Gordon L. Prescott Character Analysis in The Fountainhead

An architect who professes to be nontraditional in his approach, Gordon L. Prescott belongs to the new wave of young architects in New York who lack originality and talent and are incorporated by Ellsworth Toohey into his group. Like Toohey, Prescott believes that one should defer one’s work to the masses. Also like Toohey, Prescott relies on obfuscation and vagueness to hide the fact that much of what he says means nothing. He testifies against Roark at the Stoddard trial, and he and Gus Webb are the two architects who suggest the changes to the Cortlandt building.

Gordon L. Prescott Character Timeline in The Fountainhead

The timeline below shows where the character Gordon L. Prescott appears in The Fountainhead. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

In September, still unemployed, Roark reads an article by Gordon L. Prescott in which he writes that architecture is suffering from a lack of new talent and... (full context)

...Beyond this sense of kinship, Keating is disappointed that the others, except for Gordon L. Prescott, are not famous. Keating is unsure what the purpose of the group is, though there... (full context)

Keating takes comfort in attending Toohey’s Council of American Builders. Gordon L. Prescott is making a metaphysical speech about how architects “deal in nothing” and “create emptiness,” and... (full context)

The trial continues for three more days, with several witnesses—including Ralston Holcombe, Gordon L. Prescott and John Erik Snyte—testifying for the plaintiff, and Roark has no questions for any of... (full context)

...“Home for Subnormal Children” by a group of architects that Toohey chose: Keating, Gordon L. Prescott, John Erik Snyte, and Gus Webb. They use a mishmash of traditional styles to build... (full context)

...Keating is considered old-fashioned. The A.G.A. is considered an “Old Folks’ Home” while Gordon L. Prescott and the Council of American Builders are at the fore. (full context)

...is too vicious for him to confront. He knows that Gus Webb and Gordon L. Prescott are such poor architects that it is hard for even Keating to pretend otherwise and... (full context)

...is remarkable how he always picks the next big talents, like Lois Cook and Gordon Prescott. He recalls how the Council of American Builders used to be laughed at, and how... (full context)

...most brilliant, the most efficient exhibit of planning ingenuity and structural economy.” He’d tried Gordon Prescott and Gus Webb for the job, but they couldn’t do it. He says Keating is... (full context)

...sees an article about the Cortlandt Homes, citing Keating as the architect and Gordon L. Prescott and Gus Webb as associate designers. He goes to the construction site and sees that... (full context)

...that “Nobody [is] responsible. There [is] no purpose and no cause.” Toohey added Webb and Prescott as associate designers just to give them some position in the project, and a government... (full context)

...“not capable of doing it [himself].” When the prosecutor asks Keating why he objected to Prescott’s and Webb’s ideas, Keating says he was afraid of Roark. (full context)