20 Facts About Elbridge Boyden

Elbridge Boyden was a prominent 19th-century American architect from Worcester, Massachusetts, who designed numerous civil and public buildings throughout New England and other parts of the United States.

The family moved to Orange, Massachusetts, where young Elbridge Boyden attended public schools.

Stratton owned two books by Asher Benjamin, which is where Elbridge Boyden began his architectural training.

The younger Elbridge Boyden died in 1885, but the firm's name remained until the elder Elbridge Boyden's death.

In 1892 Elbridge Boyden was one of the founders of the Worcester Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and served as its president from then until his death.

Elbridge Boyden was a member of the Sons of the American Revolution, and served a term as vice-president of the Massachusetts Chapter.

Elbridge Boyden's earliest identified works, three houses from 1847, were all designed in the Greek Revival style, then solidly in the mainstream.

All that is known is that after leaving Elbridge Boyden, he worked with William Brown, Worcester's first professional architect, then working in Lowell.

Elbridge Boyden was one of the earliest adopters of the style, which had been introduced in New York City in 1846 by Richard Upjohn.

The earliest of Elbridge Boyden's projects in this style was an unidentified block of houses on Harvard Street, in 1848.

Elbridge Boyden worked on at least three churches during this time.

Elbridge Boyden was commissioned to build the 1858 Town House, which was originally the 1858 Townhouse, in Sherborn, Massachusetts, with a bequest from Thomas Dowse's will.

In 1859 Elbridge Boyden remodeled the Baptist Church at Athol, designing a new facade and tower for the church.

Elbridge Boyden designed, in 1863, the First Congregational Church at Spencer, which was similar in its elaborate design to the First Congregational Church in Keene, built four years earlier.

In 1873 Elbridge Boyden made his first foray into Rhode Island, designing L'Eglise du Precieux Sang in Woonsocket, an American center of French Canadian culture.

Elbridge Boyden had to settle for the schools second building, Washburn Shops.

Elbridge Boyden built the massive Congress Hall in downtown Saratoga Springs, and rebuilt the much older Fort William Henry Hotel in Lake George.

Elbridge Boyden's first commercial work with this partnership was a duo of office buildings in Keene, New Hampshire.

Much later, in 1894, Elbridge Boyden built an apartment block at Eden and George Streets for Pellett Brothers.

In 1991, the Elbridge Boyden Society was established at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts.