A Life of Many Forms John Ames Mitchell was a man of many different pursuits, moving between the worlds of architecture, literature, and publishing with a quiet, steady purpose. Born in New York City on January 17, 1845, he was shaped by a diverse education, attending Harvard University before traveling to Paris to study at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. This training in the classical traditions of France informed his eye for design, whether he was sketching a building or a magazine masthead. In 1875, he applied his architectural training to the design of the Unity Church of…