William J. Hutcheson
Section of a frieze carved by Hutcheson on the School of Architecture, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Image courtesy of John Sielaff. Used with permission.
Occupation:
Ethnic group:
Union Member
William J. Hutcheson was half of the Purdy and Hutcheson Co., a Chicago based ornamental sculpture firm, that did the stone carving at the Capitol. Hutcheson was born in Scotland in 1857 and died in St Paul in 1907. Like the other stone carvers he was a member of the Journeyman Stone Cutters of North America and he cleared into the St. Paul local in February of 1900. Hutcheson had worked as a stone carver in Paris and Glasgow before coming to America. In the U.S. he worked in New York in 1888 and also on Burton Hall at the University of Minnesota in 1894. He settled in St. Paul with his wife and daughter and lived here until his death in 1907.
The Purdy-Hutcheson firm was contracted by Butler-Ryan to carve the six sculptures of the Virtues that were later placed above the main entrance to the Capitol.
Residence from date:
1900
Purdy & Hutcheson, Sculptors letterhead
Cass Gilbert collection, New York Historical Society
Setting one of six Virtues statues in place above Capitol main entrance. The statues were designed by sculptor Daniel Chester French and carved by stonecutters working for Purdy-Hutcheson.
Photo courtesy of New York Historical Society
Setting one of the six "Virtues" statues. The man with the pipe is probably Nils Nelson, foreman for setting statues, columns and other stone at the Minnesota Stater Capitol.
Image courtesy of New York Historical Society. Used with permission.
Documents
Letter from Capitol construction site supervisor Thomas Holyoke to architect Cass Gilbert on Hutcheson's stone carving skill
Correspodence from Cass Gilbert papers at New York Historical Society
Letter to Cass Gilbert on stone rubbing and carving of the marble Virtues statues by Purdy and Hutcheson on the Capitol construction site - April 1, 1901
Correspodence from Cass Gilbert papers at New York Historical Society