Adrian Janes

Adrian Janes (February 4, 1798 - March 2, 1869) was the owner of the iron foundry Janes, Kirtland & Co. in The Bronx, New York, the company which created iron work for the Bow Bridge in Central Park, the railings of the Brooklyn Bridge, and the Capitol dome of the United States Capitol Building in Washington, D.C.^[1]

US Capitol dome Jan 2006

Janes and Bolles wallpaper

In 1821-1824, Adrian Janes and Edwin Bolles maintained a wallpaper business in Hartford, Connecticut. They hold the distinction of making the earliest known American book of wallpaper samples. The original book is now in the collection of Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.^[2]

Janes, Kirtland & Company iron works

Adrian Janes was the founder and principal owner of Janes, Kirtland & Co. in The Bronx, New York. The company was established in 1844 at the corner of Reade and Centre Streets in Manhattan. When the order came in for the dome of the Capitol Building, however, the company saw the need for a far more expansive foundry. Thus, it moved to the area now known as The Bronx in 1857 to create the huge cast-iron dome.^[3][4]

Janes Hill

Jayneshill

Jaynes Hill is the highest point in Long Island, New York. The hill goes by many different names, but was named for Adrian Janes.^[5] After 1858 the area of Janes Hill in St. Mary's Park in the Bronx (the largest and one of the original six parks in the Bronx borough)^[6] was known for the owner of its land, Adrian Janes.^[7]

The Bow Bridge, Central Park

Bow Bridge in Central Park NYC 2 - August 2009 HDR

With a cast iron span of 50 feet and a walkway made of ipe (a wood in the genus handroanthus), the Bow Bridge is "like a Victorian confection reflected in the waters of Central Park's lake."^[8]

Bow Bridge

The Bow Bridge was designed during the mid-19th century by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould.^[9] The Bow Bridge was a setting for the Woody Allen film Manhattan.^[10] The bridge setting was also used in the movies Keeping the Faith and The Way We Were.^[11]

The Brooklyn Bridge

Brooklyn bridge manhattan 1967

In 1964 the Brooklyn Bridge was designated a National Historic Landmark, and in 1972 it was recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.^[12]

The Capitol Dome

Adrian Janes' company was responsible for casting and erecting the Capitol Dome at the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C..^[13]

US Capitol east side

The dome is made of 9 million pounds of painted cast iron. Janes, Fowler, Kirtland & Company did the metal work for the dome designed by the architect Thomas Ustick Walter.^[14] The dome was hoisted into position in 1863, and “Freedom,” the 19 foot 6 inch bronze statue by Thomas Crawford was placed at its apex.^[15] In addition to the Capitol Dome, Janes and Kirtland Company also created the ceilings of the Congressional Library, the United States House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate chamber.^[16]

Decorative statuary and fountains

In Madison, Indiana is the "Broadway Fountain" made by Janes & Kirtland.^[17] The Broadway Fountain in Madison is one of four similar tiered fountains that Janes, Kirtland, and Company created.^[18] The others can be found in Poughkeepsie, New York, and in Cusco, Peru and Savannah, Georgia. The Savannah fountain appears in the films Forrest Gump and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.^[19] Abbeville, South Carolina boasts of its cast iron fountain similar to the one in Savannah, also by Janes, Beebe & Company.^[20]

In 1853, a cast iron gazebo by Janes & Beebe was installed on the campus of Belmont University.^[21] Janes also worked with cast zinc sculpture.^[22]

Life of Adrian Janes

Janes was born February 14, 1798 in either Hartford, Connecticut or The Bronx, Bronx County, New York. He lived in a fine mansion near St. Ann's Avenue in the area that became St. Mary's Park in The Bronx. The estate was called Janes Hill. His ancestry and marriage are discussed in the book "The Janes Family: A Genealogy and Brief History."^[23]

His son Edward eventually became proprietor of the iron company. Adrian Janes died March 2, 1869 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in The Bronx, New York City.^[24] After the death of Adrian Janes, the old company was eventually sold. It passed from management by Henry E. Janes and Herbert Janes of the firm then called Janes Kirtland (located at 725 and 727 Sixth Avenue), which had become manufacturers of cooking ranges.^[25]

References