Bradford Lee Gilbert 1853-1911

Born in Watertown, New York in 1853, Gilbert had been appointed architect of the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad by the age of 23. Among his extensive work for multiple railroads across the country, Gilbert is best known for designing the first steel-framed curtain wall building in New York, the Tower Building, which opened at 50 Broadway in 1889. The Tower Building is considered New York City's first skyscraper. Gilbert also designed a previous version of New York City's Grand Central Terminal in 1898. Most of his New York buildings have been demolished, but his landmark eleven story Flatiron Building (1898) still stands in Atlanta, Georgia, and predates the similar and more famous New York City Flatiron Building by five years.

 

Gilbert and Raoul had worked well together on previous railroad projects and the Raoul home in Atlanta, so Gilbert was the logical choice for the architect for Albemarle Park.