author
Barr Ferree
1862–1924
An early American architecture writer and critic, he helped bring serious attention to both French cathedrals and the design of American homes and gardens. His work moved easily between scholarship, journalism, and public advocacy for historic architecture.
1 Audiobook
The Bombardment of Reims
by Barr Ferree
About the author
Born in Philadelphia in 1862 and active into the early 20th century, Barr Ferree was an architectural historian, critic, and author. He wrote on architecture for a broad audience as well as for specialists, and his published works included studies of domestic architecture, Pennsylvania history, and the richly illustrated American Estates and Gardens.
He is especially remembered for his deep interest in French architecture. According to the Dictionary of Art Historians, he compiled an influential catalog of French cathedrals from his large personal library, which later became the basis of the Barr Ferree Library at Princeton. The same source notes that his efforts to help protect French architectural heritage during World War I earned him the Legion of Honor in 1922.
Ferree died in 1924. Archival records at Princeton preserve collections of his papers and correspondence, reflecting a life spent documenting buildings, promoting architectural knowledge, and treating architecture as something worth studying, preserving, and sharing with the public.