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George G. Adams (architect)

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George Gilman Adams
Born(1850-08-26)August 26, 1850
Rollinsford, New Hampshire
DiedNovember 28, 1932(1932-11-28) (aged 82)
Lawrence, Massachusetts
NationalityUnited States
OccupationArchitect
The former Lawrence Public Library, designed by Adams and completed in 1892.
The Essex County Courthouse in Lawrence, completed in 1903.
The Montpelier City Hall, completed in 1911.
The Masonic Temple in Lawrence, completed in 1923.

George G. Adams (August 26, 1850 – November 28, 1932) was an American architect from Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Life and career

George Gilman Adams was born August 26, 1850 in Rollinsford, New Hampshire to Benjamin Gilman Adams, a mill superintendent, and Sophia (Nutter) Adams.[1][2] In 1854 the family moved to Lawrence, then a growing industrial city. He was educated in the Lawrence public schools before joining the office of civil engineer Baldwin Coolidge as a drafter in 1870. Two years later he joined the office of local architect Charles T. Emerson as a student.[a] In 1875 Emerson and Adams formed a partnership, which lasted until 1878, when Emerson moved his business to Boston. Adams then opened his own office in Lawrence, from which he practiced for some forty years.[2] From circa 1889 to 1891 Adams was in partnership with architect William P. Regan, but only two buildings can be positively attributed to the partnership.

In 1916 Adams, a Mason, was commissioned to design the new Masonic Temple in Lawrence. Though drawings were completed in 1917, the money to build was not available. Adams, then in his late 60s, chose to retire from business.[2] In 1921 funds became available to complete the building, and Adams came out of retirement to execute the project. He associated himself with David M. Brown of Boston, a recent graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[3] Once the building was completed, Brown returned to Boston and Adams resumed practice full-time, retiring only shortly before his death.[2]

In 1890 Adams built the Adams Block on Essex Street in Lawrence as an investment property, and maintained his practice there until temporary retirement.[2] In the 1920s he practiced out of an office in the Bay State Building.[3]

Personal life

In 1875 Adams was married to Mary Maria Leslie of Lynnfield. They had no children.[1] In 1888 they moved into a large house, designed by Adams, at 1 Berkeley Street in Lawrence. Continued business success allowed the couple to move into a new Adams–designed house at 351 Prospect Street in 1907. Adams died November 28, 1932 at home.[2]

Legacy

During his sixty–year career, Adams was the leading architect in Lawrence and its environs. He was noted throughout New England as an architect of public buildings. In addition to those he designed in Lawrence and Massachusetts, Adams designed a number of courthouses, town and city halls, libraries and other buildings in Maine, New Hampshire, New York and Vermont.[2] At least eight buildings designed by Adams have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

Wikimedia Commons has media related to George G. Adams (architect).

Notes

  1. ^ Charles T. Emerson was the first architect to open an office in Lawrence.[2] His extant works include the former gatehouse at the High Service Water Tower and Reservoir (1874) in Lawrence and the Byfield School in Bristol, Rhode Island (1872).
  2. ^ A contributing property to the Machine Shop Village District, NRHP–listed in 1982.
  3. ^ A contributing property to the Wellington Street Apartment House District, NRHP–listed in 1980.
  4. ^ A contributing property to the Ballardvale District, NRHP–listed in 1982.
  5. ^ a b Designed in partnership with William P. Regan.
  6. ^ A contributing property to the Pleasant–High Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1984.
  7. ^ a b c d A contributing property to the Downtown Lawrence Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1979.
  8. ^ A contributing property to the Waterville Main Street Historic District, NRHP–listed in 2012.
  9. ^ A contributing property to the Spicket Falls Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1984.
  10. ^ A contributing property to the Barre Downtown Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1979.
  11. ^ A contributing property to the Rochester Commercial and Industrial District, NRHP–listed in 1983.
  12. ^ A contributing property to the North Canal Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1984.
  13. ^ A contributing property to the Montpelier Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1978.
  14. ^ A contributing property to the Waterford Village Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1977.
  15. ^ A contributing property to the Jackson Terrace Historic District, NRHP–listed in 1984.

References

  1. ^ a b M. V. B. Perley, "James Lesslie of Topsfield, Mass. and Some of His Descendants" in Essex Institute Historical Collections 51 (1915): 233-355.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x Christine E. Pfaff, "George G. Adams: A Noted Lawrence Architect Rediscovered" in Essex Institute Historical Collections 116, no. 3 (July, 1980): 176–195.
  3. ^ a b c "Personals" in American Architect 120, no. 2381 (November 23, 1921): 18.
  4. ^ Historic Building Detail: NAD.86, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  5. ^ Historic Building Detail: MET.246, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  6. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.1237, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  7. ^ Cheryl Lassiter, "Hampton History Matters", Seacoastonline, December 24, 2019. Accessed August 12, 2022.
  8. ^ Historic Building Detail: ANV.23, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  9. ^ Building 11, no. 11 (September 14, 1889): 3.
  10. ^ Historic Building Detail: MET.57, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  11. ^ John Deacon, "Strafford County", courthouses.co, 2014. Accessed August 12, 2022.
  12. ^ Historic Building Detail: LAW.240, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  13. ^ Engineering and Building Record 21, no. 10 (February 8, 1890): 160.
  14. ^ "The Board of Education of Union Free School, District No. 1, of the Town of Waterford, App'lt, v. The First National Bank of Richfield Springs et al., App'lts, and Alexander G. Cunningham, Resp't" in The New York State Reporter 54 (Albany: W. C. Little & Company, 1893): 46–53.
  15. ^ Historic Building Detail: LAW.81, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  16. ^ Historic Building Detail: LAW.215, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  17. ^ Olivia S. Crowell, Stow, Massachusetts, 1683–1933: Compiled in Honor of the Two Hundred Fiftieth Anniversary of the Town (1933)
  18. ^ Historic Building Detail: LAW.192, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  19. ^ Sidney A. Bull, History of the Town of Carlisle, Massachusetts, 1754–1920 (1920)
  20. ^ Historic Area Detail: LAW.J, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  21. ^ Waterville Opera House and City Hall NRHP Registration Form (1976)
  22. ^ Historic Building Detail: MET.18, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  23. ^ Historic Building Detail: LAW.212, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  24. ^ School Board Journal 26, no. 4 (April 1903): 28.
  25. ^ Adams Memorial Building NRHP Registration Form (1982)
  26. ^ Engineering Record 55, no. 15 (April 6, 1907): 80.
  27. ^ Stevens Memorial Hall NRHP Registration Form (2004)
  28. ^ Engineering Record 58, no. 26 (December 2, 1908): 40.
  29. ^ Historic Building Detail: LAW.698, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
  30. ^ American Contractor 37, no. 24 (June 10, 1916): 65.
  31. ^ "Lawrence Gas Co. to have New Home" in Pipeline and Gas Journal 120, no. 9 (March 1, 1924): 211.
  32. ^ "About Us". http://derrypl.org/. n.d. Web.
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