like an actor who, although appearing in, and personating every night a new character, is ever the same man—is that which appears on earth throughout the cycle in various personalities.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. IV (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1991), 549.</ref></blockquote>

People may reincarnate in very different social and financial conditions from one life to the next according to the [[Karma]] generated:

<blockquote>The Law of Affinity acts through the inherent Karmic impulse of the [[Ego]], and govern its future existence. Comprehending Darwin's Law of Heredity for the body, it is not difficult to perceive how the birth-seeking Ego may be attracted at the time of rebirth to a body born in a family which has the same propensities as those of the reincarnating Entity.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in Chronological Sequence'' No. 119 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 407-408.</ref></blockquote>

<blockquote>The social status of a being is, of course, a result of Karma; the law being that "like attracts like". The renascent being is drawn into the gestative current with which the preponderating attractions coming over from the last birth make him assimilate. Thus one who died a ryot [peasant] may be reborn a king, and the dead sovereign may next see the light in a coolie's tent.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in Chronological Sequence'' No. 104 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 362.</ref></blockquote>

Although in general terms there is a certain learning from one incarnation to the next, simply going through incarnations does not imply a growth of the [[Soul#Human soul|Soul]]. In fact, the more consciousness is attached to physical life, the faster it will reincarnate:

<blockquote>What has the number of incarnations to do with the shrewdness, cleverness, or the stupidity of an individual? A strong craving for physical life may lead an entity through a number of incarnations and yet these may not develop its higher capacities.<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in Chronological Sequence'' No. 119 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 407.</ref></blockquote>

== Time between reincarnations ==

[[H. P. Blavatsky|Mme. Blavatsky]] wrote:

<blockquote>Reincarnations in general take place after rather long periods passed in the intermediate and invisible spheres. So that if a Spiritist-Theosophist tells an Occultist-Theosophist that he is a reincarnation of Louis XV, or that Mrs. X is a reincarnation of Joan of Arc, the Occultist would answer that according to his doctrine it is impossible. It is quite possible that he might be a reincarnation of Sesostris or of Semiramis, but the time period that has passed since the death of Louis XV and even of Joan of Arc is too short according to our calculations, which are mathematically correct.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. V (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1997), 45.</ref></blockquote>

Roughly calculating the number of reincarnations of a person on a planet, the [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]] makes the following statement:

<blockquote>One life in each of the seven [[Root-Race|root-races]]; seven lives in each of the 49 [[Root-Race#Sub-races|sub-races]] — or 7 x 7 x 7 = 343 and add 7 more. And then a series of lives in offshoot and branchlet races; making the total incarnations of man in each station or planet 777. . . . Let us take but one million of years — suspected and now accepted by your science — to represent man’s entire term upon [[Globe#Globe D|our earth]] in this [[Round]]; and allowing an average of a century for each life, we find that whereas he [a given person] has passed in all his lives upon our planet (in this round) but 77,700 years he has been in the subjective spheres 922,300 years. Not much encouragement for the extreme modern re-incarnationists who remember their several previous existences!<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 66 (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), ???.</ref></blockquote>

However, in the case of children who die, they reincarnate immediately, and many times in the same family. Annie Besant said:

<blockquote>Question — When a child dies at a very early age, is it at all likely to reincarnate with the same parents again if there is an opportunity?

Answer — Yes; it very often takes place. If the love is strong between parent and child, that same ego will seek another form in the same family, and very often the parent will recognize it. I know one lady who was passionately devoted to a child that died and had not the same feeling at all to her other children, until a child was born for whom all the former feeling was awakened, and before she heard of Theosophy she said it must be the same child come back. It was the same ego. Where the ties are strong they assert themselves in a very definite way.

Question — A child dying at the age of eleven would hardly have time to come back?

Answer — No; with a child of eleven it is a different matter altogether.

Question — How old can they be and come back without going through the complete cycle?

Answer — It depends very much on the stage of advancement. An ordinary person up to about seven years of age might be reborn with the same astral body without making a new mental body. But, after that, where the ego is woven into the body it has to pass on to the astral and heavenly world. Of course, a person dying at twelve or thirteen will come back more quickly, because there is so little to work out on the other side.<ref>Annie Besant, ''Theosophical Lectures'', (Chicago: The Rajput Press, 1907), 149.</ref></blockquote>

== Do we choose where to reincarnate? ==

<blockquote>The reincarnating ego has in a sense very little choice in the matter, if by this we mean a deliberate selecting of one’s future family. Such a choice as we understand it is almost non-existent, because the reincarnating ego has but just left the devachan and is sunken into the relative unconsciousness of the gestation period preceding rebirth, and thus is in no condition to choose with self-conscious intent. It is karma, which throughout controls these things; and karma in the abstract is infallible in its action.<ref>Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, ''Collected Writings'' vol. XII (Wheaton, IL: Theosophical Publishing House, 1982), 651.</ref></blockquote>

== Looking back at past lives ==

Renowned [[Clairvoyance|clairvoyant]], [[Charles Webster Leadbeater|C. W. Leadbeater]], wrote:

<blockquote>Some [people] promptly begin to imagine recollections and declare that in their last incarnation they were Mary Queen of Scots, Cleopatra, or Julius Caesar! Of course such extravagant claims simply bring discredit upon those who are so foolish as to make them. . . .
 
It is quite true that some people have had glimpses of scenes from their past lives in dreams, but naturally these are usually fragmentary and unreliable. . . . Although there are several cases on record in which some well-remembered scene has thus come through from one life to another, a considerable development of occult faculty is necessary before an investigator can definitely trace a line of incarnations, whether they be his own or another man's. . .
 
To follow a person from this life to the one preceding it, it is necessary first of all to trace his present life backwards to his birth and then to follow up in reverse order the stages by which the Ego descended into incarnation.
 
This will obviously take us back eventually to the condition of the [[Ego]] upon its own plane - the arûpa level of [[devachan]], the highest levels of the mental plane; so it will be seen that to perform this task effectually the investigator must be able to use the sense corresponding to that exalted level while awake in his physical body - in other words, his consciousness must be centred in the reincarnating Ego itself, and no longer in the lower personality. In that case, the memory of the Ego being aroused, his own past incarnations will be spread out before him like an open book.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''Clairvoyance'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1986), 149-151.</ref></blockquote>

At this point in [[evolution]] very few people are able to be aware on the mental plane while remaining in the waking state. This ability cannot be attained without a long and systematic training. Again, in C. W. Leadbeater's words:

<blockquote>The accurate reading of the [[Akashic_Records|records]], whether of one's own past lives or those of others, must not, however, be thought of as an achievement possible to anyone without careful previous training. As has been already remarked, though occasional reflections may be had upon the astral plane, the power to use the mental sense is necessary before any reliable reading can be done. Indeed, to minimise the possibility of error, that sense ought to be fully at the command of the investigator while awake in the physical body; and to acquire that faculty needs years of ceaseless labour and rigid self-discipline.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''Clairvoyance'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1986), 148-149.</ref></blockquote>

When a clairvoyant is able to be aware on this high plane, he can not only become aware of his past lives but also trace the past lives of other people. C. W. Leadbeater explained the procedure as follow:

<blockquote>He would be able, if he wished, to examine the conditions of another [[ego]] upon that level and trace him backwards through the devachanic and astral lives which led up to it, until he came to the last physical death of that Ego, and through it to his previous life.
 
There is no way but this in which the chain of lives can be followed through with absolute certainty; and consequently we may at once put aside as conscious or unconscious impostors those people who advertise that they are able to trace out anyone's past incarnations for so many shillings a head. Needless to say, the true occultist does not advertise, and never under any circumstances accepts money for any exhibition of his powers.<ref>Charles Webster Leadbeater, ''Clairvoyance'', (Adyar, Madras: The Theosophical Publishing House, 1986), 151-152.</ref></blockquote>

The [[Masters of Wisdom]] have the ability to see past lives of any person, though they do not seem to regard this information as too relevant for people. For example, in [[Mahatma Letter No. 93a#Page 2|one of his letters]], Mr. [[Alfred Percy Sinnett|A. P. Sinnett]] asked [[Koot Hoomi|Master K.H.]]: "Have you the power of looking back to the former lives of persons now living, and identifying them?" To this, the Master answered: "Unfortunately, some of us have. I, for one do not like to exercise it".<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93a (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 304.</ref> When Mr. Sinnett asked if he would tell him something about his past lives, the Master said that he may talk about it in the future, but asked:

<blockquote>Would it not be still more proper to study our own present personality before attempting to learn anything of its creator, — predecessor, and fashioner, — the man that was?<ref>Vicente Hao Chin, Jr., ''The Mahatma Letters to A.P. Sinnett in chronological sequence'' No. 93a (Quezon City: Theosophical Publishing House, 1993), 304.</ref></blockquote>

== Symbols of reincarnation ==

Many symbols represent reincarnation, rebirth, and renewal. The '''lotus flower''' lifts out of the water and sinks again into the mud. The '''butterfly''' transforms from egg to caterpillar to pupa to the beautiful winged creature that breaks free from its chrysalis. '''Phoenix''' is a mythical bird that bursts into flame and leaves behind an egg in the ashes. A serpent represents renewal in shedding its skin and, in the symbol known as the '''[[ouroboros]]''', by swallowing its tail. The '''triskelion''' is an ancient symbol for the cycles of life, death and rebirth. The '''wheel of Samsara''' has been the subject of numerous artistic representations by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.

<gallery widths="150px" perrow="5">
File:White_Lotus.jpg|<center>Lotus</center>
File:Butterfly life cycle.jpg|<center>Butterfly</center>
File:Phoenix 2.jpg|<center>Phoenix</center>
File:Ouroboros.jpg|<center>Ouroboros</center>
File:Triskelion.png|<center>Triskelion</center>
File:Wheel of Samsara.jpg|<center>Wheel of Samskara</center>
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==
===Articles===
*[https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/reincarnation Reincarnation] in Theosophy World.
* [https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/reincarnations-duration-and-number Reincarnations, Duration and Number] in Theosophy World.
*[https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/reincarnations-white-crow Reincarnation's White Crow: Ian Stevenson and Evidence of Past Lives] by John Algeo
*[https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/reincarnation-the-evidence Reincarnation: the Evidence] by John Algeo
*[http://hpb.narod.ru/IdeaRe-birth.htm#idea1# The Idea of Re-birth] by Francesca Arundale and an essay by Karl Heckel
*[https://www.anandgholap.net/Memories_Of_Past_Lives-AB.htm# Memories of Past Lives] by Annie Besant
*[https://www.anandgholap.net/Necessity_For_Reincarnation-AB.htm# The Necessity for Reincarnation] by Annie Besant
*[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/Reincarnation_AnnieBesant.pdf# Reincarnation] by Annie Besant
*[https://www.anandgholap.net/AP/When_Man_Dies-AB.htm# When a Man Dies, Shall He Live Again?] by Annie Besant
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/isis-unveiled-and-theosophist-on-reincarnation# ''Isis Unveiled'' and ''The Theosophist'' on Reincarnation] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatskyarchives.com/blavatskykarmareincarnation.htm# Reincarnation and Karma] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[http://www.blavatsky.net/index.php/theories-about-reincarnation-and-spirits# Theories about Reincarnation and Spirits] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[https://www.theosophy.world/resource/why-do-we-not-remember-our-past-lives# Why do we not remember Our Past Lives?] by H. P. Blavatsky
*[https://blavatsky.net/reincarnation-in-judaism-and-the-bible/ Reincarnation in Judaism and the Bible] by W. Q. Judge
*[https://blavatsky.net/respecting-reincarnation/ Respecting Reincarnation] by W. Q. Judge
*[https://blavatsky.net/transmigration-of-souls/ Transmigration of Souls] by W. Q. Judge
*[http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/reincar/re-wqj.htm# The Necessity for Reincarnation] Attributed to William Q. Judge

=== Books and pamphlets ===
* Besant, Annie. '''''[http://www.anandgholap.net/Reincarnation-AB.htm Reincarnation]'''''.
* Johnston, Charles. '''''[https://archive.org/details/memory-of-past-births Memory of Past Births]'''''. Flushing, NY: Charles Johnston, 1900. 50 pages.
* Pascal, Théophile. '''''[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/Reincarnation_DrTPascal.pdf Reincarnation - A Study in Human Evolution]''''',
* Pryce, James M. '''''[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/ReincarnationInTheNewTestament_JMPryce.pdf Reincarnation in the New Testament]'''''.
* Katsunoff, Robert G. '''''[https://cdn.website-editor.net/e4d6563c50794969b714ab70457d9761/files/uploaded/DoesTheBibleTeachReincarnationAndKarma_RGKatsunoff.pdf Does the Bible Teach Reincarnation and Karma]'''''.
* Cooper, Irving S. '''''[https://www.theosophy.world/sites/default/files/ebooks/Reincarnation.pdf Reincarnation: A Hope of the World]'''''. Wheaton, Illinois: Theosophical Publishing House, 1979.
* Tranmer, A. '''''[https://archive.org/details/reincarnation-a-christian-doctrine Reincarnation: A Christian Doctrine]'''''. Pietermaritzburg: P. David & Sons, ca1911. A rare South African publication.
* Weatherwood, L. G. '''''[https://archive.org/details/case-for-reincarnation The Case for Reincarnation]'''''. London: City Temple Literary Society, 1958. 22 pages.
* Wedgwood, James Ingall. '''''[https://archive.org/details/memory-of-previous-lives The Memory of Previous Lives]'''''. London: Theosophical Society, 1928. 20 pages.
* Woods, Charlotte. '''''[https://archive.org/details/philosophy-of-reincarnation The Philosophy of Reincarnation]'''''. London: Theosophical Publishing House, 1928. 44 pages.
* Wilkinson, Mary E.'''''[https://archive.org/details/turning-wheel The Turning Wheel]'''''. Sydney: Theosophical Publishing House, 1921. 76 pages.

===Audio===
*[https://ia801400.us.archive.org/19/items/basicteachingsoftheosophykarmiclawsandrebirthcycles/Basic%20Teachings%20of%20Theosophy%20Karmic%20Laws%20and%20Rebirth%20Cycles.mp3# Karmic Laws and Rebirth Cycles] by Bing Escudero
*[https://archive.org/download/1276_20190814/1276.mp3# Reincarnation: Fact of Fallacy?] Geoffrey Hodson
*[https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Hodson,%20G/1199%20Hodson,%20G%20Remembering%20Past%20Lives.mp3# Remembering Past Lives] by Geoffrey Hodson
*[https://archive.org/download/1277_20191219/1277.mp3# Reincarnation: Some Objections Considered] by Geoffrey Hodson
*[https://archive.org/download/1275_20190814/1275.mp3# How the Human Soul Descends to Birth] by Geoffrey Hodson
*[https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Hodson,%20G/804%20Hodson,%20G%20-%20Has%20Man%20Lived%20on%20Earth%20Before.mp3# Has Man Lived on Earth Before?] by Geoffrey Hodson
*[https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/audio/Mills,%20J/091%20Mills,%20J%20-%20Rebirth%20-%20the%20Human%20Necessity.mp3# Rebirth - the Human Necessity] by Joy Mills
*[https://archive.org/download/reincarnationforeveryone/Reincarnation%20for%20Everyone.mp3# Reincarnation for Everyone] by James Perkins
*[https://archive.org/download/1194_20190814/1194.mp3# Through Death to Rebirth] by James Perkins
*[https://archive.org/download/1278_20191219/1278.mp3# Why Man Reincarnates on Earth] by James Perkins

===Video===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7TYUROVNzU# Reincarnation: The Untrue Fact] by John Algeo
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXT-7gUgHtc# Soul's Growth through Reincarnation] by David Bruce
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exO3j_h-I6o# Reincarnation: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Implications] by Barbara Hebert
*[http://www.theosophicalinstitute.org/medialibrary/viewtitle.php?titleid=676470CD-1725-4BFC-94DA-ADA2B7808959# Through Death to Rebirth] by James Perkins
*[http://www.theosophicalinstitute.org/medialibrary/viewtitle.php?titleid=07AC08AE-CA75-4781-9AC7-0B19555B5FB1# Reincarnation for Everyone] by James Perkins
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRHbYv3O2pE& Reincarnation] by Pablo Sender
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTE24XIWWS8# Children Who Claim to Remember Previous Lives] by Ian Stevenson
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJMxNsBlXM8 Theosophy and the Myth of Er: How to Prepare for a Fortunate Rebirth]''' by Rozi Ulics, presented on March 5, 2026 at the Theosophical Society in America.

== Additional resources ==
*[https://www.reincarnation-research.com Reincarnation Research website]
*[http://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/library/Bibliography/KarmaandReincarnation.pdf# Bibliography on Karma and Reincarnation] from the [[Henry S. Olcott Memorial Library]].

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Theosophical concepts]]
[[Category:Theosophical worldview]]
[[Category:Concepts in The Secret Doctrine]]
[[Category:Hindu concepts]]
[[es:Reencarnación]]

Plato

2026-07-13T18:33:18Z

SysopJ: /* Video */

'''ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
'''ARTICLE UNDER CONSTRUCTION''' 
[[File:Plato.png|230px|right|thumb|Bust of Plato]]

'''Plato''' (428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was an Athenian philosopher during the Classical period in Ancient Greece, founder of the Academy, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. According to [[H. P. Blavatsky]] he was an Initiate into the Mysteries and the greatest Greek philosopher.

== C. Jinarājadāsa comments ==

[[Curuppumullage Jinarājadāsa|C. Jinarājadāsa]] spoke of Plato as having been a great influence on his life:

<blockquote>
As far as the West is concerned, ever since Plato wrote, wherever there is any kind of philosophical thought which deals with civilization or tries to understand the principles of art, every political writer and every exponent of art has more or less to follow Plato's trail. While you may differ from Plato in various ways, fundamentally you have to ally yourself with him on those thoughts.<ref>C. Jinarājadāsa, "Ruskin - A Herald of the New Age," ''The American Theosophist'' 34.11 (November, 1946), 245-247. Taken from unrevised notes of a lecture given in 1928.</ref>
</blockquote>

==Additional resources==
===Articles===
*[https://www.theosophy.world/encyclopedia/plato Plato] in Theosophy World

===Audio===
*[https://www.theosophical.org/files/resources/Downloads/mp3/weber/The%20Esoteric%20Plato.mp3# The Esoteric Plato] by Renee Weber

===Video===
* '''''Turning-Points for the West: From Pythagoras and Plato through Gnosticism and Neoplatonism''''' by Stephan Hoeller and Tony Lysy, presented on September 11, 2004 at the Theosophical Society in America.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=LsmYIePbGm0 Part 1].
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSns4uWpQFU Part 2].
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwjO0cQaKS4 Part 3].

* '''''All About Platonism''''' series by Mindy Mandell.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2ooRgdL-So&t=7s Transformation]. Added January 31, 2022. 28 minutes.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Emgjj9KkY5k Things in Themselves]. Added December 6, 2021. 27 minutes.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBkYHqwi0ms Dialectic]. Added January 17, 2022. 17 minutes.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEZPEG81aHw Menexenus]. Added April 12, 2021. 24 minutes.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wb5QBXiV1o Purification]. Added February 7, 2022. 29 minutes.
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVjHW_g7ubA Plotinus 1:6 Beauty]. Added January 24, 2022. 27 minutes. Discusses [[Neoplatonism]].
** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyVuRh7S3hw 12 Gods of the Phaedrus]. Added January 10, 2022. 13 minutes.

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJMxNsBlXM8 Theosophy and the Myth of Er: How to Prepare for a Fortunate Rebirth]''' by Rozi Ulics, presented on March 5, 2026 at the Theosophical Society in America.

=== Websites ===
* [https://universaltheosophy.com/bios/plato/ Resources on Plato] at Universal Theosophy

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Nationality Greek|Plato]]
[[Category:Philosophers|Plato]]
[[Category:People|Plato]]

Agustín Pío Barrios

2026-07-10T02:33:09Z

SysopJ: /* Artistic career */

[[File:Mangore.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Agustín Pío Barrios. Image courtesy of Frederick Sheppard.]]
'''Agustín Pío Barrios''' was a Paraguayan composer and virtuoso performer of classical guitar music who was influenced by [[Theosophy]]. He sometimes used the names Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga Mangoré in homage to Paraguay's native Guarani culture. Nitsuga is Agustin spelled backward.

== Personal life ==
[[File:Agustín Barrios 1910.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Barrios in 1910]]
Agustín Pío Barrios was born on [[May 5]], 1885 Paraguay to Doroteo Barrios and Martina Ferreira. There is some question of the location of his birth, which may have been in San Juan Bautista or in nearby Villa Florida, both of which are in the southern department [state] of Misiones. His family had great appreciation of the arts, and sent Agustin to study in the capital city of Asunciόn. At the age of fifteen he received a music scholarship at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciόn, and developed great interest in philosophy, literature, and mathematics. He spoke Spanish and Guarani, but could also read English, French, and German. In addition to music, Barrios was quite talented in poetry and in drawing.

Barrios married Gregoria Isabel Villalba. Their son Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba was born on July 4, 1908 in San Roque, Asunción, Paraguay.<ref>"Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba" in [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barrios_Villalba-1 Wikitree], which cites "Paraguay, registros parroquiales, 1754-2015," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKT-9XW2?cc=1922527&wc=WXGH-Y8L%3A217758401%2C217758402%2C218073002%2C218806601 : 3 September 2019), Distrito Capital > Asunción > San Roque > Bautismos 1906-1914 > image 134 of 591; Arquidiócesis de Asunción (Archdiocese of Ascunción), Paraguay.</ref>

From 1903-1908, Barrios worked at various office jobs, but later was able to support his household with his music.

He died on [[August 7]], 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he had been employed as a professor for several years.

== Influence of Theosophy ==

[[Theosophy|Theosophist]] Professor '''Viriato Díaz Pérez''' was a strong influence on Barrios during his early years in Asunción, both intellectually and socially:
<blockquote>
Viriato Díaz Pérez, a Spaniard by birth who emigrated to Paraguay in the early 1900's. An intellectual, author of numerous books and articles, literary critic and teacher, Diaz Perez was also a follower of [[theosophy]]. He reputedly introduced Barrios to theosophic doctrines and beliefs. Diaz Perez's influence on him, particularly in the areas of aesthetics, philosophy and metaphysics was profound.

Díaz Pérez had an "international" perspective and strongly urged Barrios to leave Paraguay. In January of 1910, he wrote a letter of introduction to an Argentine friend, Señor Mario Villar Sáenz Valiente, publisher of the Buenos Aires newspaper ''La Nación''. . . He was the nephew of Roque Sáenz Peña, President of Argentina from 1910-14. . . Valiente, after hearing Barrios play in the town of Corrientes, invited him to come to Buenos Aires under his patronage.<ref>Richard Stover, ''Six Silver Moonbeams'' (Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992), 32-33.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1912, Díaz Pérez was a founder and first President of the first [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]] lodge established in Paraguay. During the 1929 lecture tour of [[C. Jinarajadasa]], the Paraguayan lodges were chartered into a national Section.<ref>"Theosophy in Paraguay," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1937'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1937), 123.</ref> Possibly Barrios participated in lodge activities in Asunción.

Biographer Richard Stover wrote of Barrios:
<blockquote>
His religious convictions were more "theosophical" than strictly "Catholic". For him God and Nature are inextricably part of one another, and Man, being part of Nature, is part of God. The only substantiated comments made by Barrios regarding his religious views come from the Brazilian newspaper ''Jornal do Recife'' of January 5,1931:
<blockquote>
In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence.
</blockquote>
Here his references to "severe religious education" and "primitive pantheism" are more an accommodation to bolster his identity as Chief Nitsuga Mangore than an accurate statement of facts. But his mentioning theosophy and the "immutable laws of Nature" can be seen as sincere and genuine. Barrios was a humanist, an idealist, a romantic. He intuitively recognized that there is a relationship between the good, the true and the beautiful and that all these realities are reflected in love towards life and one's fellow beings. Recognition of and resignation to these truths are powerfully expressed in the major key section of his last piece ''Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios'' – the composition closes with a definite affirmation of these eternal values that Barrios achieved and manifested throughout his life: love being the process, and truth, beauty and goodness being the byproducts.<ref>Stover, 199-200.</ref>
</blockquote>

Late in his life Barrios was also associated with Theosophist '''General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez''' (1882-1966), the President of El Salvador, who arranged for Barrios to have a professorship in San Salvador. Hernández Martínez joined the Theosophical Society in El Salvador in 1931, serving as president of the Teotle Lodge and as the General Secretary of the Section. During World War II he became a member of the Theosophical Society in America, joining the Brotherhood Lodge on October 15, 1944 while living in New Orleans, and then transferring to the Florida Group after a move to Miami Beach. He subsequently lived much of the rest of his life in Honduras, but maintained a membership in the Miami Lodge.<ref>"Maximiliano H. Martinez." Membership Ledger Sheets Roll 4. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> While Hernández Martínez was interested in the occult and believed in [[reincarnation]], his brutal actions as President of El Salvador do not reflect Theosophists' commitment to [[Universal Brotherhood|brotherhood]].

It seems likely that Barrios participated in the Teotle Lodge in the early 1940s, from his own interest and out of respect to his powerful patron.

== Artistic career ==

During the course of his musical career, Barrios toured extensively to perform concerts. He composed more than 100 original works, and made at least 200 arrangements of works by other composers including Bach and Beethoven. His classical guitar performances were recorded as early as 1909.
[[File:Barrios diary .jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Diary'', 2018]]
Early concerts were in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In many places there was resistance from the intelligentsia to having a guitarist perform in theaters designed for classical orchestras and opera companies. The site of his breakthrough to the classical audiences was in February 1932 at the Teatro Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela. Juan José Churún, editor of a literary journal, presented Barrios with a concert diary, the "Autograph Book," of tooled cordovan leather with brass decorations and clasp. This book was signed by the Venezuelan president, Juan Vicente Gómez and his sons, quickly followed with autographs from 75 authors, signaling recognition of Barrios as an artist. Barrios carried the Autograph Book with him in his travels, using it as a diary to document his performances. He ultimately bequeathed the volume to the David Guzmán National Museum in San Salvador upon his death in 1944. A full-color reproduction of the travel diary with transcriptions and translations was published in 2018 and subsequent editions by Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard.<ref>Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard, "Provenance of the Diary" ''The Diary of Agustín Barrios Mangoré: His Concert Autograph Book (1932-1939), the Diplomatic Edition'' (Leon, Spain: Association CaminoArtes, 2019), 11-14.</ref>

In the 1930s he began to appear in concerts wearing clothing that reflected the native Guaraní culture of Paraguay. In concert he performed his own compositions under the name "Mangoré" or "Nitsuga Mangoré" for the first half of the program, wearing native attire such as a feathered headdress. After an intermission he reappeared in formal European clothing to play traditional classical guitar works and Bach.

In 1935 he spent a year with the Paraguayan ambassador to Mexico, Tomás Salomonis, traveling to Belgium, Germany and Spain with performances in Brussels and Madrid. After leaving Europe, he toured in in Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

=== Compositions ===

The style of Barrios' original compositions has been called "late Romantic." Central and South American folk songs influenced his work.

His revered 1921 composition '''''La Catedral''''' was inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played on a pipe organ in a cathedral. In addition to becoming a staple of classical music repertoire, this work has been transcribed for piano, harpsichord, and marimba.

[[File:MANGORÉ bust.jpg‎|right|170px|thumb|Bust by Juan Gilberto Núñez]]

== Awards and honors ==

Barrios is a great source of national pride in his native country. A '''bank note''' in the denomination of 50,000 guaranies was issued by the government of Paraguay, with a portrait of Barrios on the front and a guitar on the back. In 1994 several '''stamps''' were issued to honor the 50th anniversary of Barrios' death. The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias named a '''school''' after the artist in Villa Elisa, a city on the outskirts of Asunciόn.

A '''bust''' by sculptor Juan Gilberto Núñez was installed in the Teatro Municipal “Ignacio A. Pane” de Asunción. An '''international guitar competition''' is named for Agustin Barrios and features performance of his compositions.

<gallery widths="170px" heights="90px" perrow="5">
File:Barrios stamp 1994 portrait.jpg|<center>1994 stamp</center>
File:Barrios stamps 1994.png|<center>1994 stamps</center>
File:Barrios bank note.jpg|<center>Bank note</center>
File:Back of Barrios bank note.png|<center>Guitar on back of bank note</center>
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==

[[File:Six-Silver-Moonbeams.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Cover of biography]]

=== Biographies ===

* Fricke, Hannes. '''''Mythos Gitarre: Geschichte, Interpreten, Sternstunden'''''. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 271 pages.
* Stover, Richard D. '''''Six Silver Moonbeams. The Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré'''''. Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992. 271 pages. This first edition is available at [https://archive.org/details/sixsilvermoonbea00stov/ Internet Archive]. [http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/CDs/Six_Silver_Moonbeams.html A second, expanded edition] is 432 pages in length, and is described in Amazon.com: "featuring 200 photographs, numerous letters, drawings and poems of Barrios, concert programs (over a hundred), harmonic analysis of selected works, commentaries by John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Sila Godoy, original scores of numerous works, plus chapters on 'The Guitar in Paraguay,' 'Barrios and Segovia,' as well as a complete listing of Barrios’ works and recordings."

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.barrioscompetition.com/ '''Agustín Barrios''' International Guitar Competition]
* [https://www.portalguarani.com/891_agustin_pio_mangore_barrios/17030_mangore_interpreta_a_mangore.html '''Agustín Pío (Mangoré) Barrios'''] in Portal Guarani. Spanish.

=== Videos ===

Dozens of musicians have recorded performance of Barrios compositions on YouTube and other Internet platforms. For example, a YouTube search of [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=la+catedral+barrios+ "La Catedral Barrios"] provides well over 100 results. Numerous master classes and biographical videos are also available. Here are examples:

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkiXlKAjTA Barrios: Life and Art of a Guitar Poet]''' on YouTube. Posted Oct 5, 2021 by Daniele Magli. 2013 film biography originally called '''Mangoré - Por Amor al Arte''' ["Mangoré - For the Love of Art"] in Spanish with English subtitles. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Directed by Luis R. Vera, starring Damián Alcázar, Rafael Alfaro, and Clotilde Cabral. Here is a [https://www.veojam.com/watch/1539774547 trailer].
* '''[https://www.veojam.com/watch/1417890628 Barrios Mangore - Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]'''. David Russell presents a session of a guitar master class teaching "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" (Alms for the Love of God), one of the most famous and most often performed Barrios compositions.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdeoB2VyNI Pequeños Universos - Agustín Barrios "Mangoré"]'''. Television documentary from Argentina in Spanish. 26 minutes. Posted on YouTube by Julián Rodríguez Barrios, grandson of the composer.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NgaWqJEyE Biografía de Agustin Barrios]'''. 33 minutes. Posted by Profesora Superior de Guitarra Clásica Claudia Delvalle. 2016.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcU4NA1P8qo Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]''' performed by Ana Vidovic.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmc6KV0_UVM Ana Vidovic plays 'La Catedral' by Agustín Barrios Mangoré on a classical guitar]''' on SiccasGuitars YouTube channel. Posted June 19, 2015.

=== Audio recordings ===

* '''[https://archive.org/details/lp_john-williams-plays-music-of-agustn-barrio_john-williams-agustn-barrios-mangor John Williams Plays Music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré]'''. 8 compositions.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/podcast_cgu-concerts-at-cst-audio-seri_guitar-music-by-agustin-barrio_1000115892873 Guitar Music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, and Others]''' by Matthew Butler. 2012.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcfbaDK-0E BBC4 Great Lives - Agustin Barrios Mangore]'''. Radio program in which classical guitarist John Williams explains to Matthew Parris why he believes Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore led a "great life." Also features Paraguayan guitarist Berta Rojas.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Composers|Barrios]]
[[Category:Musicians|Barrios]]
[[Category:Poets|Barrios]]
[[Category:Famous people|Barrios]]
[[Category:Nationality Paraguayan|Barrios]]
[[Category:People|Barrios]]

Agustín Pío Barrios

2026-07-10T02:31:24Z

SysopJ: /* Artistic career */

[[File:Mangore.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Agustín Pío Barrios. Image courtesy of Frederick Sheppard.]]
'''Agustín Pío Barrios''' was a Paraguayan composer and virtuoso performer of classical guitar music who was influenced by [[Theosophy]]. He sometimes used the names Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga Mangoré in homage to Paraguay's native Guarani culture. Nitsuga is Agustin spelled backward.

== Personal life ==
[[File:Agustín Barrios 1910.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Barrios in 1910]]
Agustín Pío Barrios was born on [[May 5]], 1885 Paraguay to Doroteo Barrios and Martina Ferreira. There is some question of the location of his birth, which may have been in San Juan Bautista or in nearby Villa Florida, both of which are in the southern department [state] of Misiones. His family had great appreciation of the arts, and sent Agustin to study in the capital city of Asunciόn. At the age of fifteen he received a music scholarship at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciόn, and developed great interest in philosophy, literature, and mathematics. He spoke Spanish and Guarani, but could also read English, French, and German. In addition to music, Barrios was quite talented in poetry and in drawing.

Barrios married Gregoria Isabel Villalba. Their son Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba was born on July 4, 1908 in San Roque, Asunción, Paraguay.<ref>"Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba" in [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barrios_Villalba-1 Wikitree], which cites "Paraguay, registros parroquiales, 1754-2015," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKT-9XW2?cc=1922527&wc=WXGH-Y8L%3A217758401%2C217758402%2C218073002%2C218806601 : 3 September 2019), Distrito Capital > Asunción > San Roque > Bautismos 1906-1914 > image 134 of 591; Arquidiócesis de Asunción (Archdiocese of Ascunción), Paraguay.</ref>

From 1903-1908, Barrios worked at various office jobs, but later was able to support his household with his music.

He died on [[August 7]], 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he had been employed as a professor for several years.

== Influence of Theosophy ==

[[Theosophy|Theosophist]] Professor '''Viriato Díaz Pérez''' was a strong influence on Barrios during his early years in Asunción, both intellectually and socially:
<blockquote>
Viriato Díaz Pérez, a Spaniard by birth who emigrated to Paraguay in the early 1900's. An intellectual, author of numerous books and articles, literary critic and teacher, Diaz Perez was also a follower of [[theosophy]]. He reputedly introduced Barrios to theosophic doctrines and beliefs. Diaz Perez's influence on him, particularly in the areas of aesthetics, philosophy and metaphysics was profound.

Díaz Pérez had an "international" perspective and strongly urged Barrios to leave Paraguay. In January of 1910, he wrote a letter of introduction to an Argentine friend, Señor Mario Villar Sáenz Valiente, publisher of the Buenos Aires newspaper ''La Nación''. . . He was the nephew of Roque Sáenz Peña, President of Argentina from 1910-14. . . Valiente, after hearing Barrios play in the town of Corrientes, invited him to come to Buenos Aires under his patronage.<ref>Richard Stover, ''Six Silver Moonbeams'' (Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992), 32-33.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1912, Díaz Pérez was a founder and first President of the first [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]] lodge established in Paraguay. During the 1929 lecture tour of [[C. Jinarajadasa]], the Paraguayan lodges were chartered into a national Section.<ref>"Theosophy in Paraguay," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1937'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1937), 123.</ref> Possibly Barrios participated in lodge activities in Asunción.

Biographer Richard Stover wrote of Barrios:
<blockquote>
His religious convictions were more "theosophical" than strictly "Catholic". For him God and Nature are inextricably part of one another, and Man, being part of Nature, is part of God. The only substantiated comments made by Barrios regarding his religious views come from the Brazilian newspaper ''Jornal do Recife'' of January 5,1931:
<blockquote>
In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence.
</blockquote>
Here his references to "severe religious education" and "primitive pantheism" are more an accommodation to bolster his identity as Chief Nitsuga Mangore than an accurate statement of facts. But his mentioning theosophy and the "immutable laws of Nature" can be seen as sincere and genuine. Barrios was a humanist, an idealist, a romantic. He intuitively recognized that there is a relationship between the good, the true and the beautiful and that all these realities are reflected in love towards life and one's fellow beings. Recognition of and resignation to these truths are powerfully expressed in the major key section of his last piece ''Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios'' – the composition closes with a definite affirmation of these eternal values that Barrios achieved and manifested throughout his life: love being the process, and truth, beauty and goodness being the byproducts.<ref>Stover, 199-200.</ref>
</blockquote>

Late in his life Barrios was also associated with Theosophist '''General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez''' (1882-1966), the President of El Salvador, who arranged for Barrios to have a professorship in San Salvador. Hernández Martínez joined the Theosophical Society in El Salvador in 1931, serving as president of the Teotle Lodge and as the General Secretary of the Section. During World War II he became a member of the Theosophical Society in America, joining the Brotherhood Lodge on October 15, 1944 while living in New Orleans, and then transferring to the Florida Group after a move to Miami Beach. He subsequently lived much of the rest of his life in Honduras, but maintained a membership in the Miami Lodge.<ref>"Maximiliano H. Martinez." Membership Ledger Sheets Roll 4. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> While Hernández Martínez was interested in the occult and believed in [[reincarnation]], his brutal actions as President of El Salvador do not reflect Theosophists' commitment to [[Universal Brotherhood|brotherhood]].

It seems likely that Barrios participated in the Teotle Lodge in the early 1940s, from his own interest and out of respect to his powerful patron.

== Artistic career ==

During the course of his musical career, Barrios toured extensively to perform concerts. He composed more than 100 original works, and made at least 200 arrangements of works by other composers including Bach and Beethoven. His classical guitar performances were recorded as early as 1909.
[[File:Barrios diary .jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Diary'', 2018]]
Early concerts were in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In many places there was resistance from the intelligentsia to having a guitarist perform in theaters designed for classical orchestras and opera companies. The site of his breakthrough to the classical audiences was in February 1932 at the Teatro Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela. Juan José Churún, editor of a literary journal, presented Barrios with a concert diary, the "Autograph Book," of tooled cordovan leather with brass decorations and clasp. This book was signed by the Venezuelan president, Juan Vicente Gómez and his sons, quickly followed with autographs from 75 authors, signaling recognition of Barrios as an artist. Barrios carried the Autograph Book with him in his travels, using it as a diary to document his performances. He ultimately bequeathed the volume to the David Guzmán National Museum in San Salvador upon his death in 1944. A full-color reproduction of the travel diary with transcriptions and translations was published in 2018 and subsequent editions by Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard.<ref>Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard, "Provenance of the Diary" ''The Diary of Agustín Barrios Mangoré: His Concert Autograph Book (1932-1939), the Diplomatic Edition'' (Leon, Spain: Association CaminoArtes, 2019), 11-14.</ref>

In the 1930s he began to appear in concerts wearing clothing that reflected the native Guarani culture of Paraguay. In concert he performed his own compositions under the name "Mangoré" or "Nitsuga Mangoré" for the first half of the program, wearing native attire such as a feathered headdress. After an intermission he reappeared in formal European clothing to play traditional classical guitar works and Bach.

In 1935 he spent a year with the Paraguayan ambassador to Mexico, Tomás Salomonis, traveling to Belgium, Germany and Spain with performances in Brussels and Madrid. After leaving Europe, he toured in in Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

=== Compositions ===

The style of Barrios' original compositions has been called "late Romantic." Central and South American folk songs influenced his work.

His revered 1921 composition '''''La Catedral''''' was inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played on a pipe organ in a cathedral. In addition to becoming a staple of classical music repertoire, this work has been transcribed for piano, harpsichord, and marimba.

[[File:MANGORÉ bust.jpg‎|right|170px|thumb|Bust by Juan Gilberto Núñez]]

== Awards and honors ==

Barrios is a great source of national pride in his native country. A '''bank note''' in the denomination of 50,000 guaranies was issued by the government of Paraguay, with a portrait of Barrios on the front and a guitar on the back. In 1994 several '''stamps''' were issued to honor the 50th anniversary of Barrios' death. The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias named a '''school''' after the artist in Villa Elisa, a city on the outskirts of Asunciόn.

A '''bust''' by sculptor Juan Gilberto Núñez was installed in the Teatro Municipal “Ignacio A. Pane” de Asunción. An '''international guitar competition''' is named for Agustin Barrios and features performance of his compositions.

<gallery widths="170px" heights="90px" perrow="5">
File:Barrios stamp 1994 portrait.jpg|<center>1994 stamp</center>
File:Barrios stamps 1994.png|<center>1994 stamps</center>
File:Barrios bank note.jpg|<center>Bank note</center>
File:Back of Barrios bank note.png|<center>Guitar on back of bank note</center>
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==

[[File:Six-Silver-Moonbeams.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Cover of biography]]

=== Biographies ===

* Fricke, Hannes. '''''Mythos Gitarre: Geschichte, Interpreten, Sternstunden'''''. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 271 pages.
* Stover, Richard D. '''''Six Silver Moonbeams. The Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré'''''. Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992. 271 pages. This first edition is available at [https://archive.org/details/sixsilvermoonbea00stov/ Internet Archive]. [http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/CDs/Six_Silver_Moonbeams.html A second, expanded edition] is 432 pages in length, and is described in Amazon.com: "featuring 200 photographs, numerous letters, drawings and poems of Barrios, concert programs (over a hundred), harmonic analysis of selected works, commentaries by John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Sila Godoy, original scores of numerous works, plus chapters on 'The Guitar in Paraguay,' 'Barrios and Segovia,' as well as a complete listing of Barrios’ works and recordings."

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.barrioscompetition.com/ '''Agustín Barrios''' International Guitar Competition]
* [https://www.portalguarani.com/891_agustin_pio_mangore_barrios/17030_mangore_interpreta_a_mangore.html '''Agustín Pío (Mangoré) Barrios'''] in Portal Guarani. Spanish.

=== Videos ===

Dozens of musicians have recorded performance of Barrios compositions on YouTube and other Internet platforms. For example, a YouTube search of [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=la+catedral+barrios+ "La Catedral Barrios"] provides well over 100 results. Numerous master classes and biographical videos are also available. Here are examples:

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkiXlKAjTA Barrios: Life and Art of a Guitar Poet]''' on YouTube. Posted Oct 5, 2021 by Daniele Magli. 2013 film biography originally called '''Mangoré - Por Amor al Arte''' ["Mangoré - For the Love of Art"] in Spanish with English subtitles. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Directed by Luis R. Vera, starring Damián Alcázar, Rafael Alfaro, and Clotilde Cabral. Here is a [https://www.veojam.com/watch/1539774547 trailer].
* '''[https://www.veojam.com/watch/1417890628 Barrios Mangore - Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]'''. David Russell presents a session of a guitar master class teaching "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" (Alms for the Love of God), one of the most famous and most often performed Barrios compositions.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdeoB2VyNI Pequeños Universos - Agustín Barrios "Mangoré"]'''. Television documentary from Argentina in Spanish. 26 minutes. Posted on YouTube by Julián Rodríguez Barrios, grandson of the composer.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NgaWqJEyE Biografía de Agustin Barrios]'''. 33 minutes. Posted by Profesora Superior de Guitarra Clásica Claudia Delvalle. 2016.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcU4NA1P8qo Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]''' performed by Ana Vidovic.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmc6KV0_UVM Ana Vidovic plays 'La Catedral' by Agustín Barrios Mangoré on a classical guitar]''' on SiccasGuitars YouTube channel. Posted June 19, 2015.

=== Audio recordings ===

* '''[https://archive.org/details/lp_john-williams-plays-music-of-agustn-barrio_john-williams-agustn-barrios-mangor John Williams Plays Music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré]'''. 8 compositions.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/podcast_cgu-concerts-at-cst-audio-seri_guitar-music-by-agustin-barrio_1000115892873 Guitar Music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, and Others]''' by Matthew Butler. 2012.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcfbaDK-0E BBC4 Great Lives - Agustin Barrios Mangore]'''. Radio program in which classical guitarist John Williams explains to Matthew Parris why he believes Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore led a "great life." Also features Paraguayan guitarist Berta Rojas.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Composers|Barrios]]
[[Category:Musicians|Barrios]]
[[Category:Poets|Barrios]]
[[Category:Famous people|Barrios]]
[[Category:Nationality Paraguayan|Barrios]]
[[Category:People|Barrios]]

Agustín Pío Barrios

2026-07-09T18:59:23Z

SysopJ: /* Artistic career */

[[File:Mangore.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Agustín Pío Barrios. Image courtesy of Frederick Sheppard.]]
'''Agustín Pío Barrios''' was a Paraguayan composer and virtuoso performer of classical guitar music who was influenced by [[Theosophy]]. He sometimes used the names Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga Mangoré in homage to Paraguay's native Guarani culture. Nitsuga is Agustin spelled backward.

== Personal life ==
[[File:Agustín Barrios 1910.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Barrios in 1910]]
Agustín Pío Barrios was born on [[May 5]], 1885 Paraguay to Doroteo Barrios and Martina Ferreira. There is some question of the location of his birth, which may have been in San Juan Bautista or in nearby Villa Florida, both of which are in the southern department [state] of Misiones. His family had great appreciation of the arts, and sent Agustin to study in the capital city of Asunciόn. At the age of fifteen he received a music scholarship at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciόn, and developed great interest in philosophy, literature, and mathematics. He spoke Spanish and Guarani, but could also read English, French, and German. In addition to music, Barrios was quite talented in poetry and in drawing.

Barrios married Gregoria Isabel Villalba. Their son Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba was born on July 4, 1908 in San Roque, Asunción, Paraguay.<ref>"Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba" in [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barrios_Villalba-1 Wikitree], which cites "Paraguay, registros parroquiales, 1754-2015," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKT-9XW2?cc=1922527&wc=WXGH-Y8L%3A217758401%2C217758402%2C218073002%2C218806601 : 3 September 2019), Distrito Capital > Asunción > San Roque > Bautismos 1906-1914 > image 134 of 591; Arquidiócesis de Asunción (Archdiocese of Ascunción), Paraguay.</ref>

From 1903-1908, Barrios worked at various office jobs, but later was able to support his household with his music.

He died on [[August 7]], 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he had been employed as a professor for several years.

== Influence of Theosophy ==

[[Theosophy|Theosophist]] Professor '''Viriato Díaz Pérez''' was a strong influence on Barrios during his early years in Asunción, both intellectually and socially:
<blockquote>
Viriato Díaz Pérez, a Spaniard by birth who emigrated to Paraguay in the early 1900's. An intellectual, author of numerous books and articles, literary critic and teacher, Diaz Perez was also a follower of [[theosophy]]. He reputedly introduced Barrios to theosophic doctrines and beliefs. Diaz Perez's influence on him, particularly in the areas of aesthetics, philosophy and metaphysics was profound.

Díaz Pérez had an "international" perspective and strongly urged Barrios to leave Paraguay. In January of 1910, he wrote a letter of introduction to an Argentine friend, Señor Mario Villar Sáenz Valiente, publisher of the Buenos Aires newspaper ''La Nación''. . . He was the nephew of Roque Sáenz Peña, President of Argentina from 1910-14. . . Valiente, after hearing Barrios play in the town of Corrientes, invited him to come to Buenos Aires under his patronage.<ref>Richard Stover, ''Six Silver Moonbeams'' (Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992), 32-33.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1912, Díaz Pérez was a founder and first President of the first [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]] lodge established in Paraguay. During the 1929 lecture tour of [[C. Jinarajadasa]], the Paraguayan lodges were chartered into a national Section.<ref>"Theosophy in Paraguay," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1937'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1937), 123.</ref> Possibly Barrios participated in lodge activities in Asunción.

Biographer Richard Stover wrote of Barrios:
<blockquote>
His religious convictions were more "theosophical" than strictly "Catholic". For him God and Nature are inextricably part of one another, and Man, being part of Nature, is part of God. The only substantiated comments made by Barrios regarding his religious views come from the Brazilian newspaper ''Jornal do Recife'' of January 5,1931:
<blockquote>
In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence.
</blockquote>
Here his references to "severe religious education" and "primitive pantheism" are more an accommodation to bolster his identity as Chief Nitsuga Mangore than an accurate statement of facts. But his mentioning theosophy and the "immutable laws of Nature" can be seen as sincere and genuine. Barrios was a humanist, an idealist, a romantic. He intuitively recognized that there is a relationship between the good, the true and the beautiful and that all these realities are reflected in love towards life and one's fellow beings. Recognition of and resignation to these truths are powerfully expressed in the major key section of his last piece ''Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios'' – the composition closes with a definite affirmation of these eternal values that Barrios achieved and manifested throughout his life: love being the process, and truth, beauty and goodness being the byproducts.<ref>Stover, 199-200.</ref>
</blockquote>

Late in his life Barrios was also associated with Theosophist '''General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez''' (1882-1966), the President of El Salvador, who arranged for Barrios to have a professorship in San Salvador. Hernández Martínez joined the Theosophical Society in El Salvador in 1931, serving as president of the Teotle Lodge and as the General Secretary of the Section. During World War II he became a member of the Theosophical Society in America, joining the Brotherhood Lodge on October 15, 1944 while living in New Orleans, and then transferring to the Florida Group after a move to Miami Beach. He subsequently lived much of the rest of his life in Honduras, but maintained a membership in the Miami Lodge.<ref>"Maximiliano H. Martinez." Membership Ledger Sheets Roll 4. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> While Hernández Martínez was interested in the occult and believed in [[reincarnation]], his brutal actions as President of El Salvador do not reflect Theosophists' commitment to [[Universal Brotherhood|brotherhood]].

It seems likely that Barrios participated in the Teotle Lodge in the early 1940s, from his own interest and out of respect to his powerful patron.

== Artistic career ==

During the course of his musical career, Barrios toured extensively to perform concerts. He composed more than 100 original works, and made at least 200 arrangements of works by other composers including Bach and Beethoven. His classical guitar performances were recorded as early as 1909.
[[File:Barrios diary .jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Diary'', 2018]]
Early concerts were in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In many places there was resistance from the intelligentsia to having a guitarist perform in theaters designed for classical orchestras and opera companies. The site of his breakthrough to the classical audiences was in February 1932 at the Teatro Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela. Juan José Churún, editor of a literary journal, presented Barrios with a concert diary, the "Autograph Book," of tooled cordovan leather with brass decorations and clasp. This book was signed by the Venezualan president, Juan Vicente Gómez and his sons, quickly followed with autographs from 75 authors, signaling recognition of Barrios as an artist. Barrios carried the Autograph Book with him in his travels, using it as a diary to document his performances. He ultimately bequeathed the volume to the David Guzmán National Museum in San Salvador upon his death in 1944. A full-color reproduction of the travel diary with transcriptions and translations was published in 2018 and subsequent editions by Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard.<ref>Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard, "Provenance of the Diary" ''The Diary of Agustín Barrios Mangoré: His Concert Autograph Book (1932-1939), the Diplomatic Edition'' (Leon, Spain: Association CaminoArtes, 2019), 11-14.</ref>

In the 1930s he began to appear in concerts wearing clothing that reflected the native Guarani culture of Paraguay. In concert he performed his own compositions under the name "Mangoré" or "Nitsuga Mangoré" for the first half of the program, wearing native attire such as a feathered headdress. After an intermission he reappeared in formal European clothing to play traditional classical guitar works and Bach.

In 1935 he spent a year with the Paraguayan ambassador to Mexico, Tomás Salomonis, traveling to Belgium, Germany and Spain with performances in Brussels and Madrid. After leaving Europe, he toured in in Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

=== Compositions ===

The style of Barrios' original compositions has been called "late Romantic." Central and South American folk songs influenced his work.

His revered 1921 composition '''''La Catedral''''' was inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played on a pipe organ in a cathedral. In addition to becoming a staple of classical music repertoire, this work has been transcribed for piano, harpsichord, and marimba.

[[File:MANGORÉ bust.jpg‎|right|170px|thumb|Bust by Juan Gilberto Núñez]]

== Awards and honors ==

Barrios is a great source of national pride in his native country. A '''bank note''' in the denomination of 50,000 guaranies was issued by the government of Paraguay, with a portrait of Barrios on the front and a guitar on the back. In 1994 several '''stamps''' were issued to honor the 50th anniversary of Barrios' death. The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias named a '''school''' after the artist in Villa Elisa, a city on the outskirts of Asunciόn.

A '''bust''' by sculptor Juan Gilberto Núñez was installed in the Teatro Municipal “Ignacio A. Pane” de Asunción. An '''international guitar competition''' is named for Agustin Barrios and features performance of his compositions.

<gallery widths="170px" heights="90px" perrow="5">
File:Barrios stamp 1994 portrait.jpg|<center>1994 stamp</center>
File:Barrios stamps 1994.png|<center>1994 stamps</center>
File:Barrios bank note.jpg|<center>Bank note</center>
File:Back of Barrios bank note.png|<center>Guitar on back of bank note</center>
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==

[[File:Six-Silver-Moonbeams.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Cover of biography]]

=== Biographies ===

* Fricke, Hannes. '''''Mythos Gitarre: Geschichte, Interpreten, Sternstunden'''''. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 271 pages.
* Stover, Richard D. '''''Six Silver Moonbeams. The Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré'''''. Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992. 271 pages. This first edition is available at [https://archive.org/details/sixsilvermoonbea00stov/ Internet Archive]. [http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/CDs/Six_Silver_Moonbeams.html A second, expanded edition] is 432 pages in length, and is described in Amazon.com: "featuring 200 photographs, numerous letters, drawings and poems of Barrios, concert programs (over a hundred), harmonic analysis of selected works, commentaries by John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Sila Godoy, original scores of numerous works, plus chapters on 'The Guitar in Paraguay,' 'Barrios and Segovia,' as well as a complete listing of Barrios’ works and recordings."

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.barrioscompetition.com/ '''Agustín Barrios''' International Guitar Competition]
* [https://www.portalguarani.com/891_agustin_pio_mangore_barrios/17030_mangore_interpreta_a_mangore.html '''Agustín Pío (Mangoré) Barrios'''] in Portal Guarani. Spanish.

=== Videos ===

Dozens of musicians have recorded performance of Barrios compositions on YouTube and other Internet platforms. For example, a YouTube search of [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=la+catedral+barrios+ "La Catedral Barrios"] provides well over 100 results. Numerous master classes and biographical videos are also available. Here are examples:

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkiXlKAjTA Barrios: Life and Art of a Guitar Poet]''' on YouTube. Posted Oct 5, 2021 by Daniele Magli. 2013 film biography originally called '''Mangoré - Por Amor al Arte''' ["Mangoré - For the Love of Art"] in Spanish with English subtitles. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Directed by Luis R. Vera, starring Damián Alcázar, Rafael Alfaro, and Clotilde Cabral. Here is a [https://www.veojam.com/watch/1539774547 trailer].
* '''[https://www.veojam.com/watch/1417890628 Barrios Mangore - Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]'''. David Russell presents a session of a guitar master class teaching "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" (Alms for the Love of God), one of the most famous and most often performed Barrios compositions.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdeoB2VyNI Pequeños Universos - Agustín Barrios "Mangoré"]'''. Television documentary from Argentina in Spanish. 26 minutes. Posted on YouTube by Julián Rodríguez Barrios, grandson of the composer.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NgaWqJEyE Biografía de Agustin Barrios]'''. 33 minutes. Posted by Profesora Superior de Guitarra Clásica Claudia Delvalle. 2016.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcU4NA1P8qo Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]''' performed by Ana Vidovic.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmc6KV0_UVM Ana Vidovic plays 'La Catedral' by Agustín Barrios Mangoré on a classical guitar]''' on SiccasGuitars YouTube channel. Posted June 19, 2015.

=== Audio recordings ===

* '''[https://archive.org/details/lp_john-williams-plays-music-of-agustn-barrio_john-williams-agustn-barrios-mangor John Williams Plays Music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré]'''. 8 compositions.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/podcast_cgu-concerts-at-cst-audio-seri_guitar-music-by-agustin-barrio_1000115892873 Guitar Music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, and Others]''' by Matthew Butler. 2012.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcfbaDK-0E BBC4 Great Lives - Agustin Barrios Mangore]'''. Radio program in which classical guitarist John Williams explains to Matthew Parris why he believes Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore led a "great life." Also features Paraguayan guitarist Berta Rojas.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Composers|Barrios]]
[[Category:Musicians|Barrios]]
[[Category:Poets|Barrios]]
[[Category:Famous people|Barrios]]
[[Category:Nationality Paraguayan|Barrios]]
[[Category:People|Barrios]]

Agustín Pío Barrios

2026-07-09T18:58:50Z

SysopJ: /* Artistic career */

[[File:Mangore.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Agustín Pío Barrios. Image courtesy of Frederick Sheppard.]]
'''Agustín Pío Barrios''' was a Paraguayan composer and virtuoso performer of classical guitar music who was influenced by [[Theosophy]]. He sometimes used the names Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga Mangoré in homage to Paraguay's native Guarani culture. Nitsuga is Agustin spelled backward.

== Personal life ==
[[File:Agustín Barrios 1910.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Barrios in 1910]]
Agustín Pío Barrios was born on [[May 5]], 1885 Paraguay to Doroteo Barrios and Martina Ferreira. There is some question of the location of his birth, which may have been in San Juan Bautista or in nearby Villa Florida, both of which are in the southern department [state] of Misiones. His family had great appreciation of the arts, and sent Agustin to study in the capital city of Asunciόn. At the age of fifteen he received a music scholarship at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciόn, and developed great interest in philosophy, literature, and mathematics. He spoke Spanish and Guarani, but could also read English, French, and German. In addition to music, Barrios was quite talented in poetry and in drawing.

Barrios married Gregoria Isabel Villalba. Their son Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba was born on July 4, 1908 in San Roque, Asunción, Paraguay.<ref>"Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba" in [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barrios_Villalba-1 Wikitree], which cites "Paraguay, registros parroquiales, 1754-2015," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKT-9XW2?cc=1922527&wc=WXGH-Y8L%3A217758401%2C217758402%2C218073002%2C218806601 : 3 September 2019), Distrito Capital > Asunción > San Roque > Bautismos 1906-1914 > image 134 of 591; Arquidiócesis de Asunción (Archdiocese of Ascunción), Paraguay.</ref>

From 1903-1908, Barrios worked at various office jobs, but later was able to support his household with his music.

He died on [[August 7]], 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he had been employed as a professor for several years.

== Influence of Theosophy ==

[[Theosophy|Theosophist]] Professor '''Viriato Díaz Pérez''' was a strong influence on Barrios during his early years in Asunción, both intellectually and socially:
<blockquote>
Viriato Díaz Pérez, a Spaniard by birth who emigrated to Paraguay in the early 1900's. An intellectual, author of numerous books and articles, literary critic and teacher, Diaz Perez was also a follower of [[theosophy]]. He reputedly introduced Barrios to theosophic doctrines and beliefs. Diaz Perez's influence on him, particularly in the areas of aesthetics, philosophy and metaphysics was profound.

Díaz Pérez had an "international" perspective and strongly urged Barrios to leave Paraguay. In January of 1910, he wrote a letter of introduction to an Argentine friend, Señor Mario Villar Sáenz Valiente, publisher of the Buenos Aires newspaper ''La Nación''. . . He was the nephew of Roque Sáenz Peña, President of Argentina from 1910-14. . . Valiente, after hearing Barrios play in the town of Corrientes, invited him to come to Buenos Aires under his patronage.<ref>Richard Stover, ''Six Silver Moonbeams'' (Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992), 32-33.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1912, Díaz Pérez was a founder and first President of the first [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]] lodge established in Paraguay. During the 1929 lecture tour of [[C. Jinarajadasa]], the Paraguayan lodges were chartered into a national Section.<ref>"Theosophy in Paraguay," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1937'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1937), 123.</ref> Possibly Barrios participated in lodge activities in Asunción.

Biographer Richard Stover wrote of Barrios:
<blockquote>
His religious convictions were more "theosophical" than strictly "Catholic". For him God and Nature are inextricably part of one another, and Man, being part of Nature, is part of God. The only substantiated comments made by Barrios regarding his religious views come from the Brazilian newspaper ''Jornal do Recife'' of January 5,1931:
<blockquote>
In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence.
</blockquote>
Here his references to "severe religious education" and "primitive pantheism" are more an accommodation to bolster his identity as Chief Nitsuga Mangore than an accurate statement of facts. But his mentioning theosophy and the "immutable laws of Nature" can be seen as sincere and genuine. Barrios was a humanist, an idealist, a romantic. He intuitively recognized that there is a relationship between the good, the true and the beautiful and that all these realities are reflected in love towards life and one's fellow beings. Recognition of and resignation to these truths are powerfully expressed in the major key section of his last piece ''Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios'' – the composition closes with a definite affirmation of these eternal values that Barrios achieved and manifested throughout his life: love being the process, and truth, beauty and goodness being the byproducts.<ref>Stover, 199-200.</ref>
</blockquote>

Late in his life Barrios was also associated with Theosophist '''General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez''' (1882-1966), the President of El Salvador, who arranged for Barrios to have a professorship in San Salvador. Hernández Martínez joined the Theosophical Society in El Salvador in 1931, serving as president of the Teotle Lodge and as the General Secretary of the Section. During World War II he became a member of the Theosophical Society in America, joining the Brotherhood Lodge on October 15, 1944 while living in New Orleans, and then transferring to the Florida Group after a move to Miami Beach. He subsequently lived much of the rest of his life in Honduras, but maintained a membership in the Miami Lodge.<ref>"Maximiliano H. Martinez." Membership Ledger Sheets Roll 4. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> While Hernández Martínez was interested in the occult and believed in [[reincarnation]], his brutal actions as President of El Salvador do not reflect Theosophists' commitment to [[Universal Brotherhood|brotherhood]].

It seems likely that Barrios participated in the Teotle Lodge in the early 1940s, from his own interest and out of respect to his powerful patron.

== Artistic career ==

During the course of his musical career, Barrios toured extensively to perform concerts. He composed more than 100 original works, and made at least 200 arrangements of works by other composers including Bach and Beethoven. His classical guitar performances were recorded as early as 1909.
[[File:Barrios diary .jpg|right|200px|thumb|''Diary'', 2018]]
Early concerts were in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In many places there was resistance from the intelligentsia to having a guitarist perform in theaters designed for classical orchestras and opera companies. The site of his breakthrough to the classical audiences was in February 1932 at the Teatro Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela. Juan José Churún, editor of a literary journal, presented Barrios with a concert diary, the "Autograph Book," of tooled cordovan leather with brass decorations and clasp. This book was signed by the Venezualan president, Juan Vicente Gómez and his sons, quickly followed with autographs from 75 authors, signaling recognition of Barrios as an artist. Barrios carried the Autograph Book with him in his travels, using it as a diary to document his performances. He ultimately bequeathed the volume to the David Guzmán National Museum in San Salvador upon his death in 1944. A full-color reproduction of the travel diary with transcriptions and translations was published in 2018 and subsequent editions by Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard.<ref>Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard, "Provenance of the Diary" ''The Diary of Agustín Barrios Mangoré: His Concert Autograph Book (1932-1939), the Diplomatic Edition'' {Leon, Spain: Association CaminoArtes, 2019), 11-14.</ref>

In the 1930s he began to appear in concerts wearing clothing that reflected the native Guarani culture of Paraguay. In concert he performed his own compositions under the name "Mangoré" or "Nitsuga Mangoré" for the first half of the program, wearing native attire such as a feathered headdress. After an intermission he reappeared in formal European clothing to play traditional classical guitar works and Bach.

In 1935 he spent a year with the Paraguayan ambassador to Mexico, Tomás Salomonis, traveling to Belgium, Germany and Spain with performances in Brussels and Madrid. After leaving Europe, he toured in in Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

=== Compositions ===

The style of Barrios' original compositions has been called "late Romantic." Central and South American folk songs influenced his work.

His revered 1921 composition '''''La Catedral''''' was inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played on a pipe organ in a cathedral. In addition to becoming a staple of classical music repertoire, this work has been transcribed for piano, harpsichord, and marimba.

[[File:MANGORÉ bust.jpg‎|right|170px|thumb|Bust by Juan Gilberto Núñez]]

== Awards and honors ==

Barrios is a great source of national pride in his native country. A '''bank note''' in the denomination of 50,000 guaranies was issued by the government of Paraguay, with a portrait of Barrios on the front and a guitar on the back. In 1994 several '''stamps''' were issued to honor the 50th anniversary of Barrios' death. The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias named a '''school''' after the artist in Villa Elisa, a city on the outskirts of Asunciόn.

A '''bust''' by sculptor Juan Gilberto Núñez was installed in the Teatro Municipal “Ignacio A. Pane” de Asunción. An '''international guitar competition''' is named for Agustin Barrios and features performance of his compositions.

<gallery widths="170px" heights="90px" perrow="5">
File:Barrios stamp 1994 portrait.jpg|<center>1994 stamp</center>
File:Barrios stamps 1994.png|<center>1994 stamps</center>
File:Barrios bank note.jpg|<center>Bank note</center>
File:Back of Barrios bank note.png|<center>Guitar on back of bank note</center>
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==

[[File:Six-Silver-Moonbeams.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Cover of biography]]

=== Biographies ===

* Fricke, Hannes. '''''Mythos Gitarre: Geschichte, Interpreten, Sternstunden'''''. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 271 pages.
* Stover, Richard D. '''''Six Silver Moonbeams. The Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré'''''. Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992. 271 pages. This first edition is available at [https://archive.org/details/sixsilvermoonbea00stov/ Internet Archive]. [http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/CDs/Six_Silver_Moonbeams.html A second, expanded edition] is 432 pages in length, and is described in Amazon.com: "featuring 200 photographs, numerous letters, drawings and poems of Barrios, concert programs (over a hundred), harmonic analysis of selected works, commentaries by John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Sila Godoy, original scores of numerous works, plus chapters on 'The Guitar in Paraguay,' 'Barrios and Segovia,' as well as a complete listing of Barrios’ works and recordings."

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.barrioscompetition.com/ '''Agustín Barrios''' International Guitar Competition]
* [https://www.portalguarani.com/891_agustin_pio_mangore_barrios/17030_mangore_interpreta_a_mangore.html '''Agustín Pío (Mangoré) Barrios'''] in Portal Guarani. Spanish.

=== Videos ===

Dozens of musicians have recorded performance of Barrios compositions on YouTube and other Internet platforms. For example, a YouTube search of [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=la+catedral+barrios+ "La Catedral Barrios"] provides well over 100 results. Numerous master classes and biographical videos are also available. Here are examples:

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkiXlKAjTA Barrios: Life and Art of a Guitar Poet]''' on YouTube. Posted Oct 5, 2021 by Daniele Magli. 2013 film biography originally called '''Mangoré - Por Amor al Arte''' ["Mangoré - For the Love of Art"] in Spanish with English subtitles. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Directed by Luis R. Vera, starring Damián Alcázar, Rafael Alfaro, and Clotilde Cabral. Here is a [https://www.veojam.com/watch/1539774547 trailer].
* '''[https://www.veojam.com/watch/1417890628 Barrios Mangore - Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]'''. David Russell presents a session of a guitar master class teaching "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" (Alms for the Love of God), one of the most famous and most often performed Barrios compositions.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdeoB2VyNI Pequeños Universos - Agustín Barrios "Mangoré"]'''. Television documentary from Argentina in Spanish. 26 minutes. Posted on YouTube by Julián Rodríguez Barrios, grandson of the composer.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NgaWqJEyE Biografía de Agustin Barrios]'''. 33 minutes. Posted by Profesora Superior de Guitarra Clásica Claudia Delvalle. 2016.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcU4NA1P8qo Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]''' performed by Ana Vidovic.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmc6KV0_UVM Ana Vidovic plays 'La Catedral' by Agustín Barrios Mangoré on a classical guitar]''' on SiccasGuitars YouTube channel. Posted June 19, 2015.

=== Audio recordings ===

* '''[https://archive.org/details/lp_john-williams-plays-music-of-agustn-barrio_john-williams-agustn-barrios-mangor John Williams Plays Music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré]'''. 8 compositions.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/podcast_cgu-concerts-at-cst-audio-seri_guitar-music-by-agustin-barrio_1000115892873 Guitar Music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, and Others]''' by Matthew Butler. 2012.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcfbaDK-0E BBC4 Great Lives - Agustin Barrios Mangore]'''. Radio program in which classical guitarist John Williams explains to Matthew Parris why he believes Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore led a "great life." Also features Paraguayan guitarist Berta Rojas.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Composers|Barrios]]
[[Category:Musicians|Barrios]]
[[Category:Poets|Barrios]]
[[Category:Famous people|Barrios]]
[[Category:Nationality Paraguayan|Barrios]]
[[Category:People|Barrios]]

File:Barrios diary .jpg

2026-07-09T18:57:41Z

SysopJ: Cover of diary of Agustín Pío Barrios published in 2018 by Frederick Sheppard. Scanned from book donated by author.

== Summary ==
Cover of diary of [[Agustín Pío Barrios]] published in 2018 by Frederick Sheppard. Scanned from book donated by author.

Agustín Pío Barrios

2026-07-09T18:42:17Z

SysopJ: /* Artistic career */

[[File:Mangore.jpeg|right|250px|thumb|Agustín Pío Barrios. Image courtesy of Frederick Sheppard.]]
'''Agustín Pío Barrios''' was a Paraguayan composer and virtuoso performer of classical guitar music who was influenced by [[Theosophy]]. He sometimes used the names Agustín Barrios Mangoré and Nitsuga Mangoré in homage to Paraguay's native Guarani culture. Nitsuga is Agustin spelled backward.

== Personal life ==
[[File:Agustín Barrios 1910.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Barrios in 1910]]
Agustín Pío Barrios was born on [[May 5]], 1885 Paraguay to Doroteo Barrios and Martina Ferreira. There is some question of the location of his birth, which may have been in San Juan Bautista or in nearby Villa Florida, both of which are in the southern department [state] of Misiones. His family had great appreciation of the arts, and sent Agustin to study in the capital city of Asunciόn. At the age of fifteen he received a music scholarship at the Universidad Nacional de Asunciόn, and developed great interest in philosophy, literature, and mathematics. He spoke Spanish and Guarani, but could also read English, French, and German. In addition to music, Barrios was quite talented in poetry and in drawing.

Barrios married Gregoria Isabel Villalba. Their son Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba was born on July 4, 1908 in San Roque, Asunción, Paraguay.<ref>"Pedro Virgilio Barrios Villalba" in [https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Barrios_Villalba-1 Wikitree], which cites "Paraguay, registros parroquiales, 1754-2015," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GRKT-9XW2?cc=1922527&wc=WXGH-Y8L%3A217758401%2C217758402%2C218073002%2C218806601 : 3 September 2019), Distrito Capital > Asunción > San Roque > Bautismos 1906-1914 > image 134 of 591; Arquidiócesis de Asunción (Archdiocese of Ascunción), Paraguay.</ref>

From 1903-1908, Barrios worked at various office jobs, but later was able to support his household with his music.

He died on [[August 7]], 1944 in San Salvador, El Salvador, where he had been employed as a professor for several years.

== Influence of Theosophy ==

[[Theosophy|Theosophist]] Professor '''Viriato Díaz Pérez''' was a strong influence on Barrios during his early years in Asunción, both intellectually and socially:
<blockquote>
Viriato Díaz Pérez, a Spaniard by birth who emigrated to Paraguay in the early 1900's. An intellectual, author of numerous books and articles, literary critic and teacher, Diaz Perez was also a follower of [[theosophy]]. He reputedly introduced Barrios to theosophic doctrines and beliefs. Diaz Perez's influence on him, particularly in the areas of aesthetics, philosophy and metaphysics was profound.

Díaz Pérez had an "international" perspective and strongly urged Barrios to leave Paraguay. In January of 1910, he wrote a letter of introduction to an Argentine friend, Señor Mario Villar Sáenz Valiente, publisher of the Buenos Aires newspaper ''La Nación''. . . He was the nephew of Roque Sáenz Peña, President of Argentina from 1910-14. . . Valiente, after hearing Barrios play in the town of Corrientes, invited him to come to Buenos Aires under his patronage.<ref>Richard Stover, ''Six Silver Moonbeams'' (Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992), 32-33.</ref>
</blockquote>

In 1912, Díaz Pérez was a founder and first President of the first [[Theosophical Society (Adyar)|Theosophical Society]] lodge established in Paraguay. During the 1929 lecture tour of [[C. Jinarajadasa]], the Paraguayan lodges were chartered into a national Section.<ref>"Theosophy in Paraguay," ''The Theosophical Year Book, 1937'' (Adyar, Madras, India: Theosophical Publishing House, 1937), 123.</ref> Possibly Barrios participated in lodge activities in Asunción.

Biographer Richard Stover wrote of Barrios:
<blockquote>
His religious convictions were more "theosophical" than strictly "Catholic". For him God and Nature are inextricably part of one another, and Man, being part of Nature, is part of God. The only substantiated comments made by Barrios regarding his religious views come from the Brazilian newspaper ''Jornal do Recife'' of January 5,1931:
<blockquote>
In spite of a severe religious education, my primitive pantheism has pointed me in the direction of Theosophy, the most human and rational of philosophic concepts. I believe in the immutable laws of Nature. And Humanity and the Good impregnate my spirit as the ethical end of all existence.
</blockquote>
Here his references to "severe religious education" and "primitive pantheism" are more an accommodation to bolster his identity as Chief Nitsuga Mangore than an accurate statement of facts. But his mentioning theosophy and the "immutable laws of Nature" can be seen as sincere and genuine. Barrios was a humanist, an idealist, a romantic. He intuitively recognized that there is a relationship between the good, the true and the beautiful and that all these realities are reflected in love towards life and one's fellow beings. Recognition of and resignation to these truths are powerfully expressed in the major key section of his last piece ''Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios'' – the composition closes with a definite affirmation of these eternal values that Barrios achieved and manifested throughout his life: love being the process, and truth, beauty and goodness being the byproducts.<ref>Stover, 199-200.</ref>
</blockquote>

Late in his life Barrios was also associated with Theosophist '''General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez''' (1882-1966), the President of El Salvador, who arranged for Barrios to have a professorship in San Salvador. Hernández Martínez joined the Theosophical Society in El Salvador in 1931, serving as president of the Teotle Lodge and as the General Secretary of the Section. During World War II he became a member of the Theosophical Society in America, joining the Brotherhood Lodge on October 15, 1944 while living in New Orleans, and then transferring to the Florida Group after a move to Miami Beach. He subsequently lived much of the rest of his life in Honduras, but maintained a membership in the Miami Lodge.<ref>"Maximiliano H. Martinez." Membership Ledger Sheets Roll 4. Theosophical Society in America Archives.</ref> While Hernández Martínez was interested in the occult and believed in [[reincarnation]], his brutal actions as President of El Salvador do not reflect Theosophists' commitment to [[Universal Brotherhood|brotherhood]].

It seems likely that Barrios participated in the Teotle Lodge in the early 1940s, from his own interest and out of respect to his powerful patron.

== Artistic career ==

During the course of his musical career, Barrios toured extensively to perform concerts. He composed more than 100 original works, and made at least 200 arrangements of works by other composers including Bach and Beethoven. His classical guitar performances were recorded as early as 1909.

Early concerts were in Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. In many places there was resistance from the intelligentsia to having a guitarist perform in theaters designed for classical orchestras and opera companies. The site of his breakthrough to the classical audiences was in February 1932 at the Teatro Municipal in Caracas, Venezuela. Juan José Churún, editor of a literary journal, presented Barrios with a concert diary, the "Autograph Book," of tooled cordovan leather with brass decorations and clasp. This book was signed by the Venezualan president, Juan Vicente Gómez and his sons, quickly followed with autographs from 75 authors, signaling recognition of Barrios as an artist. Barrios carried the Autograph Book with him in his travels, using it as a diary to document his performances. He ultimately bequeathed the volume to the David Guzmán National Museum in San Salvador upon his death in 1944. A full-color reproduction of the travel diary with transcriptions and translations was published in 2018 and subsequent editions by Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard.<ref>Richard T. Pinnell and Frederick Sheppard, "Provenance of the Diary" ''The Diary of Agustín Barrios Mangoré: His Concert Autograph Book (1932-1939), the Diplomatic Edition'' {Leon, Spain: Association CaminoArtes, 2019), 11-14.</ref>

In the 1930s he began to appear in concerts wearing clothing that reflected the native Guarani culture of Paraguay. In concert he performed his own compositions under the name "Mangoré" or "Nitsuga Mangoré" for the first half of the program, wearing native attire such as a feathered headdress. After an intermission he reappeared in formal European clothing to play traditional classical guitar works and Bach.

In 1935 he spent a year with the Paraguayan ambassador to Mexico, Tomás Salomonis, traveling to Belgium, Germany and Spain with performances in Brussels and Madrid. After leaving Europe, he toured in in Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala.

=== Compositions ===

The style of Barrios' original compositions has been called "late Romantic." Central and South American folk songs influenced his work.

His revered 1921 composition '''''La Catedral''''' was inspired by the music of Johann Sebastian Bach played on a pipe organ in a cathedral. In addition to becoming a staple of classical music repertoire, this work has been transcribed for piano, harpsichord, and marimba.

[[File:MANGORÉ bust.jpg‎|right|170px|thumb|Bust by Juan Gilberto Núñez]]

== Awards and honors ==

Barrios is a great source of national pride in his native country. A '''bank note''' in the denomination of 50,000 guaranies was issued by the government of Paraguay, with a portrait of Barrios on the front and a guitar on the back. In 1994 several '''stamps''' were issued to honor the 50th anniversary of Barrios' death. The Ministerio de Educación y Ciencias named a '''school''' after the artist in Villa Elisa, a city on the outskirts of Asunciόn.

A '''bust''' by sculptor Juan Gilberto Núñez was installed in the Teatro Municipal “Ignacio A. Pane” de Asunción. An '''international guitar competition''' is named for Agustin Barrios and features performance of his compositions.

<gallery widths="170px" heights="90px" perrow="5">
File:Barrios stamp 1994 portrait.jpg|<center>1994 stamp</center>
File:Barrios stamps 1994.png|<center>1994 stamps</center>
File:Barrios bank note.jpg|<center>Bank note</center>
File:Back of Barrios bank note.png|<center>Guitar on back of bank note</center>
</gallery>

== Additional resources ==

[[File:Six-Silver-Moonbeams.jpg|right|170px|thumb|Cover of biography]]

=== Biographies ===

* Fricke, Hannes. '''''Mythos Gitarre: Geschichte, Interpreten, Sternstunden'''''. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 271 pages.
* Stover, Richard D. '''''Six Silver Moonbeams. The Life and Times of Agustín Barrios Mangoré'''''. Clovis, Calif.: Querico Publications, 1992. 271 pages. This first edition is available at [https://archive.org/details/sixsilvermoonbea00stov/ Internet Archive]. [http://www.ricoguitarnails.com/CDs/Six_Silver_Moonbeams.html A second, expanded edition] is 432 pages in length, and is described in Amazon.com: "featuring 200 photographs, numerous letters, drawings and poems of Barrios, concert programs (over a hundred), harmonic analysis of selected works, commentaries by John Williams, Leo Brouwer and Sila Godoy, original scores of numerous works, plus chapters on 'The Guitar in Paraguay,' 'Barrios and Segovia,' as well as a complete listing of Barrios’ works and recordings."

=== Websites ===
* [http://www.barrioscompetition.com/ '''Agustín Barrios''' International Guitar Competition]
* [https://www.portalguarani.com/891_agustin_pio_mangore_barrios/17030_mangore_interpreta_a_mangore.html '''Agustín Pío (Mangoré) Barrios'''] in Portal Guarani. Spanish.

=== Videos ===

Dozens of musicians have recorded performance of Barrios compositions on YouTube and other Internet platforms. For example, a YouTube search of [https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=la+catedral+barrios+ "La Catedral Barrios"] provides well over 100 results. Numerous master classes and biographical videos are also available. Here are examples:

* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAkiXlKAjTA Barrios: Life and Art of a Guitar Poet]''' on YouTube. Posted Oct 5, 2021 by Daniele Magli. 2013 film biography originally called '''Mangoré - Por Amor al Arte''' ["Mangoré - For the Love of Art"] in Spanish with English subtitles. 1 hour, 41 minutes. Directed by Luis R. Vera, starring Damián Alcázar, Rafael Alfaro, and Clotilde Cabral. Here is a [https://www.veojam.com/watch/1539774547 trailer].
* '''[https://www.veojam.com/watch/1417890628 Barrios Mangore - Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]'''. David Russell presents a session of a guitar master class teaching "Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios" (Alms for the Love of God), one of the most famous and most often performed Barrios compositions.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDdeoB2VyNI Pequeños Universos - Agustín Barrios "Mangoré"]'''. Television documentary from Argentina in Spanish. 26 minutes. Posted on YouTube by Julián Rodríguez Barrios, grandson of the composer.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7NgaWqJEyE Biografía de Agustin Barrios]'''. 33 minutes. Posted by Profesora Superior de Guitarra Clásica Claudia Delvalle. 2016.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcU4NA1P8qo Una Limosna por el Amor de Dios]''' performed by Ana Vidovic.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmc6KV0_UVM Ana Vidovic plays 'La Catedral' by Agustín Barrios Mangoré on a classical guitar]''' on SiccasGuitars YouTube channel. Posted June 19, 2015.

=== Audio recordings ===

* '''[https://archive.org/details/lp_john-williams-plays-music-of-agustn-barrio_john-williams-agustn-barrios-mangor John Williams Plays Music of Agustín Barrios Mangoré]'''. 8 compositions.
* '''[https://archive.org/details/podcast_cgu-concerts-at-cst-audio-seri_guitar-music-by-agustin-barrio_1000115892873 Guitar Music by Agustín Barrios Mangoré, and Others]''' by Matthew Butler. 2012.
* '''[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXcfbaDK-0E BBC4 Great Lives - Agustin Barrios Mangore]'''. Radio program in which classical guitarist John Williams explains to Matthew Parris why he believes Paraguayan guitarist Agustin Barrios Mangore led a "great life." Also features Paraguayan guitarist Berta Rojas.

== Notes ==
<references/>

[[Category:Composers|Barrios]]
[[Category:Musicians|Barrios]]
[[Category:Poets|Barrios]]
[[Category:Famous people|Barrios]]
[[Category:Nationality Paraguayan|Barrios]]
[[Category:People|Barrios]]