Charles Edward Parker (1826-1890) was an American architect from Boston, Massachusetts.

Charles Edward Parker
Born1826
Died1890
OccupationArchitect
PracticeC. E. Parker; Bond & Parker
Evangelical Baptist Church, Newton, 1873.

Life and career

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After growing up in Keene, New Hampshire, Parker moved to Boston in the 1840s, where he worked for architect Gridley J. F. Bryant.[1] Around 1846, at the young age of 20, he established his own office. After several years of private practice, he joined the office of prominent architect Richard Bond as junior partner. The firm, Bond & Parker, existed from 1850 until 1853. He practiced alone for the rest of his career. He retired from active practice soon before his death in late 1890.[2]

Parker was the father of the noted composer Horatio Parker, born in Auburndale in 1863. Parker's Hora Novissima, written in 1893 after his father's death, was dedicated to him.[3] Of the influence of the father on the son, it was said that from him, "[Horatio] inherited an artistic nature and creative faculty",[4] though his primary artistic inspiration came from his mother.[5]

Legacy

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Parker designed the Easthampton Town Hall and the Chicopee City Hall, as well as at least nine churches. Several of these, plus the City Hall in Chicopee, have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their architectural significance.

Architectural works

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Year Building Address City State Notes Image Reference
1847 Brookline Reservoir Gatehouse 7 Warren St Brookline Massachusetts   [6]
1848 Keene Town (City) Hall 11 Washington St Keene New Hampshire Has been highly altered.   [7]
1848 Gideon F. T. Reed House 35 Elm St Canton Massachusetts [2]
1850 Bank of Commerce Building 83 State St Boston Massachusetts With Richard Bond. Demolished.   [8]
1851 Concord Town House 22 Monument Sq Concord Massachusetts With Richard Bond. [9]
1851 Isaac Davis Monument Town Green Acton Massachusetts   [10]
1851 Tremont Bank Building 41-43 State St Boston Massachusetts With Richard Bond. Demolished. [11]
1853 J. B. Bradlee Building 50-52 Broad St Boston Massachusetts Later known as the Architects' Building.   [2]
1857 Auburndale Congregational Church 64 Hancock St Auburndale Massachusetts   [12]
1857 Williston Hall Amherst College Amherst Massachusetts Radically rebuilt in 1951 to plans by McKim, Mead & White.   [13]
1859 Barrett Hall Amherst College Amherst Massachusetts   [14]
1859 South Congregational Church 27 Pleasant St Concord New Hampshire   [15]
1860 Eliot Church 474 Centre St Newton Massachusetts Burned in 1887.[16] [17][2]
1863 First Congregational Church 134 Main St North Adams Massachusetts   [18]
1863 St. James Episcopal Church 44 West St Keene New Hampshire   [7]
1864 Shawmut Congregational Church 143 W Brookline St Boston Massachusetts Largely demolished, but parts of the building survive as part of the Taino Tower Condominiums.   [19]
1867 Soldier's Monument Old North Cemetery Weymouth Massachusetts [20]
1868 Bethany Congregational Church 115 Main St Montpelier Vermont Due to structural deficiences, the sanctuary was replaced in 1959 to designs by Freeman French Freeman of Burlington.   [21]
1869[22] Easthampton Town Hall 43 Main St Easthampton Massachusetts   [23]
1868 Third Congregational Church 103 Springfield St Chicopee Massachusetts Now Christ's Community Church.   [24]
1871 Chicopee City Hall 17 Springfield St Chicopee Massachusetts   [25]
1873 Evangelical Baptist Church 23 Chapel St Nonantum Massachusetts   [26]
1875 Central Fire Station 44 Warren St Concord New Hampshire Presently a facility of the local YMCA. [27]
1877 John Kimball House 10 N State St Concord New Hampshire Highly altered. [28]
1881 Episcopal Church of the Messiah 1900 Commonwealth Ave Auburndale Massachusetts Has been significantly rebuilt. [29]

References

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  1. ^ Reed, Roger G. Building Victorian Boston: The Architecture of Gridley J. F. Bryant. Amherst, MA: University of Massachusetts Press, 2007.
  2. ^ a b c d "50-52 Broad Street Landmark Designation Report". https://www.cityofboston.gov/. 1985.
  3. ^ Feder, Stuart. Charles Ives, "My Father's Song": A Psychoanalytic Biography. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.
  4. ^ Worcester County Musical Association: Forty-Fifth Annual Festival, in Mechanics' Hall, Worcester, Mass. Worcester, 1902.
  5. ^ Elson, Louis C. The History of American Music. New York: MacMillan, 1904.
  6. ^ "BKL.33". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  7. ^ a b Griffin, S. G. A History of the Town of Keene: From 1732, when the Township was Granted by Massachusetts, to 1874, when it Became a City. 1904.
  8. ^ Homans, Isaac Smith. Sketches of Boston, Past and Present: and of Some Few Places in its Vicinity. 1851.
  9. ^ Sterner, Daniel. "Concord Town House (1851)". http://mass.historicbuildingsct.com/ Archived 2016-10-18 at the Wayback Machine. 8 June 2008.
  10. ^ "ACT.902". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  11. ^ Bankers Magazine and Statistical Register Feb. 1852: 667.
  12. ^ "NWT.2137". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  13. ^ "AMH.723". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  14. ^ "AMH.727". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  15. ^ A Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Concord, NH. Greater Concord Chamber of Congress, 2015.
  16. ^ "History of The Eliot Church of Newton, UCC". http://www.eliotchurch.org/. n.d.
  17. ^ Directory of the Town of Newton. Newton, MA: Samuel Chism, 1871.
  18. ^ "NAM.208". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  19. ^ Stanwood, Edward. Boston Illustrated: A Familiar Guide to Boston and Its Neighborhood. 1893.
  20. ^ "WEY.909". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  21. ^ Montpelier Historic District NRHP Nomination Amendment. 2009.
  22. ^ "Library of Congress". loc.gov.
  23. ^ Lyman, Payson W. Historical Address Delivered at the Centennial Celebration, in Easthampton, Mass., July 4, 1876. 1877.
  24. ^ O'Gorman, James F. On the Boards: Drawings by Nineteenth-Century Boston Architects. 1989.
  25. ^ "CHI.340". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  26. ^ "NWT.1186". mhc-macris.net. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  27. ^ Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the City of Concord, for the Fiscal Year Ending February 1, 1876. 1876.
  28. ^ New Hampshire Homes. 1895.
  29. ^ American Architect and Building News 26 March 1881: x. Boston.