Richardson, Henry Hobson (1838-1886)

US architect. He was distinguished for his revival of the Romanesque style, and had a strong influence on Louis Sullivan. His buildings include Sever Hall (1878) and Austin Hall (1881) at Harvard University, and the monumental Marshall Field Wholesale Warehouse, Chicago (1885-87). His best-known work is Trinity Church in Copley Square, Boston (1873-77).

His style was mainly derived from the Romanesque in its feeling for mass and its stable forms, but was not historically oriented. Its direct use of contemporary structural techniques and its concern with the external expression of the inner nature of the building, served as a model for the Chicago School of Modern Architecture.

Richardson was born at St James, Louisiana, graduated at Harvard, and studied at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. His works include the company buildings at Pittsburgh; the City Hall, Albany; the town hall and library of North Easton; the Stoughton house at Cambridge (1883); and several railway stations.