Samuel J. F. Thayer

Samuel J. F. Thayer (1842–1893) was an American architect, notable for designing buildings such as the Providence City Hall and the Cathedral of St. George, as well as the town halls of Brookline, Stoughton, and Methuen, Massachusetts.[2]

Samuel Joseph Follon Thayer[1]
BornAugust 15, 1842
Boston, Massachusetts
DiedFebruary 28, 1893
Boston, Massachusetts
NationalityUnited States
OccupationArchitect
PracticeRopes & Thayer; Martin & Thayer; S. J. F. Thayer
BuildingsNevins Memorial Library; Providence City Hall; Wilson Hall, Dartmouth College
Wilson Hall at Dartmouth College

Biography

Thayer studied under John D. Towle.[3] He lived for a time in South Boston, Massachusetts, and enlisted in the 5th Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers during the Civil War, serving from October 1862 to July 1863.[4]

After the war, Thayer collaborated briefly with Boston architect Abel C. Martin, forming the firm Martin & Thayer.[3] This firm designed the Centenary Methodist Church in Stanstead, Quebec, a Gothic Revival structure, in 1866-69.[3] In 1867 they designed a large summer hotel on Lake Memphremagog, Quebec near the American border.[3]

By 1869 the partnership with Martin had ended, and both opened separate offices.[3] Thayer then went on to design the Town Hall of Brookline, Massachusetts, Providence City Hall in 1878, and the Dartmouth College library in 1885.[3]

He shot himself in a fit of despondency, dying on February 28, 1893.[5][6] He had been "in ill health for some time," and reportedly had money troubles.[7] He left behind a suicide note, along with a wife and son.[7]

Notable works
YearProjectAddressCityStateNotesImageReference
1864Broadway Orthodox Congregational Church404 BroadwaySomervilleMassachusettsBurned in 1866.[8] The church was rebuilt in 1871, which building now forms part of the Broadway Winter Hill Congregational Church.[9]
1864Emmanuel Episcopal Church147 Summer StSomervilleMassachusettsDemolished.[10]
1865House for Samuel J. F. Thayer170 Dorchester StSouth Boston, BostonMassachusettsDesigned by Thayer has his own residence. A contributing property to the Dorchester Heights Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.[11]
1869Centenary Methodist Church430 W BroadwaySouth Boston, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[12]
1870Arlington House125 Causeway StBostonMassachusetts[13]
1870Brookline Town Hall333 Washington StBrooklineMassachusettsDemolished.[14]
1870Charlestown High School (former)30 Monument SqCharlestown, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[15]
1870Damon SchoolReadville StHyde Park, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[16]
1870Morse SchoolSummer and Craigie StsSomervilleMassachusettsDemolished.[17]
1870New Church of Yarmouth266 Main StYarmouth PortMassachusetts[18]
1870Trinity Methodist ChurchMain and Chandler StsWorcesterMassachusettsDemolished.[19]
1871Fairmount School (former)85 Williams AveHyde Park, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[20]
1871Henry Grew School (former)40 Gordon AveHyde Park, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[20]
1871Somerville High School (former)81 Highland AveSomervilleMassachusettsDemolished.[21]
1871Windsor Avenue Congregational Church (former)2030 Main StHartfordConnecticutPresently the Faith Congregational Church. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[22]
1872Chapel for the First Congregational Church of Canandaigua58 N Main StCanandaiguaNew YorkBuilt as an annex to the original 1812 church. A contributing property to the North Main Street Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[23]
1872Harvard School (former)20 Devens StCharlestown, BostonMassachusetts[15]
1872Second Hawes Congregational Church, Unitarian (former)523 E BroadwaySouth Boston, BostonMassachusettsPresently the St. George Albanian Orthodox Cathedral. The church anchors the Cathedral of St. George Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.[24]
1872Springfield High School (former)State StSpringfieldMassachusettsLater the State Street Grammar School. Demolished.[25]
1872State Street Methodist Church319 State StSpringfieldMassachusettsDemolished.[25]
1872Winchester Home for Aged Women10 Eden StCharlestown, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[15]
1873Mercantile building for George T. Bigelow77 Bedford StBostonMassachusettsBuilt by Bigelow in his role as trustee of the Miller estate. Destroyed by fire in 1879,[26] and rebuilt in 1880[27] by Anna Smith (Miller) Bigelow, again to a design by Thayer.[28][29]
1873Nashua High School (former)30 Spring StNashuaNew HampshireLater the Spring Street School. Demolished.[30]
1874Engine House No. 25High St and Fort Hill SqBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[31]
1875Providence City Hall25 Dorrance StProvidenceRhode IslandListed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[32]
1876House for J. Warren Merrill6 Smiths Point RdManchesterMassachusettsDemolished.[33]
1877Atlantic House37 Oceanside DrHullMassachusettsBurned in 1927.[34]
1880House for Mary F. MallonMount Bowdoin GreenDorchester, BostonMassachusettsDemolished.[35][36]
1880Jordan, Marsh & Company Department Store450 Washington StBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[37]
1880Stoughton Town Hall10 Pearl StStoughtonMassachusetts[38]
1881House for Edward H. GilmanElm StExeterNew HampshireMoved from Court Street in 1924 to serve as faculty housing for the Phillips Exeter Academy. Now known as Cushwa House.[39][40]
1881House for Daniel H. Lane291 Beacon StBostonMassachusettsA contributing property to the Back Bay Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.[41]
1881House for John G. Phinney81 Summer StStoughtonMassachusetts[42]
1881House for Nathaniel L. Ripley618 Centre StNewtonMassachusetts[43]
1881Jordan Building77 Bedford StBostonMassachusettsDestroyed in the "Thanksgiving Day Fire" in 1889.[28]
1881Lyceum Hall206 Main StYarmouth PortMassachusettsAltered.[43]
1881Nevins Building78 Chauncy StBostonMassachusettsGutted in the "Thanksgiving Day Fire" in 1889. In 1890 the granite facades were reused for a new Nevins Building on site, also designed by Thayer.[28][28]
1882Farragut HotelOcean BlvdRyeNew HampshireDemolished in 1975.[44]
1882House for Isaac P. T. Edmands28 Atlantic AveSwampscottMassachusettsDemolished.[45]
1883Nevins Memorial Hall and Library305 BroadwayMethuenMassachusettsListed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.[46]
1884Wilson Hall,
Dartmouth College		HanoverNew HampshireBuilt as the college library, and more recently part of the Hood Museum of Art.[47]
1885The Tudor34 1/2 Beacon StBostonMassachusetts[28]
1885Remodeling of the Quincy HouseBrattle St and Brattle SqBostonMassachusettsIn addition to an interior remodeling, Thayer added several floors and a turret to the existing structure, as well as a new wing along Brattle Square. Demolished in 1935.[48]
1885Wauban Building184 Boylston StBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[28]
1886Chadwick Building7 Tremont StBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[28]
1886Potter Building202-212 Boylston StBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[49]
1886The Thorndike240 Boylston StBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[28]
1887Boston Tavern14-16 Province CtBostonMassachusettsDemolished.[28]
1887House for John D. Long107 Washington AveCambridgeMassachusetts[50]
1891Remodeling of the Norwood Hotel37 Bridge StNorthamptonMassachusettsMostly demolished, but a fragment was moved to 11 Bridge Street, which is a contributing property to the Pomeroy Terrace Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.[51][52]

References
  1. "Samuel Joseph Follon Thayer", https://www.findagrave.com, Find A Grave, February 23 2012.
  2. Mary Melvin Petronella; Edward W. Gordon (2004). Victorian Boston today: twelve walking tours. UPNE. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-55553-605-3.
  3. "Martin & Thayer". Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  4. Thayer, Bezaleel (1874). Memorial of the Thayer name. R.J. Oliphant. p. 36.
  5. Oliver Ayer Roberts (1901). History of the Military company of the Massachusetts, now called the Ancient and honorable artillery company of Massachusetts. 1637-1888. 4. A. Mudge & son, printers.
  6. "SHOT HIMSELF". Los Angeles Times. March 19, 1893. p. 16.
  7. "S.J.F. Thayer Suicided". Boston, Massachusetts: Boston Post. 1 March 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  8. "Somerville," Boston Daily Advertiser, December 11 1866, 4.
  9. "Church Dedication in Somerville," Boston Daily Advertiser, July 21 1864, 1.
  10. "Episcopal Church in Somerville," Boston Daily Advertiser, February 10 1865, 1.
  11. Dorchester Heights Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2001)
  12. "The Laying of the Corner Stone of a Church," Boston Daily Advertiser, April 23 1869, 1.
  13. "BOS.1642", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  14. Proceedings at the Dedication of the Town Hall, Brookline, February 22, 1873 (Cambridge, MA: John Wilson & Son, 1873)
  15. James F. Hunnewell, A Century of Town Life: A History of Charlestown, Massachusetts, 1787-1887 (Boston: Little, Brown & Company, 1888)
  16. Third Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the Town of Hyde Park, with the Reports of the Town Officers, for the Year Ending January 15th, 1871 (Hyde Park, MA: Hildreth and Getchell, 1871)
  17. "Dedication of the Morse Schoolhouse," Boston Daily Advertiser, March 1 1870.
  18. Marion Vuilleumier, The Town of Yarmouth, Massachusetts: A History, 1639-1989 (Yarmouth, MA: Historical Society of Old Yarmouth, 1989)
  19. "Business in the East," Architectural Review and American Builders Journal 2, no. 2 (May 1870): 674.
  20. Fourth Annual Report of the Receipts and Expenditures of the Town of Hyde Park, with the Reports of the Town Officers, for the Year Ending January 15th, 1872 (Boston: Lyman Rhodes, 1872)
  21. City of Somerville, Annual Reports. 1872 (Boston: W. F. Brown & Company, 1873)
  22. Cathedral of St. George Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1998)
  23. History of Ontario County, New York (Philadelphia: Everts, Ensign & Everts, 1878): 111-112.
  24. Windsor Avenue Congregational Church NRHP Registration Form (1993)
  25. Springfield City Directory and Business Advertiser for 1872-73 (Springfield, MA: Clark W. Bryan & Company, 1872)
  26. "A Big Blaze," Boston Daily Globe, December 29 1879.
  27. King's Hand Book of Boston (Cambridge, MA: Moses King, 1881): 293-294.
  28. Charles S. Damrell, A Half Century of Boston Building (Boston: Louis P. Hager, 1895)
  29. "Warehouse No. 91 and 93 Federal St., Boston," American Architect and Building News 3, no. 107 (January 12 1878): 13.;
  30. Twenty-first Annual Report of the Municipal Government of the City of Nashua, for the Municipal Year 1873-74 (Nashua, NH: Whittemores' Press, 1874)
  31. Auditor of Accounts' Annual Report of Receipts and Expenditures of the City of Boston and the County of Suffolk, State of Massachusetts, for the Financial Year 1874-1875 (Boston: Rockwell & Churchill, 1875)
  32. Providence City Hall NRHP Registration Form (1975)
  33. "Sea-shore House at Manchester, Mass.," American Architect and Building News 1 (May 6 1876): 149.
  34. "S. J. F. Thayer," Architecture and Building 18, no. 9 (March 4 1893): 102.
  35. "House of Mrs. Mary F. Mallon, Bowdoin Ave., Dorchester, Mass.," American Architect and Building News 36, no. 849 (April 2 1892): 14.
  36. "BOS.DP", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n.d.
  37. Engineering News (August 28 1880): 294.
  38. Engineering News (July 10 1880): 238.
  39. Carol Walker Aten, Postcards from Exeter (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003): 142.
  40. American Architect and Building News 10, no. 309 (November 26 1881): ix.
  41. "291 Beacon", backbayhouses.org, Back Bay Houses, n.d.
  42. American Architect and Building News 9, no. 282 (May 21 1881): x.
  43. American Architect and Building News 9, no. 281 (May 14 1881): 240.
  44. Building 1, no. 3 (December 1882): 42.
  45. American Architect and Building News 12, no. 353 (November 4 1882): 4.
  46. Nevins Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form (1984)
  47. Bryant F. Tolles Jr. and Carolyn K. Tolles, New Hampshire Architecture: An Illustrated Guide (Hanover, NH and London: University Press of New England, 1979)
  48. Boston Daily Globe, April 26 1885, 11.
  49. "The Potter Building, Boylston Street," Boston Daily Advertiser, February 11 1887, 8.
  50. Cambridge (MA) Tribune, August 6 1887, 8.
  51. Pomeroy Terrace Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2018)
  52. Engineering Record 24, no. 14 (September 5 1891): 227.
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