Montgomery Schuyler

Born in Ithaca, New York, on August 19, 1843, Montgomery Schuyler became one of the most important American architecture critics of his era. He studied at Hobart College but did not graduate, and after the Civil War he moved into journalism in New York City, beginning a career that would last more than forty years.

Schuyler worked as an editorial writer for major newspapers including The New York Times, and he also wrote for other leading publications of the day. Although his interests ranged across art, literature, and music, he is best known for his writing on architecture. His criticism was admired for being clear, lively, and independent, and he became an important defender of modern design at a time when American cities were rapidly changing.

He was closely engaged with the architectural debates of the late 19th century and is often noted for supporting architects such as H. H. Richardson and for arguing in favor of the skyscraper as a serious architectural form. Schuyler died in New Rochelle, New York, on July 16, 1914, but his writing remains a valuable record of how America learned to see its new urban landscape.