Editing Wilson Eyre (section)

== Early Life and Training ==

Wilson Eyre was born in Florence, Italy, in 1858, to American parents living abroad. This cosmopolitan beginning exposed him to European art and architecture that would inform his later work. The family returned to America, settling in Newport, Rhode Island, where Eyre encountered the Shingle Style houses then transforming American domestic architecture. He studied architecture at MIT before entering the Philadelphia office of James Peacock Sims in 1877, beginning his professional career in the city where he would spend most of his life.<ref name="tatman">{{cite book |last1=Tatman |first1=Sandra |last2=Moss |first2=Roger |title=Biographical Dictionary of Philadelphia Architects: 1700-1930 |year=1985 |publisher=Athenaeum of Philadelphia |location=Philadelphia}}</ref>

Eyre established independent practice in 1882, quickly developing a clientele among Philadelphia's wealthy families seeking distinctive houses. His early work showed the influence of Norman Shaw and other English architects whose work combined medieval forms with Arts and Crafts sensibility. Eyre adapted these influences to American conditions, creating houses that responded to their specific sites while demonstrating careful attention to craft and materials.<ref name="moss"/>