Collins & Autenrieth

Despite the prominence of the nineteenth-century Philadelphia architectural firm of Collins & Autenrieth, not much is known about the background of its two founding members. Edward Collins (1821–1902) was born in Köningsberg, Prussia, and studied at universities in Karlsruhe and Berlin, two important architectural centers in Germany. While there, he became friends with Charles M. Autenrieth (1828–1906), who was born in Wurtenburg, and who was also a student of architecture. According to the records of his family, Collins came to Philadelphia in 1849, and it is likely that he persuaded Autenrieth to come with him. This emigration may have been the result of the Revolution of 1848 which swept across Germany, France, and other European nations, and which resulted in the flight of many German engineers and architects to the United States in the years immediately following.

Upon arrival in Philadelphia, Autenrieth found a job in the architectural firm of Samuel Sloan. Collins, too, may have been in Sloan’s employ, perhaps as an illustrator, since his signature is on several works that are thought to have come from Sloan’s firm, such as the Masonic Temple of Philadelphia. Collins’ first recorded job, however, was with the firm of John McArthur Jr., and the first mention of his work came during his collaboration with McArthur on designs for the Grand House Hotel and the House of Refuge. In 1852 Collins left the firm to establish his own practice which was located at 92 Walnut Street. Two years later Autenrieth left Samuel Sloan to join Collins in a partnership, and their first collaborative effort was in an 1854 competition for the design of an opera house in Philadelphia, sponsored by the American Academy of Music. According to an announcement in Cummings’ Evening Bulletin, “A Premium of $400 will be awarded for such Design as may be adopted, and $200 for the next best, for an Opera House, to be erected at the southwest corner of Broad and Locust streets in the City of Philadelphia.” Though they lost this competition to the partnership of Napoleon Le Brun and Gustave Runge, over the course of the next fifty years Collins and Autenreith would be considered one of the top firms in Philadelphia, and would be asked to compete in numerous other competitions. Indeed, in 1873 they were one of the few American architects to submit their work for display at the Vienna Universal Exhibition. The two men continued to work together until Collins’ death in 1902. Afterwards, Autenrieth continued the practice with his son, Charles M. Autenrieth Jr., until his own death in 1906.

The work of Collins and Autenrieth was quite varied, designing buildings for both private individuals and civic institutions, and much of their work centered on the German immigrant community of Philadelphia. One of the most important and fruitful connections they made was with the Lea family. Matthew Carey Lea (1823–1897) and Henry C. Lea (1825–1909) were the sons of Isaac and Frances (Carey) Lea, and were members of a family whose ancestors arrived in the colonies with William Penn. Matthew undertook a career in law, but abandoned it after several years to pursue a second career in chemistry. His particular interest was in photographic chemistry, and he was influencial in laying the foundations for the science of photography. He was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Boston, as well as other prestigious academic societies.

His brother Henry Lea also had an interest in the sciences, and published numerous articles on various scientific matters from medicine to marine biology. However, his education was extremely broad, and he was considered one of the leading medieval historians of the late nineteenth century. Aside from being a scholar, Henry was a distinguished businessman as well as the owner of a publishing house. In 1880 his son Charles M. became a partner in the business, and the name was changed to Henry C. Lea’s Son & Co. In 1885 Henry retired, and the name of the business was again changed to Lea Brothers & Co. as his other son, Arthur H., became a partner. It was through this enterprise, as well as by virtue of his personal contacts, that Henry Lea became involved in both local and national politics, undertaking a decades-long war against corruption in government through the media of pamphlets and articles.

It is clear from the collection that the Lea family was a major client of Collins & Autenrieth, as there are over half a dozen major projects for Lea family properties, or buildings with which they were associated -- such as the Penn Mutual life Insurance Co. Building and the Library Company of Philadelphia, which was established by Benjamin Franklin in 1731. Indeed, Henry C. Lea was director of the Library Company of Philadelphia from 1870–79, and again from 1887–1902, and it was during this latter period that Collins & Autenrieth worked on designs for the institution.

Abbot, George Maurice. A Short History of the Library Company of Philadelphia. Philadelphia: The Library Company Board of Directors, 1913. Findling, John E., ed. Historic Dictionary of World’s Fairs & Expositions 1851–1988. New York: Greenwood Press, 1990. Gopsill’s Philadelphia City Directory. Philadelphia: James Gopsill, 1870, 1873, 1904. The National Cyclopedia of American Biography. 63 vol. New York: James T. White & Co., 1892–1984. O’Gorman, James F., Jeffrey A. Cohen, George E. Thomas, and G. Holmes Perkins. Drawing Toward Building: Philadelphia Architectural Graphics 1732–1986. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1986. Tatman, Sandra L. and Roger W. Moss, eds. Biographical Dictionary of Philadelphia Architects: 1700–1930. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1985. Wolf, Edwin 2nd. At the Insistence of Ben Franklin: A Brief History of the Library Company of Philadelphia, 1731–1976. Philadelphia: Library Company of Philadelphia, 1976. Additional biographical material found in the collection folder.

From the guide to the Collins and Autenrieth architectural works, 1852–1904, (University of Delaware Library - Special Collections)