Martin & Hall

Last updated
Martin & Hall
Practice information
FoundersFrank H. Martin;
George Frederic Hall
Founded1893
Location Providence, Rhode Island
Significant works and honors
Buildings Belton Court; Classical High School; Museum of Natural History; Rhode Island Normal School; Shepard Stores; Squantum Association
The Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Providence, designed by Martin & Hall in the Chateauesque style and completed in 1895 with an addition in 1916. Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Roger Williams Park.jpg
The Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History and Planetarium in Providence, designed by Martin & Hall in the Châteauesque style and completed in 1895 with an addition in 1916.
The Clark Dalrymple Boathouse in Roger Williams Park, designed by Martin & Hall in the Tudor Revival style and completed in 1896. Dalrymple Boat House Prov.jpg
The Clark Dalrymple Boathouse in Roger Williams Park, designed by Martin & Hall in the Tudor Revival style and completed in 1896.
The former Rhode Island Normal School in Providence, designed by Martin & Hall in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1898. Rhode Island State Normal School from Views of Providence (1900) (cropped).jpg
The former Rhode Island Normal School in Providence, designed by Martin & Hall in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1898.
The Shepard Company Building in Providence, designed by Martin & Hall in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1903. Shepard Company Building Washington St Facade.jpg
The Shepard Company Building in Providence, designed by Martin & Hall in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1903.
Belton Court in Barrington, designed by Martin & Hall in the Arts and Crafts style and completed in 1906. A major addition designed by Hall alone in the Tudor Revival style was completed in 1928. Belton Court Barrington RI 2012.jpg
Belton Court in Barrington, designed by Martin & Hall in the Arts and Crafts style and completed in 1906. A major addition designed by Hall alone in the Tudor Revival style was completed in 1928.
The administration building of the former Providence City Hospital, now Howley Hall of Providence College, designed by Martin & Hall in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1910. Howley Hall, Providence College.jpg
The administration building of the former Providence City Hospital, now Howley Hall of Providence College, designed by Martin & Hall in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1910.
The former trolley shelter in Kennedy Plaza, designed by Martin & Hall in an Art Nouveau-inspired style and completed in 1914. 2021 Kennedy Plaza Intermodal Transportation Center, Providence.jpg
The former trolley shelter in Kennedy Plaza, designed by Martin & Hall in an Art Nouveau-inspired style and completed in 1914.
The Blanding Free Public Library and Goff Memorial Hall in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, designed by Martin & Hall in the Arts and Crafts style and completed in 1915. Blanding Public Library in Goff Memorial Hall, Rehoboth, Massachusetts.jpg
The Blanding Free Public Library and Goff Memorial Hall in Rehoboth, Massachusetts, designed by Martin & Hall in the Arts and Crafts style and completed in 1915.
Yellow Patch in Narragansett Pier, designed by Martin & Hall in the Storybook style and completed in 1916. Yellow Patch, Narragansett RI.jpg
Yellow Patch in Narragansett Pier, designed by Martin & Hall in the Storybook style and completed in 1916.
The former Leander R. Peck School in Barrington, designed by Martin & Hall in the Tudor Revival style and completed in 1917. Leander R. Peck School - Barrington, RI - DSC03955.jpg
The former Leander R. Peck School in Barrington, designed by Martin & Hall in the Tudor Revival style and completed in 1917.
The Providence Art Club, renovated by Hall alone in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1920. 2021 Seril Dodge House, Providence Art Club, 11 Thomas Street.jpg
The Providence Art Club, renovated by Hall alone in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1920.
The William H. Hall Free Library in Cranston, designed by Hall alone in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1927. William H Hall Free Library, Cranston RI.jpg
The William H. Hall Free Library in Cranston, designed by Hall alone in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1927.

Martin & Hall was an American architectural firm based in Providence, Rhode Island. It was established in 1893 as the partnership of architects Frank H. Martin and George Frederic Hall. After Martin's death in 1917 Hall practiced alone until his own death in 1928.

Contents

History

The firm was founded February 1, 1893, when the two men, who were senior employees of the leading local firm, Stone, Carpenter & Willson, opened their own practice. They took several clients with them, resulting in a rift with their former employers. Likely as a result of this, both were denied membership in the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) until after the deaths of Alfred Stone and Edmund R. Willson. Martin & Hall developed a successful general practice and did not specialize in any one type of building. Their work was concentrated in Rhode Island with a small number of projects in other New England states and one in Texas. [1]

The firm's first office was located on Custom House Street. In 1894 they moved into the just-completed Industrial Trust Building, now demolished. [2] In 1901 they again moved to the new Union Trust Company Building, where they would remain. Both of these buildings were designed by their former employers, Stone, Carpenter & Willson.

Martin died unexpectedly in 1917. Hall continued the firm as a sole proprietorship until his own death in 1928. [1]

Partner biographies

Frank H. Martin

Frank Howard MartinAIA (March 9, 1863 – February 2, 1917) was born in Seekonk, Massachusetts, to Sylvester G. Martin and Susan B. Martin, née Padelford. He was educated in the Providence public schools and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then worked in New York City for architects including Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell. In 1888 he returned to Providence and joined the office of Stone, Carpenter & Willson. [1] [3]

Martin was married in 1887 to Annie W. Burgess of Lynn, Massachusetts. [4] They had one child, Maude Potter Martin. In 1915 she married William Low Studley, son of J. Edward Studley of the William H. Low Estate Company, a repeat client of the firm. [5] Martin was a member of the AIA, the Architectural League of New York and the Providence Art Club. He also served as senior warden of the vestry of S. Stephen's Church. He died at home in Providence after a brief illness at the age of 53. [3] [6]

George Frederic Hall

George Frederic HallAIA (June 11, 1866 – September 6, 1928) was born in Providence to Alvin E. Hall and Martha Louise Hall, née Andrews. He was educuated in the Providence public schools before joining Stone, Carpenter & Willson. [1] While employed by the firm he independently designed a building on the Seekonk River for the Narragansett Boat Club (1891), of which he was a member. [7]

Hall was married in 1897 to Mary Woodbury Polleys of Providence. They had no children. Hall was a member of the AIA, the Narragansett Boat Club, the Wannamoisett Country Club and the Providence Art Club, of which he was president for six consecutive terms. In 1928 he was appointed secretary of the commission responsible for erecting a statue of Oliver Hazard Perry at the Rhode Island State House; it was dedicated about two weeks after his death. While superintending construction of the Industrial Trust Building he became ill, and died several weeks later at the age of 62. [1] [8]

Legacy

Martin & Hall followed the architectural approach established by their former employer, Stone, Carpenter & Willson. Most of their buildings were designed in contemporary revival styles, typically the Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival and Neoclassical styles. A small group of early projects, such as their first major completed work, the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History (1895), are Châteauesque. [1] They differed from Stone, Carpenter & Willson chiefly in their exaggerated approach to detail and proportion. [9] A later group of buildings, including the Edwin A. Smith Building (1912) and their two public toilets, feature elaborate wrought-iron detail which is evocative of the Art Nouveau architecture of the 1900 Paris Exposition. The Smith building is also Rhode Island's exemplary example of the Commercial Style as it was then being developed in Chicago. [10]

Three notable Rhode Island architects, Wallis Eastburn Howe, Norman M. Isham and Ambrose J. Murphy, worked for Martin & Hall. John Forbes Hogan also worked for Hall during the latter part of his career.

At least five buildings designed by Martin & Hall have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others by the firm and by Hall alone contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

All dates are date of completion. Buildings built after 1917 are attributed to Hall alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Union Station (Providence)</span> United States historic place

Union Station describes two distinct, defunct train stations in Providence, Rhode Island. Parts of the latter one were renovated and the building contains offices and restaurants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stone, Carpenter & Willson</span> American architectural firm

Stone, Carpenter & Willson was a Providence, Rhode Island–based architectural firm in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. It was named for the partners Alfred Stone (1834–1908), Charles E. Carpenter (1845–1923). and Edmund R. Willson (1856–1906). The firm was one of the state's most prominent.

William H. Jordy was a leading American architectural historian. At the time of his death, Jordy was Henry Ledyard Goddard Professor Emeritus of Art History at Brown University, where he taught for many years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old State House (Providence, Rhode Island)</span> United States historic place

The Old State House on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island, also known as Providence Sixth District Court House,Providence Colony House, Providence County House, and Rhode Island State House is located on 150 Benefit Street, with the front facade facing North Main Street. It is a brick Georgian-style building largely completed in 1762. It was used as the meeting place for the colonial and state legislatures for 149 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grace Church (Providence, Rhode Island)</span> Historic church in Providence, Rhode Island

Grace Church is an historic Episcopal church at 300 Westminster Street at Mathewson Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1845–1846 and was designed by Richard Upjohn in the Gothic Revival style.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shepard Company Building</span> Historic building in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.

The Shepard Company Building is a historic building at 255 Westminster Street and 72-92 Washington Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. A prominent landmark, it housed Shepard's, Providence's most prestigious department store, and one of the largest in New England, from 1903 to 1974, beginning as a single building built in the 1870s at Clemence and Washington and continually expanding until it occupied the entire block between Westminster, Clemence, Washington and Union Streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson–Winslow House</span> Historic house in Coventry, Rhode Island, United States

The Wilson–Winslow House is a historic house in Coventry, Rhode Island. The main block of this 2+1⁄2-story wood-frame house was built in 1814 by Joseph Wilson, a farmer. It was occupied for most of the nineteenth century by his son, Israel Wilson, and it remained in the family's ownership until 1917. Architectural historian William Jordy noted that it was "very grand" for its rural location.

Domenic Thomas Russillo, AIA (1902-1980), was a minor American architect who practiced in mid-20th-century Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Holden Greene</span> American architect

John Holden Greene (1777-1850) was a noted early nineteenth century architect practicing in Providence, Rhode Island. The bulk of his work dates to the late Federal period, and is mostly in the architectural style of the same name. Greene is responsible for the design of over fifty buildings built in the city between 1806 and 1830, almost half of which are still standing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alfred Stone (architect)</span> American architect (1834 - 1908)

Alfred Stone was an American Architect. He was a founding partner of the Providence, Rhode Island, firm of Stone, Carpenter & Willson. Mr. Stone was best known for designing many prominent Rhode Island buildings, including the Providence Public Library, Union Station, buildings at Brown University and the University of Rhode Island, and many private homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alpheus C. Morse</span> American architect

Alpheus C. Morse (1818-1893) was an American architect with offices in Providence, Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackson, Robertson & Adams</span> American architectural firm based in Rhode Island, USA

Jackson, Robertson & Adams was an architectural firm out of Providence, Rhode Island. Established in 1912, it was originally made up of architects F. Ellis Jackson (1879–1950), Wayland T. Robertson (1873–1935), and J. Howard Adams (1876–1924).

Ronald J. Onorato is a Professor of Art History and Chair in the University of Rhode Island Art and Art History Department. His scholarship focusses on American architecture, public sculpture and funerary art with a special interest in the architectural heritage of Newport, Rhode Island from the colonial period to the present. He is chair of the National Register Review Board for Rhode Island and an honorary member of the American Institute of Architecture, Rhode Island Chapter. He has served as Co-Chair of the URI Center for the Humanities, on the Board of Directors, Newport Historical Society, as President of the Board, Pettaquamscutt Historical Society and is a trustee of the Newport Art Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles P. Hartshorn</span> American architect

Charles P. Hartshorn was an American architect practicing in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a popular designer there in the decade immediately following the Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Franklin J. Sawtelle</span> American architect (1846 - 1911)

Franklin J. Sawtelle was an American architect in practice in Providence, Rhode Island from 1880 until his death in 1911. Sawtelle had a varied practice but was best known for the design of single-family homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin E. Cull</span> American architect (1891–1956)

Edwin E. Cull was an American architect in practice in Providence, Rhode Island from 1921 until his death. In 1946 he was cofounder of what is now The Robinson Green Beretta Corporation, one of the largest architecture firms in Rhode Island.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward I. Nickerson</span> American architect

Edward I. Nickerson (1845–1908) was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island, known for his work in the Queen Anne style in Providence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Marriott James</span> American architect

Thomas Marriott James was an American architect, active in the Boston area, best known for his bank buildings in styles ranging from Neoclassical to Spanish Renaissance to Art Deco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William D. Warner</span> American architect and urban planner (1929–2012)

William D. Warner (1929–2012) was an American architect and urban planner in practice in Providence and Exeter, Rhode Island from 1959 to 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irving B. Haynes</span> American architect and preservationist (1927–2005)

Irving B. Haynes was an American architect and preservationist. He practiced architecture in Pawtucket and Providence, Rhode Island from 1961 to 1994 and taught at the Rhode Island School of Design from 1973 to 2005.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 William H. Jordy and Christopher P. Monkhouse, Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Architectural Drawings, 1825-1945, ed. William McKenzie Woodward (Providence: 1982): 222.
  2. ↑ "Industrial Trust Company Building," Providence News, May 3, 1894.
  3. 1 2 "Martin, Frank Howard" in Who's Who in New England , ed. Albert Nelson Marquis (Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company, 1909): 635.
  4. ↑ "Martin-Burgess," Daily Item, June 3, 1887.
  5. ↑ "Alumni notes" in Yale Alumni Weekly 24, no. 22 (February 19, 1915): 605.
  6. ↑ "Frank H. Martin, architect, is dead," Providence Journal, February 3, 1917.
  7. ↑ Engineering Record (April 25, 1891): 352.
  8. 1 2 3 "George F. Hall, architect, dead," Providence Journal, September 6, 1928.
  9. 1 2 William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 444-445.
  10. 1 2 William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 42.
  11. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 184.
  12. 1 2 William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 146.
  13. ↑ American Contractor 35, no. 50 (December 12, 1914): 40.
  14. ↑ "The New Park Museum" in Park Museum Bulletin 7, no. 6 (January–February, 1916): 30-32.
  15. ↑ "The new convent," Providence News, September 24, 1894.
  16. ↑ American Architect and Building News 52, no. 1064 (May 16, 1896): xx.
  17. 1 2 John Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192.
  18. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 239.
  19. ↑ "The Illustrations" in American Architect and Building News 57, no. 1135 (September 25, 1897): 107.
  20. ↑ "New orphanage," Fall River Daily Herald, August 28, 1896.
  21. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 239-240.
  22. ↑ John Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192.: 194.
  23. ↑ William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 140.
  24. ↑ Paul F. Norton, Rhode Island Stained Glass: An Historical Guide (Dublin: William L. Bauhan, 2001): 119.
  25. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 227-228.
  26. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 73.
  27. ↑ John Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192.: 200.
  28. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 150.
  29. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 88.
  30. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 127.
  31. ↑ William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 56.
  32. ↑ William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 449-450.
  33. ↑ Domestic Engineering 120, no. 4 (July 23, 1927): 95.
  34. ↑ Annual Report of the State Board of Education, January, 1910 (Providence: State of Rhode Island, 1910)
  35. ↑ John Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192.: 229.
  36. ↑ "New church and parish house opened at Sherman, Tex." in Living Church 45, no. 2 (May 13, 1911): 67.
  37. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward, Downtown Providence: Statewide Historical Preservation Report P-P-5, ed. David Chase and Bernard Mendillo (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1981): 65.
  38. ↑ Martha Bowers, Elizabeth S. Warren and Pamela Kennedy, Rhode Island: State-owned Historic Properties, ed. Robert Owen Jones (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1989): 17.
  39. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 244.
  40. ↑ "Death Of Mr. F. H. Martin" in Living Church 56, no. 16 (February 17, 1917): 534.
  41. ↑ American Contractor 34, no. 39 (September 27, 1913): 55.
  42. ↑ William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 98.
  43. ↑ William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 36.
  44. ↑ "Goff Memorial Hall begun at Rehoboth," Evening Herald, May 19, 1914.
  45. ↑ William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 370.
  46. ↑ Historic Building Detail: BRO.180, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed December 11, 2024.
  47. ↑ William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 452.
  48. ↑ George Leland Miner, Angell's Lane: The History of a Little Street in Providence (Providence: Akerman-Standard Press, 1948): 196.
  49. ↑ Robert Eliot Freeman, Cranston, Rhode Island: Statewide Historical Preservation Report P-C-1, ed. David Chase and Bernard Mendillo (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1980): 40.
  50. ↑ American Architect and Building News 51, no. 1047 (January 18, 1896): xx.
  51. ↑ Robert Eliot Freeman, Cranston, Rhode Island: Statewide Historical Preservation Report P-C-1, ed. David Chase and Bernard Mendillo (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1980): 64.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.