HIGHLIGHT! George and Edward Blum

Source: Office of Metropolitan History 

    by Shannon Brown
  
      George and Edward Blum aka the Blum Brothers studied at the Ecole des Beaux- Arts during the 20^th century. After their studies, they created the Admaston (251 west 89th street) and few other buildings with this architectural feature such as the Evanston (610 West End Avenue, the Phaeton (539 West 112th Street) and many others. 

       George Blum was the more the laid back and opinionated brother who had similar ideas as his brother but different intentions as to how the buildings would be or appear to look in others eyes. Also Blum graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1894 and in that same year he took the bar exam and a partnership in a firm with John B. Fleming called "the firm of Fleming and Blum".

   

    Edward Blum was the more creative brother out the both of them. He came up with the most design ideas. Blum attended Columbia University from which he received his degree in architecture. He later formed a firm with his brother George and built some of the most well-known and geometrically designed buildings. 

   

499 Seventh Avenue

Terra Cotta design panels

    As an individual each brother had the same intentions to come together to create the same design idea in buildings. In result to that they both collaborated and eventually had their owned firm called “the firm of George & Edward Blum”, which received more than 170 commissions in Manhattan alone between 1909 & 1930. Their most common façade details are designs made of Terra-Cotta, brick; usually geometrical shapes for the buildings front entrances and street façade. The brothers mainly gravitated towards Renaissance themed facades but depended on masonry and metalwork.


~ My name is Shannon Brown and I'm an intern at Landmark West! I will be entering my senior year of high school in September 2015. My experience here has been a great one so far but hope to share more research before the summer is out.