Willard P. Adden

Willard Parker Adden was born April 9, 1868, in Reading, Massachusetts to John Henry Adden and Elmira (George) Adden. He was educated in the Reading public schools."Willard P. Adden" in Boston Globe, June 16, 1958, 22. Adden's early career was spent in the office of Charles Brigham, a leading Boston architect of the late nineteenth century, where he was working as a drafter by 1890.Commonwealth of Massachusetts Official Gazette (Boston: Coburn Brothers, printers, 1890) By 1895 he was noted as an architect in Brigham's office, and was credited as codesigner of the Spafford Library in Springfield, Vermont with Springfield native Russell W. Porter, then a student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.C. Horace Hubbard and Justus Dartt, History of the Town of Springfield, Vermont (Boston: George H. Walker & Company, 1895) Adden was also credited as codesigner for a number of projects designed by Charles Brigham, including the James Building (1899) and the former Madison Public Library (1900) in Madison, New Jersey,[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/80002512 Madison Public Library and the James Building NRHP Registration Form] (1980) and the headhouse of the former Atlantic Avenue station of the Boston Elevated Railway (1904–06, demolished 1949) in Boston.Eleventh Annual Report of the Boston Transit Commission for the Year Ending June 30, 1905 (Boston: E. W. Doyle, printer, 1905)

Adden left Brigham in 1905, and formed the firm of Adden & Parker with Winthrop D. Parker."Personal Notes," Engineering Record 51, no. 14 (April 8, 1905): 42. Parker, an 1895 graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, had worked for Wheelwright & Haven for many years prior. Adden practiced as a member of the firm of Adden & Parker for the next twenty-five years, producing many buildings in the Colonial Revival, Beaux-Arts and other traditional revival styles. Adden was an especially popular architect in his hometown of Reading, where he designed the high school, town hall, public library and several churches. In 1929 they expanded the partnership to include Howard T. Clinch (1889–1965) and Frank W. Crimp (1899–1990), the firm being renamed Adden, Parker, Clinch & Crimp. The new partners introduced elements of modern design into the firm's work. Adden retired from practice in the 1940s.

Adden was active in both his profession and his community. The same year he joined Brigham he joined the Boston Architectural Club, a social group that also offered instruction in design and drafting. He joined the American Institute of Architects in 1923, and was a member for the rest of his life. He was a member of the Reading town planning board and the park commission, and was active in several local social groups.

Adden was married in 1907 to Annie Perry Allen of New Bedford. They had three children, two daughters and one son.William M. Emery, [https://books.google.com/books?id=90FVAAAAMAAJ The Howland Heirs] (New Bedford: E. Anthony & Sons, 1919): 321–322. Around the time of his marriage, Adden purchased what is known as the Eaton–Prescott House in Reading, and restored and renovated it as his family home. This became a theme in his life, and he restored and lived in a number of historic homes in Reading. In 1916 he moved into the William Parker House, which he had restored for a different client six years earlier. In 1918 he moved again, to the David Pratt house on Woburn Street. Where in his past renovations Adden had been careful to respect the old Colonial architecture, at the Federal-era Pratt house he created an elaborate Federal Revival fantasy, the most complex example of the style in Reading.[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.131 Historic Building Detail: REA.131], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System. In retirement he lived in a relatively new house on King Street. Adden died June 14, 1958, in a hospital in Northampton.

The firm Adden founded lasted for thirty years after his retirement. In 1959, after the deaths of Adden and Parker, the firm was renamed Clinch, Crimp, Brown & Fisher, the new partners being Arthur Wilbur Brown and Herbert Robson Fisher Jr."Notices," Progressive Architecture 40, no. 4 (April 1959): 260. Howard T. Clinch died December 24, 1965,"Edward Clinch, Architect, 76; Rites private," Boston Globe, December 26, 1965, 43. and the firm was incorporated as Crimp, Brown & Fisher the following year. After Crimp retired the firm became Brown, Fisher, Nickerson & Todisco with the addition of Carl Vernon Nickerson (1919–2017)"Carl V. Nickerson," Boston Globe, November 25, 2017. and Philip John Todisco (1923–2007) in 1970."Philip John Todisco," Boston Globe, February 9, 2007. By 1972 Todisco had left, and the firm of Brown, Fisher & Nickerson was dissolved in 1979.Massachusetts corporation records

Adden was responsible for the restoration of several Colonial-era buildings in Reading. These, as well of some of his own works, have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Others contribute to listed historic districts.

• Congregational Church of Laconia, 18 Veterans Sq, Laconia, New Hampshire (1905–06)
• Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Room, 188 Elm St, Lakeport, New Hampshire (1905–07, NRHP 1986)[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/77844660 Ossian Wilbur Goss Reading Room NRHP Registration Form] (1986)
• Reading High School (former),{{efn|name=Common}} 52 Sanborn St, Reading, Massachusetts (1905–06)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.186 Historic Building Detail: REA.186], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Eaton–Prescott House restoration,{{efn|name=Prescott|Adden's home from circa 1907 to 1916.}} 284 Summer Ave, Reading, Massachusetts (circa 1907, NRHP 1984)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.113 Historic Building Detail: REA.113], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.Howard V. Bowen, "The Story of Two Remodeled Farmhouses" in [https://books.google.com/books?id=RV4iAQAAMAAJ American Homes and Gardens] 8, no. 10 (October 1911): 365–370.
• Huntington High School (former), 100 Main St, Huntington, New York (1908)Municipal Journal and Engineer (July 15, 1908): 102.
• First Congregational Church,{{efn|name=Common}} 25 Woburn St, Reading, Massachusetts (1909–11)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.174 Historic Building Detail: REA.174], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Cochituate School (former), 106 Main St, Wayland, Massachusetts (1910)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=WAY.142 Historic Building Detail: WAY.142], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• William Parker House restoration,{{efn|name=Parker|Adden's home from 1916 to 1918.}} 55 Walnut St, Reading, Massachusetts (1910, NRHP 1984)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.92 Historic Building Detail: REA.92], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Old South United Methodist Church,{{efn|name=Common}} 6 Salem St, Reading, Massachusetts (1911–13)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.199 Historic Building Detail: REA.199], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Roosevelt School, 155 Lowndes Ave, Huntington, New York (1913, demolished)School Board Journal (June 1913): 74
• Merchants National Bank Building,{{efn|name=Allen|Adden's father-in-law, Gilbert Allen, was president of this bank for ten years.Zephaniah W. Pease, [https://books.google.com/books?id=gHjeFmUtnAwC The Centenary of the Merchants National Bank] (New Bedford: Merchants National Bank, 1925) A contributing property to the Central New Bedford Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1980.}} 95 William St, New Bedford, Massachusetts (1914–16)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=NBE.744 Historic Building Detail: NBE.744], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Fred Clark house,{{efn|name=Everett|A contributing property to the Everett Avenue–Sheffield Road Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1989.}} 6 Everett Ave, Winchester, Massachusetts (1915–16)Winchester Star, September 17, 1915, 8.
• Reading Town Hall,{{efn|name=Common}} 16 Lowell St, Reading, Massachusetts (1916–18)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.198 Historic Building Detail: REA.198], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Reading Public Library (former),{{efn|name=Common|A contributing property to the Common Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1985.}} 6 Lowell St, Reading, Massachusetts (1917–18)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.197 Historic Building Detail: REA.197], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• David Pratt house restoration,{{efn|name=Pratt|Adden's home after 1918. A contributing property to the Woburn Street Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1985.}} 217 Woburn St, Reading, Massachusetts (1918)"Four Remodeled Houses" in [https://archive.org/details/sim_house-beautiful_1928-08_64_2/page/142/mode/2up?view=theater House Beautiful] 64, no. 2 (August 1928): 140–143.
• American Woolen Company administration building,{{efn|name=Shawsheen|A contributing property to the Shawsheen Village Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1979.}} 16 Balmoral St, Andover, Massachusetts (1922–23)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=ANV.219 Historic Building Detail: ANV.219], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• James T. Murray house,{{efn|name=County|A contributing property to the County Street Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1987.}} 41 Orchard St, New Bedford, Massachusetts (1922)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=NBE.2619 Historic Building Detail: NBE.2619], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Beverly High School (former), 7 Sohier Rd, Beverly, Massachusetts (1923–25)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=BEV.1132 Historic Building Detail: BEV.1132], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Parker Tavern restoration, 103 Washington St, Reading, Massachusetts (1923–30, NRHP 1975)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.117 Historic Building Detail: REA.117], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Melrose Savings Bank Building, 476 Main St, Melrose, Massachusetts (1926)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=MEL.449 Historic Building Detail: MEL.449], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Manter Hall School (former), 71 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1927)Domestic Engineering (May 28, 1927): 98.
• Walter S. Parker Junior High School, 45 Temple St, Reading, Massachusetts (1927, demolished)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.266 Historic Building Detail: REA.266], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Elmer L. Wengren house,{{efn|name=Portland|A contributing property to the Western Promenade Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1984.}} 22 Chadwick St, Portland, Maine (1928)Western Promenade Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1984)
• Edward K. Hall house, 35 Rope Ferry Rd, Hanover, New Hampshire (1930)Scott Meacham, Dartmouth College: An Architectural Tour (New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2008)
• Reading Police Station, 67 Pleasant St, Reading, Massachusetts (1930–31, demolished)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=REA.229 Historic Building Detail: REA.229], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.
• Huntley N. Spaulding house,{{efn|name=Boar|A contributing property to the Little Boar's Head Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1999.}} 58 Ocean Blvd, North Hampton, New Hampshire (1930–32)"Crimp, Frank William" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker, 1956): 116.
• Proctor School, 60 Main St, Topsfield, Massachusetts (1934–35)Engineering News-Record (May 2, 1929): 93.Engineering News-Record 107, no. 8 (August 20, 1931): 45.
• Leavitt House,{{efn|name=Vermont|A contributing property to the Vermont Academy Campus Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2015.}} Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, Vermont (1936)Vermont Academy NRHP Registration Form (2015)
• Stoneham Town Hall, 35 Central St, Stoneham, Massachusetts (1938–39)"Stoneham Dedicates Town Hall Building" in Boston Globe, November 5, 1939, B30.
• David Walton house,{{efn|name=Longwood|A contributing property to the Longwood Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1978.}} 310 Kent St, Brookline, Massachusetts (1939)[https://mhc-macris.net/#!/details?mhcid=BKL.485 Historic Building Detail: BKL.485], Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System.

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Category:Architects from Boston

Category:20th-century American architects

Category:1868 births

Category:1958 deaths

Category:19th-century American architects

Category:People from Reading, Massachusetts