Loading AI tools
Defunct American architectural firm From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
| Martin & Hall | |
|---|---|
| Practice information | |
| Founders | Frank H. Martin; George Frederic Hall |
| Founded | 1893 |
| 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 |
_(cropped).jpg)
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]
Frank Howard Martin AIA (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 AIA (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]
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.
All dates are date of completion. Buildings built after 1917 are attributed to Hall alone.
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
