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Desmond & Lord
G. Henri Desmond, c.1916
Practice information
PartnersG. Henri Desmond; Israel P. Lord; David R. Thissen Jr.
FoundersG. Henri Desmond
Founded1907
Dissolved1990
LocationBoston, Massachusetts

Desmond & Lord was an American architectural firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, active from 1907 to 1979. Desmond & Lord became known early on for their public work, which comprised most of its practice. After over fifty years of success, the firm stumbled in 1978 when its then-president became embroiled in a political scandal, and was sold the following year.

Firm history

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The firm eventually known as Desmond & Lord was founded in 1907 by G. Henri Desmond (1876-1965).[1] He was a sole practitioner until 1916, when he was joined by Israel P. Lord (1881-1973).[2] After independently designing a number of prominent buildings in New England, they served as coordinating architects for Paul Rudolph on some of his major projects. These were the campus of what is now known as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the Government Service Center in Boston. REVISE THIS

The firm was incorporated in 1960, the shareholders being Desmond, Lord and D. Richard "Dick" Thissen Jr. (1920-1995). Thissen was a salesman who had joined the firm in 1953, and had a talent for bringing work into the office. [3] Lord retired from active practice in 1961,[4] and Desmond died in 1965. Thissen eventually purchased Lord's share of the company later in the 1960s, and assumed full control.[3] After political scandal damaged the firm's reputation and prospects, it was sold in 1979 to the nationally-active, San Francisco-based firm of John Carl Warnecke & Associates.[5] This arrangement intended that Desmond & Lord would remain semi-independent, with its ownership shares held by Warnecke & Associates. However, contracts and business were soon transferred to Warnecke & Associates. The Desmond & Lord name was phased out of active use in 1980.[6]

The Boston office of Warnecke & Associates was acquired by Cannon Design in 1983. The office then practiced as Warnecke Cannon until 1985, when the Warnecke name was dropped. Since this time, CannonDesign has maintained a Boston presence.[7]

As a corporation, Desmond & Lord Inc. technically existed until 1990, when it was involuntarily dissolved.[8]

Political scandal

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Shoddy design and construction techniques had been noticed in some of the firm's major projects beginning in the late 1960s. Thissen was known in political circles but his influence only became known in 1978, when he was photographed behind Edward J. King at a party celebrating King's win in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.[9] It was revealed that Thissen was a major donor to King, and inquiries into projects awarded to Desmond & Lord by the Massachusetts Port Authority while it was under the direction of King began. It was found that Desmond & Lord recieved almost all design contracts awarded during King's directorship, from 1963 to 1974, in addition to receving an outsized proportion of all design contracts awarded by the Commonwealth.

Severe structural problems then emerged at the Cape Cod Community College, designed by the firm some years before, prompting lawsuits. In 1979 investigations into the firm were brought under the umbrella of the Special Commission Concerning State and County Buildings, then investigating the MBM scandal.[10]

Although it was found that Thissen illegally funnelled corporate money to political campaigns by laundering it through members of his staff. It was believed that he did this with the aim of then recieving additional design contracts. However, investigations into Thissen's activities were dropped in 1981 and he was not convicted of any wrongdoing.[11] Lawsuits relating to design and construction defects were eventually settled.[12]

Principal biographies

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George Henri Desmond was born February 22, 1874 in Watertown, Massachusetts.[13] He attended the public schools of Watertown[1] and received his architectural training in the office of Winslow & Bigelow.[14] In 1907 he initiated his own practice, associating with Lord in 1916.

In 1903 Desmond married Maud Vasti Hollis of New York. They had one son.[1] She died in 1938. Desmond later retired to Marblehead, Massachusetts, where he died July 3, 1965.[13]

Israel Pierre Lord was born December 12, 1881 in Somerville, Massachusetts to Israel P. and Catherine (Fee) Lord.[15] He attended public schools and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 1903. In 1908, after five years of professional work, he was awarded the Rotch Travelling Scholarship, which enabled two years of study and travel abroad.[16] When he returned to Boston in 1910, he entered the office of Codman & Despradelle. Upon the death of Constant-Désiré Despradelle in 1912, he and three other associates of the firm were made principals.[a] He remained with Codman & Despradelle until joining Desmond in 1916. In addition to his practice, Lord taught in the Department of Architecture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1914 to 1917.

Lord was married to Mary Isabella Duncan, and they had three children. He died at home in Chestnut Hill, April 28, 1973.[15]

David Richard Thissen Jr. was born in Chicago in 1920. He was a graduate of Worcester Academy and the University of Miami. During World War II he worked for Pratt & Whitney and the Lockheed Corporation.[18] He was later employed by the Bay State York Company until 1953, when he joined Desmond & Lord.[3] After the political scandal and his sale of Desmond & Lord Inc. to Warnecke, he was appointed vice-president in the Boston office. He continued in the role of vice-president through the firm's later iterations, Warnecke Cannon and Cannon Boston. He died in Arlington, August 28, 1995.[18]

Legacy

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In the early years of his practice, Desmond employed Hugo Kuehne, who would become a noted architect and educator in Texas. Kuehne was in the office from 1908 to 1910, when he moved to Austin to develop an architectural school at the University of Texas.[19]

Architectural works[b]

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Year Building Address City State Notes Image Reference
1910 All Souls Chapel Preservation Way Poland Spring Maine Originally built for the use of guests and staff of the Poland Spring House. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. [20]
1915 House for G. Henri and Vasti Desmond 1860 Commonwealth Ave Brighton, Boston Massachusetts The architect's own home. [21]
1916 Apartments for Charles H. Belledeu 1705-1711 Commonwealth Ave Brighton, Boston Massachusetts [22]
1916 Carter School 10 Forsyth St Chelsea Massachusetts Designed in association with Samuel S. Eisenberg of Chelsea. Demolished. [23]
1917 Commercial building for Lewis P. Kaufman 43-57 Cornhill Boston Massachusetts Demolished. Second building from left in the image. [24]
1919 Capitol Theatre 1362 Main St Springfield Massachusetts Demolished. [25]
1920 Hyde Park Municipal Building 1179 River St Hyde Park, Boston Massachusetts [26]
1922 Clapp Memorial Building 443 Congress St Portland Maine [27]
1922 Portland Press Herald Building 390 Congress St Portland Maine [28]
1926 Parker House 60 School St Boston Massachusetts [29]
1927 Beebe Junior High School (former) 403 Pleasant St Malden Massachusetts Designed in association with Cyrus F. Springall. Demolished. [30]
1929 Solomon Lewenberg School (former) 20 Outlook Rd Mattapan, Boston Massachusetts [31]
1931 Harlon Paine Auditorium,
Grafton State Hospital (former)		 200 Westboro Rd Grafton Massachusetts Now the Franklin M. Loew Veterinary Medical Education Center of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine of Tufts University. [32]
1931 Winslow School (former) 12-14 Locust St Everett Massachusetts [33]
1931 Winter Hill Cooperative Bank Building 371 Summer St Somerville Massachusetts [34]
1932 Patrick J. Kennedy School 343 Saratoga St East Boston, Boston Massachusetts [35]
1934 Assembly Hall,
Foxborough State Hospital (former)		 16 Chestnut St Foxborough Massachusetts [36]
1936 Suffolk County Courthouse 3 Pemberton Sq Boston Massachusetts [37]
1937 Malden High School 77 Salem St Malden Massachusetts [38]
1938 Cross Memorial Bridge MA-112 Huntington Massachusetts Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as part of the Huntington Village Historic District. [39]
1939 John Cifrino Hall,
Italian Home for Children		 1125 Centre St Jamaica Plain, Boston Massachusetts [40]
1945 R. C. Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola 24 Commonwealth Ave Chestnut Hill Massachusetts [41]
1947 White Stadium,
Franklin Park		 450 Walnut Ave Jamaica Plain, Boston Massachusetts [42]
1949 Roosevelt Towers 999 Cambridge St Cambridge Massachusetts [43]
1953 Burton M. Cross Building 111 Sewall St Augusta Maine Designed in association with Miller & Beal of Portland. [44]
1959 Furcolo Hall,
University of Massachusetts Amherst		 Amherst Massachusetts [45]
1961 Hasbrouck Laboratory Addition,
University of Massachusetts Amherst		 Amherst Massachusetts [46]
1965 Geriatric Building,
Northampton State Hospital (former)		 1 Prince St Northampton Massachusetts Demolished. [47]
1966 Terminal A,
Logan International Airport		 East Boston, Boston Massachusetts Designed in association with Minoru Yamasaki & Associates of Birmingham. Demolished in 2002. [43]
1968 Terminal B,
Logan International Airport		 East Boston, Boston Massachusetts Designed in association with John Carl Warnecke & Associates of San Francisco and New York. [48]
1969 Dr. Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center 85 E Newton St Boston Massachusetts [49]
1969 Library,
Salem State University		 352 Lafayette St Salem Massachusetts Demolished in 2013. [50]
1969 Terminal E,
Logan International Airport		 East Boston, Boston Massachusetts Designed in association with Kubitz & Pepi of Wellesley. [51]
1970 Control Tower,
Logan International Airport		 East Boston, Boston Massachusetts Designed in association with John Carl Warnecke & Associates of San Francisco and New York. [52]
1974 Harborview Elderly Housing 60 Elm St Cohasset Massachusetts [53]
1975 Union Square Fire Station 460 Cambridge St Allston, Boston Massachusetts [54]
1979 Dock Square Garage 20 Clinton St Boston Massachusetts [55]

Notes

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  1. ^ In addition to Lord, these associates were William Atkinson, Ralph D. Emerson and W. S. Wells.[17]
  2. ^ Projects dated prior to 1916 credited to G. Henri Desmond only unless otherwise noted.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Edwin M. Bacon, "G. Henri Desmond," The Book of Boston: Fifty Years' Recollections of the New England Metropolis (Boston: Book of Boston Company, 1916): 241.
  2. ^ "Personal," American Contractor 37, no. 12 (March 18 1916): 89.
  3. ^ a b c Final Report to the General Court of the Special Commission Concerning State and County Buildings, vol. 4 (Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1980)
  4. ^ "Israel Lord, retired architect," Boston Globe, April 28 1973, 32.
  5. ^ "Thissen architectural firm sold to planning, design group," Boston Globe, August 23 1979, 25.
  6. ^ "Firm changes," Architectural Record 1980, no. 9 (September 1980): 135.
  7. ^ Lynne Deninger, "The Evolution of Our Boston Practice", cannondesign.com, CannonDesign, October 26 2015.
  8. ^ Corporation records search, Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  9. ^ Chris Black, "King's friend Thissen - a man who gets around," Boston Globe, October 8 1978, 11.
  10. ^ Robert J. Rosenthal, "State contract probe reportedly subpoenas companies' records," Boston Globe, November 16 1978, 19.
  11. ^ "Short Circuts," Boston Globe, August 30 1981, 1.
  12. ^ "D. Richard Thissen," Boston Globe, January 5 1981, A18-19.
  13. ^ a b "George Henri Desmond", https://www.findagrave.com, Find A Grave, August 8 2015.
  14. ^ "George Henri Desmond, Designed Parker House," Boston Globe, July 5 1965, 44.
  15. ^ a b "Israel Pierre Lord", https://www.findagrave.com, Find A Grave, January 8 2016.
  16. ^ Technology Architectural Record 4, no. 2 (March 1911): 31.
  17. ^ "Alumni Notes," Technology Architectural Record 6, no. 1 (December 1912): 21.
  18. ^ a b "David R. Thissen Jr.," Boston Globe, August 30 1995, 29.
  19. ^ "Tech Men in the Public Eye," Technology Review 12, no. 4 (October 1910): 461.
  20. ^ All Souls Chapel NRHP Registration Form (1977)
  21. ^ Building permit, dated February 8 1915.
  22. ^ American Contractor 37, no. 15 (April 8 1916): 53.
  23. ^ American Contractor 37, no. 43 (October 21 1916): 56.
  24. ^ American Contractor 38, no. 35 (September 1 1917): 38.
  25. ^ American Contractor 40, no. 27 (July 5 1919): 70.
  26. ^ Engineering News-record 85, no. 18 (October 28 1920): 224.
  27. ^ "Contracts Let on Portland Office Building," Domestic Engineering 101, no. 2 (October 14 1922): 69.
  28. ^ American Contractor 43, no. 49 (December 9 1922): 48.
  29. ^ Domestic Engineering (May 15 1926): 102.
  30. ^ Domestic Engineering (August 6 1927): 90.
  31. ^ "BOS.6701", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  32. ^ "GRF.1024", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  33. ^ "EVR.141", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  34. ^ Bridgemen's Magazine 31, no. 4 (April 1931): 227.
  35. ^ Bridgemen's Magazine 32, no. 3 (March 1932): 159.
  36. ^ "FOX.243", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  37. ^ "Plans for Addition to Courthouse Ready," Boston Globe, July 25 1936, 20.
  38. ^ "MAL.256", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  39. ^ Huntington Village Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1999)
  40. ^ Engineering News-Record (September 21 1939): 22.
  41. ^ Engineering News-Record (August 23 1945): 162.
  42. ^ Engineering News-Record (1947): 160.
  43. ^ a b Keith N. Morgan, Buildings of Massachusetts: Metropolitan Boston (Charlottesville, VA: University of Virginia Press, 2009)
  44. ^ Engineering News-Record (1953): 85.
  45. ^ Engineering News-Record (May 7 1959): 80.
  46. ^ Paul F. Norton, Amherst: A Guide to its Architecture (Amherst, MA: Amherst Historical Society, 1975)
  47. ^ "NTH.1189", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  48. ^ Engineering News-Record (February 8 1968): 81.
  49. ^ Engineering News-Record (1969): 48.
  50. ^ Bryant F. Tolles Jr. and Carolyn K. Tolles, Architecture in Salem: An Illustrated Guide (Lebanon, NH: University Press of New England, 1983)
  51. ^ Engineering News-Record (1969): 73.
  52. ^ Engineering News-Record (1970): 131.
  53. ^ "COH.1802", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  54. ^ Engineering News-Record (June 26 1975): 46.
  55. ^ "BOS.1658", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
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