Randall's Urban Architectural Sculptures

I was happy to have found several more pieces of historic 1856 cast-iron which came from a building known as the Morgan-Reeves Drygoods store on Public Square, Nashville. The building was demolished in 1975

Samuel Dold Morgan was married on November 2, 1819 to Matilda Grant Rose Mackintosh of Staunton, VA, born in 1802. The family moved from Huntsville to Nashville, TN in January, 1833, where Morgan became involved in dry goods and banking. Samuel Dold Morgan was at once a merchant, architect and builder. His firm, Morgan and Company, was one of the largest wholesale importers of dry goods and a manufacturer of clothing; the business was sufficiently sound and respected to be permitted to issue script money during the Panic of January 30, 1844 he was appointed to the new commission charged with planning a new State Capitol, becoming its president in 1854; he was instrumental in choosing William Strickland of Philadelphia as the architect of this monumental structure.

In 1856 his firm built the Morgan-Reeves Building at Public Square which survived until 1975.

During the Civil War he engaged in manufacturing munitions for the Confederates, until Nashville’s occupation by Union forces. He was also a Confederate official, serving as chairman of the Central Bureau of Military Supplies in Nashville during the War. He died an honored citizen of Tennessee, on June 10, 1880 and his remains were interred in the southeast corner of the State Capitol.Samuel Morgan was an uncle of General John Hunt Morgan of Alabama, who served with the Confederate Army and led “Morgan’s Raiders.”
On June 10, 1980, the hundredth anniversary of Samuel Dole Morgan’s death, a ceremony was held at the Tennessee Capitol Building in honor of Mr. Morgan. The State Legislature declared that day to be “Samuel Dold Morgan Day” (Senate Joint Resolution 351)

I believe the cast iron was itself made in Morgan’s own foundry as an 1851 magazine ad shows he had started a new foundry to produce steam locomotives and steam engines, and was seeking employees to work there.

Photo of one of the window brackets or consoles as they are properly called that I bought in 2004;

Received the first of the four pieces today- the lower leaf for a window console, it has been cleaned of the caked on paint, but the original 1856 red lead primer remains. As I’ve found with the other pieces, this primer is so tough that no amount of paint stripper of any brand even phased it, nor did tries of acids or a blow torch, the only thing that worked was a solution of lye and a wire wheel brush in a drill outdoors.
As can be seen, not only is the primer mostly intact, but it protected this iron from corrosion for
over 150 years. It was a big mistake doing away with red lead primer in industrial/commercial applications- bridges, structural steel, auto bodies etc.

The leaf is approx 14″ long and is one of thirty that were installed on the facade, and represents what I consider to be overall among the finest cast iron work of the 19th century.
Three wood screws held this to the wood window surround.

And another work in progress, as of today 3-18-08 after extant glazed terra cotta mosaic plaques in the Union Square/14th street subway station by Grueby Faience 1904.

Model is about 20% smaller.
The plaques were made in 7 pieces, as I have plans to make these in ceramic I’ll have to see about cutting my clay model

Clay model depicting an eagle holding a shield with numerals, by Randall,

Both cast stone as well as glazed ceramic casts will be available from the model when done.

Model is finished now and set to dry.

Model completed.
The model will has considerably more detail and projection than the extant panels in the station, I’m not trying to duplicate but to come close and add a little of my own to it. The heavy covering of glazes on the originals also blunted and hides a lot of fine details the models originally had, this will happen with any clay model that is glazed.

I have plans to purchase a kiln this spring/summer, and likely this plaque will be available in glazed ceramic.

3/4/08;

Earlier on 3/1/08;