Flagg, Ernest, 1857-1947

Ernest Flagg (February 6, 1857 – April 10, 1947) was born in Brooklyn, New York. He married Margaret E. Bonnell, with whom he had one daughter, Betsey Flagg. A student of Le Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Flagg’s work refers to classical architecture.

After completing his studies, in 1891, Flagg and John Prentiss Benson started Flagg & Benson, (later Flagg, Benson & Brockway), and the firm designed St. Luke’s Hospital, in New York.

In 1894, Ernest Flagg went into a partnership with Walter B. Chambers to form Flagg & Chambers. Together, the two designed the Corcoran Gallery of Arts in Washington, D.C., and the Singer Building, which was once the tallest building in New York. Flagg, a favorite of the Scribner family, designed the Scribner Building on Fifth Avenue, as well as residences for Charles Scribner, and his son, A.H. Scribner. Flagg is also known for designing buildings for the U.S. Naval Academy, and many residences in New York and Connecticut.

The Beaux-Arts study of classicism did not stop after college for Flagg. His Greek travel journals include studies on proportions and ratios in classic Greek architecture, and were the basis for Le Naos du Parthenon, published in 1928.

As a writer in the progressive era, Flagg wrote on New York tenement houses, taxation, city planning, and building regulations. He also wrote prolifically on design, architecture, and specifically on Greek classicism.

From the guide to the Ernest Flagg architectural records and papers, 1888-1972, (Columbia University. Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library, Dept. of Drawings & Archives, )