User:JPRiley/City

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The office of City Architect was a political office in the government of the City of Boston, Massachusetts between 1875 and 1895. The office was responsible for the design of most buildings built by the city government during this period, including public schools and public safety buildings. Only the largest City-built projects, like the central library of the Boston Public Library and the former Suffolk County Courthouse were designed by private architects.

Administrative history[edit]

An ordinance to establish the office of City Architect and an associated Architect Department was passed by the City Council on December 20, 1875.[1] By unanimous vote in the City Council, George A. Clough was elected the first City Architect on February 10, 1876.[2] At the time of his election, Clough had already designed several buildings for the city, and the largest of these, the Prince School, was then under construction. Clough was elected during the administration of Samuel C. Cobb, and was reelected six times under the administrations of three additional mayors. He was not reelected in 1883, following controversies surrounding the construction of the Calf Pasture Pumping Station at Columbia Point. He was replaced by Charles J. Bateman, who served only one term. He was replaced in 1884 by Arthur H. Vinal, who was elected with the minimum number of votes in both the Board of Aldermen.[3][4] He was elected during the single term of mayor Augustus Pearl Martin, a Republican, and was reelected three times during the administration of Hugh O'Brien, democrat. In April of 1888 O'Brien nominated Bateman back to the position, but this was initially rejected by the Board of Aldermen.[5] In September the nomination was reconsidered, and Bateman was confirmed, once again by the minimum number of votes.[6] Four months after the election of Republican Thomas N. Hart as mayor, he appointed Republican Harrison H. Atwood to the office, which was confirmed by the Board of Aldermen.[7] Atwood was then serving in the state legislature and was required to resign from the legislature to take office as City Architect.[8] Atwood's reorganization of the staff of the office was noted as unusually fast and complete. Atwood was reappointed in 1890.[9]

On January 1, 1891, Democrat Nathan Matthews Jr., a young reformer, became mayor. Atwood was expected to serve his term, set to expire May 1, with Matthews expected to nominate Edmund M. Wheelwright to succeed him.[10] However, this was not to be the case. On March 21 Atwood had a meeting with Matthews in which he encouraged his reappointment, arguing that the office of City Architect was a powerful one that Atwood could use to Matthews' benefit. Furthermore, he claimed that in return he could influence voters in Republican neighborhoods for Matthews and that he furthermore could influence votes in the Republican party nomination for mayor, and could push votes to the weakest candidate with the consent of Matthews and the Democratic party. By this time the City Architect's office under Atwood and his predecessors had been used for overtly political purposes in place of its duties, and Matthews saw this as confirmation of that charge. For this, Matthews requested Atwood's resignation on March 23, which he refused to give. Consequently, Matthews fired Atwood on March 30. Atwood contested the allegations, calling them "cowardly, malicious and libelous."[11][12] Nonetheless, Wheelwright was nominated by Matthews the same day,[13] and was approved by the Board of Aldermen on April 6 after some strong debate.[14] Again, Wheelwright removed a number of staff, including several Atwood hires.[15] On January 7, 1895 Matthews was succeeded as mayor by Republican Edwin Upton Curtis. In his final address, Matthews argued for a reorganization of the city government, though he thought the Architect Department as managed by Wheelwright was effective.[16] In his inaugural address, Curtis also advocated for reorganization, which would include the abolition of the office of City Architect.[17] Wheelwright agreed with this, writing in his final annual report that "in the long run, it is more advantageous, rather than to maintain the office of city architect, that the responsibility for the city's architectural work should be thrown on the several departments, who should select their own architects, who, with each proposed design, should be approved by the Mayor," who would be advised by qualified advisors.[18] An amendment to the city charter was approved by the Massachusetts legislature, and took effect July 1, 1895, and the City Architect and Architect Department were among the things formally abolished. Buildings left unfinished at this time were assigned to Superintendent of Public Buildings Fred B. Bogan for completion.[19][20]

After charter revision of 1885 officers are directly appointed by mayor and approved, not elected, by council.

Successive history[edit]

After 1895 private architects were usually selected for public building construction in Boston. All city departments had charge of their own construction projects. However, the executive branch of the city government maintained some control over school design, construction and maintenance. Though designed by private architects, this was overseen by Superintendent Bogan. Following Bogan's death in 1898, John Drohan was appointed to that office, school work being overseen by clerk Horace B. Fisher. In 1899 an act of the legislature gave the school department full control over its construction affairs. A new executive office within the school department, called the School-house Agent, was created. Fisher was the first to fill that office, though Atwood was seen as a serious contender.[21][22] In 1900, Thomas N. Hart was reelected mayor. Hart wanted construction of public buildings back under the control of the mayor, and through an act of the legislature the School-house Department, under an appointed board of Schoolhouse Commissioners, was established to supervise design and construction of schools. Hart made his first appointees in June of 1901, and the office of School-house Agent was abolished, its staff joining the new department.[23][24]

In 1929 control over school construction again left the mayor's office, with the establishment of the School Buildings Department and associated commission.[25] School building construction was from this point under the joint control of the school committee, the mayor's office and the new department. In 1966, during the administration of mayor John F. Collins, the department was abolished and replaced by the Public Facilities Department, which would be under the direct control of the mayor's office.[26] Linwood J. Sweet was appointed acting director,[27] the first formal director, Malcolm Dudley, being appointed in 1967.[28] Today (2021), Public Facilities remains a department of the City of Boston.

List of City Architects[edit]

Superintendents of Construction, School Building Department[edit]

  • Louis K. Rourke, 1930–1933, appointed by mayor James M. Curley
  • William W. Drummey, 1933–1938, appointed by mayor James M. Curley, kept by mayor Frederick Mansfield
  • James J. Mahar, 1938–1945, appointed by mayor Maurice J. Tobin
  • James H. Mooney, 1945–1956, appointed by acting mayor John E. Kerrigan, kept by mayors James M. Curley and John B. Hynes
  • Charles A. Callanan, 1956–1961, appointed by mayor John B. Hynes
  • William A. McPherson, 1961–1966, appointed by mayor John F. Collins

Architectural projects[edit]

A number of major buildings produced by the City Architect are still standing, several of which have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. The office's projects include:

Gallery of projects[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The City Council," Boston Daily Advertiser, December 21 1875, 4.
  2. ^ "The City Council," Boston Daily Advertiser, February 11 1876, 4.
  3. ^ "The Aldermen," Boston Daily Advertiser, February 5 1884, 5.
  4. ^ "The Aldermen," Boston Daily Advertiser, February 5 1884, 5.
  5. ^ "A Cable System," Boston Daily Advertiser, April 3 1888, 8.
  6. ^ "Electric Railways," Boston Daily Advertiser, September 25 1888, 2.
  7. ^ "Board of Aldermen," Boston Daily Advertiser, May 7 1889, 2.
  8. ^ "One at a Time," Boston Daily Advertiser, May 17 1889, 4.
  9. ^ "Happy City Officers," Boston Daily Advertiser, March 11 1890, 5.
  10. ^ "Will Serve His Term," Boston Daily Globe, March 22 1891, 7.
  11. ^ "For Cause," Boston Daily Globe, March 31 1891, 1.
  12. ^ "Atwood Removed," Boston Daily Advertiser, March 31 1891, 1.
  13. ^ "Mayor's Choice," Boston Daily Globe, March 31 1891, 5.
  14. ^ "Wheelwright Wins," Boston Daily Globe, April 7 1891, 10.
  15. ^ "Good Bye To the Old Office," Boston Daily Globe, May 2 1891, 11.
  16. ^ Nathan Matthews Jr., The City Government of Boston: A Valedictory Address to the Members of the City Council, January 5, 1895 (Boston: City of Boston, 1895)
  17. ^ "The Status of the Boston City Architect Department," American Architect and Building News 47, no. 995 (January 19 1895): 25.
  18. ^ "The Probable Abolition of the Office of the Boston City Architect," American Architect and Building News 48, no. 1010 (May 4 1895): 45.
  19. ^ "All in a Whirl," Boston Daily Globe, June 29 1895, 1.
  20. ^ "Many Changes," Boston Daily Globe, July 2 1895, 1.
  21. ^ "Atwood Again," Boston Daily Globe, June 14 1899, 3.
  22. ^ "Post of Care," Boston Daily Globe, June 19 1899, 1.
  23. ^ "Named by Mayor," Boston Daily Globe, June 14 1901, 5.
  24. ^ "City Employees Made Happy," Boston Daily Globe, December 21 1901, 7.
  25. ^ "Commissioners Certify School Referendum," Boston Globe, November 19 1929, 8.
  26. ^ "The Adinolfi Plan," Boston Globe, April 9 1966, 8.
  27. ^ "Sweet Named Interim Head of Facilities Dept.," Boston Globe, October 5 1966, 12.
  28. ^ Bertram G. Waters, "Public Facilities Boss Can't Afford to 'Run Scared,'" Boston Globe, February 26 1967, a38.
  29. ^ Memorial of the Dedication of the Public Latin and English High School-house (Boston: Rockwell & Churchill, City Printers, 1881)
  30. ^ Calf Pasture Pumping Station Complex NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  31. ^ Dillaway School NRHP Registration Form (1980)
  32. ^ Joshua Bates School NRHP Registration Form (2008)
  33. ^ Chestnut Hill Reservoir Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  34. ^ Engine House No. 34 NRHP Registration Form (1985)
  35. ^ Fisher Hill Reservoir and Gatehouse NRHP Registration Form (1985)
  36. ^ Bowditch School NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  37. ^ Congress Street Fire Station NRHP Registration Form (1987)
  38. ^ Harvard Avenue Fire Station NRHP Registration Form (1983)
  39. ^ Oak Square School NRHP Registration Form (1980)
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