Davis, Alexander J.

Davis, Alexander J. (Jackson)

(1803–92) architect; born in New York City. Trained as an architectural illustrator, he collaborated with Ithiel Town (1829–43) and then worked independently in New York. Davis promoted a picturesque romanticism in a wide range of buildings and styles, but favored neoclassical styles with his signature multistory windows for public buildings; in the 1830s he designed a number of state capitols. His Rural Residences (1837), country villa designs, and contributions to Andrew Jackson Downing's books (1839–50) greatly influenced American house design.