Stanford White

Stanford White
Photograph of White by George Cox, c. 1892
Born	(1853-11-09)November 9, 1853 New York, New York, U.S.
Died	June 25, 1906(1906-06-25) (aged 52) New York, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Architect
Spouse	Bessie Springs Smith ​ ​ (m. 1884)​
Children	Lawrence Grant White
Parent(s)	Alexina Black Mease Richard Grant White
Buildings	Rosecliff, Newport, RI Madison Square Garden II, NYC Washington Square Arch, NYC New York Herald Building, NYC Savoyard Centre, Detroit Lovely Lane Methodist Church, Baltimore Rhode Island State House, Providence University of Virginia Rotunda
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Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect and a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms at the turn of the 20th century. White designed many houses for the wealthy, in addition to numerous civic, institutional and religious buildings. His temporary Washington Square Arch was so popular that he was commissioned to design a permanent one. White's design principles embodied the "American Renaissance".

In 1906, White was murdered during a musical performance at the rooftop theatre of Madison Square Garden. His killer, Harry Kendall Thaw, was a wealthy but mentally unstable heir of a coal and railroad fortune who had become obsessed by White's alleged drugging and rape of, and subsequent relationship with, the woman who was to become Thaw's wife, Evelyn Nesbit, which had started when she was aged 16. At the time of the killing, Nesbit was a famous fashion model. With the public nature of the killing and elements of a sex scandal among the wealthy, the resulting trial of Thaw was dubbed the "Trial of the Century" by contemporary reporters.^[1][2] Thaw was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity.^[3]