Oaks Cloister
| Oaks Cloister | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Tudor, Craftsman and Beaux-Arts |
| Location | Germantown |
| Town or city | Philadelphia, PA |
| Completed | c1904 |
| Renovated | 2002-2012 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Joseph Miller Huston |
| Designations | Pennsylvania Registry of Historic Places |
| Renovating team | |
| Other designers | Dr. Russell Harris and Mr. John Casavecchia |
Oaks Cloister, is the name of the former residence of architect, Joseph Miller Huston. Constructed in 1900, the mansion is located in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, PA. It was fully restored to its original glory in 2012, after a decade long restoration project, preceded by decades of neglect.
Joseph Miller Huston was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1866. He trained and worked as an architect during college and graduated from Princeton University in 1892. Huston founded his own firm in 1895, just a few short years after starting his career with famous Philadelphia architect, Frank Furness. Huston designed Oaks Cloister creating an eclectic blend of English Tudor and Swiss Chalet influences.
Pennsylvania State Capitol - Huston's architectural pièce de résistance is the Pennsylvania State Capitol. Huston won the design competition for the capitol in 1901. He designed portions of Oaks Cloister during the capitol's construction, which was completed in 1906. Oaks Cloister is an eclectic blend of Tudor and Craftsman styles, with the Beaux-Arts flair of the capital project mixed-in. The home, in some ways, became both a test lab and an intimate sampler of the capital's architectural features. This is evident with Huston's use of scaled design mock-ups and identical detailing throughout the home. The capital building's extravagant design was revolutionary for the time and gained great notoriety. At the building's dedication in 1906, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed it as, " ... the handsomest State Capitol I ever saw!". Tragically, on 29 April 1910, Huston was convicted on fraud charges related to the project. After failed appeal attempts, Huston entered Eastern State Penitentiary on June 1, 1911. Serving six months and 20 days, he was paroled on December 20, 1911 and returned to his architectural practice. Huston lived at Oaks Cloister until his death in 1940.
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