Name/Title
Betelle: James Bettelle (sic) Coucy Castle Postcard, 1907Entry/Object ID
2024.080.050Description
Postally used, B&W photographic postcard of the Château de Coucy-La Porte du Donjon, postmarked 1907 and sent to Mr. James Bettelle (sic), 1135 Broadway, New York, U.S.A, c/o John R. Pope Architect. The image is of the door to the keep at the Coucy Castle. Built in the 13th century, the keep was renovated in the 19th century by Viollet-le-Duc and of great interest to architects studying in France.
The message reads:
"From 72 Rue de Seine, Paris.
Dear James: Let me hear from you some time. "Roof" got us first Medal on our (?) open air theatre. We went for a very pleasant trip of two days to some small towns north of Paris together.
L.E.V."
James Betelle was an architect working in Newark and New York City with Ernest F. Guilbert.The firm of Guilbert and Betelle was formed in 1910 and became known for public school designs, often done in the Collegiate Gothic style. Betelle worked alone following the death of Guilbert in 1916 and was an important architectural theorist for modern school design. was the architect of Millburn High School on Old Short Hills Road (now Millburn Middle School) and the annex, constructed in 1931.
He was also official architect of the East Orange Board of Education and supervised the construction of all the school buildings from 1912-1922, the architect of Columbia High School in Maplewood, the Chamber of Commerce Building in Newark, and several schools in the vicinity.
Betelle lived in Short Hills and was married to Marie Louise Betelle, who at one point, had falsely claimed to be a descendant of the Czar.Collection
PostcardAcquisition
Accession
2024.080Source or Donor
Eric HadoAcquisition Method
GiftPostcard Details
Postcard Type
Divided Back (1907-1915)Dimensions
Height
3-1/2 inWidth
5-1/2 in
