Ithiel Town traveled twice to England and Europe, intent on studying "improvements in the taste and science of architecture" and "bridge engineering." His first tour, between October 1829 and July 1830, preceded the zenith of his career. It can be retraced in a series of largely unpublished letters addressed to his daughter, Etha, and his partner, Alexander Jackson Davis. The correspondence relates Town's immediate reactions and, hence, taste; his contact with the artistic community in London, including such fellow American visitors as S. F. B. Morse, whom he accompanied to Rome; and his purchase of books and prints, which he later housed in the fireproof villa he built in New Haven between 1834 and 1836. The major legacy of his study was a deepened appreciation of historical architecture and an evident objective not of imitating specific historical works but of enhancing the scale and sophistication of his own design. He was also inspired to seek improved educational facilities and status for the profession in the United States, participating in the foundation of the short-lived American Institution of Architects. He maintained links with leading figures in the British architectural scene, being among the earliest nonresident members elected to the newly founded Institute of British Architects in 1836. The value he attached to his first tour was confirmed when, in July 1843, Town again crossed the Atlantic to examine recent developments and design, mainly in England and Paris, the effect of which was unfortunately curtailed by his death some six months after his return to New York in December 1843.
University of California Press