Cass Gilbert, born Zanesville, OH - Preliminary study for an Armory Building for Shattuck School, Faribault, - 1894 - T-Shirt

A watercolour and pencil perspective of a stone armory, drawn as a picturesque collegiate Gothic building with conical-roofed towers and a deep arched entrance.

Visual Elements & Composition

Warm stone beige fills much of the sheet, set against a pale lavender-grey sky washed in soft strokes. Two round towers with conical slate roofs flank a recessed central entrance, approached by a flight of steps. A taller square tower with a pointed cap rises at the left behind a steep gable, and a pointed-arch loggia with tracery runs along the left flank. Trees stand at the right edge in sage green and dark taupe. The lettering in the top corner reads Preliminary Study for an Armory Building for Shattuck School, Faribault, Minnesota, attributed to Cass Gilbert, Architect, St. Paul.

Meaning & Symbolism

An armory housed drill and training for a military school, and this study shows the building at the stage where its massing and silhouette were being settled. The turrets, battlements and arched openings present the institution in the collegiate Gothic style that many American schools adopted in the late nineteenth century. The towers and central portal give the front a ceremonial presence, so the building reads as both a training hall and a monument to the school's identity. Cass Gilbert, born in Zanesville, Ohio, was practising in St. Paul when he drew it in 1894, early in a career that would go on to produce much larger work.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A drawing this detailed rewards a close look, and the chest of a tee gives the towers and arched entrance room to be seen at a glance and then studied up close. The stone palette and the lavender sky sit comfortably on a natural-toned or neutral garment, letting the architecture carry the piece.