CHARLES W. ADAMS Jefferson Market Court House New York Public Library NYC

CHARLES W. ADAMS Jefferson Market Court House New York Public Library NYC The painting was very intriguing to me the moment I saw it and I had to purchase it. The surface paint texture is obsessive and the image of this architectural fantasy like building surrounded by the more modern ones made me think it was probably a real and important building. The label on back states it was «Loaned by Mr. and Mrs. Ernest L Hettich, New York City». And it is titled, «COURT HOUSE». So I started my quest to identify it. My research revealed Mr. Hettich «worked for seven years at the New York Public Library», and was also a Director of Libraries at NYU Library. I’ve not been able to discover where it was loaned and on display. I thought maybe it was at the actual Jefferson Market Courthouse Library, but the current Library manager who has been there for 24 years was unable to confirm this and he did not recall seeing it. Ernest L. Hettich’s son was Bedrich Hettich, who lived his later years and died in Hilton Head Island SC where I discovered it. After much digging and sleuthing with Google, I discovered that this strange looking building was actually REAL and had an incredible history.The Jefferson Market Branch of the New York Public Library, once known as the Jefferson Market Courthouse, is a National Historic Landmark located at 425 Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue), on the southwest corner of West 10th Street, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, on a triangular plot formed by Greenwich Avenue and West 10th Street. It was originally built as the Third Judicial District Courthouse from 1874 to 1877, and was designed by architect Frederick Clarke Withers of the firm of Vaux and Withers. The courthouse was completed in 1877, and in 1885 a panel of American architects sponsored by American Architect and Building News voted it the fifth most beautiful building in America. (From Wikipedia) Ernest Leopold Hettich (1897–1973) was an American scholar of classics.Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., the son of Dr. Leonhard Hettich and his wife Ella Elfriede Helene von Dobschütz. He graduated from Brooklyn Boys High School. He graduated from Cornell University in 1919. He earned an M.A. from Cornell in 1920 and worked for seven years at the New York Public Library. In 1933 he earned his PhD at Columbia University. Hettich joined the faculty of New York University in 1927 as Professor of Classics, taught there for many years, and served as Director of Libraries.[1]From 1943 – 1947 he served as director of training for the United States Army, specialist training program, foreign area and language section at New York University.[2]He was author of the widely used textbook, Latin fundamentals (Prentice Hall), and A study in ancient nationalism: the testimony of Eurípides (Bayard Presse, 1933)His brother was Prof. Dr. Karl Hettich. He had one son, Bedrich V. Hettich (1922-2012).He died on March 20, 1973, at his home in Sandyston Township, New Jersey. The NYPL was able to find info in it’s archives on Charles W. Adams, and I have included them. He «…exhibited and is listed within the index «The Salons of America, 1922-1936». He also designed/illustrated the front covers for a couple books.In the end, I am delighted to have shed light on this artist and the painting. Many thanks to the NYPL staff that helped me.