Willard Kent
Willard Kent (1851–1924) was an architect and engineer of Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
He was born on October 27, 1851 in Marshfield, Massachusetts. His parents were Warren Kent, a builder, and Eliza Weston Kent.[1]
As a young man in 1875, Kent took a job with John W. Ellis, a Woonsocket engineer who was also the chief engineer of the Providence & Worcester Railroad. In that capacity, Ellis was responsible for the design and construction of the local train station (1882), and Kent may have thus designed the station. He remained with Ellis until 1884, when he opened an office in Woonsocket for the practice of engineering. Later in the 1880s he expanded his practice to include architecture.[2] Later he opened an office in Narragansett Pier, where he would eventually also live on a parmanent basis.
Kent is also notable as the teacher of Walter F. Fontaine.
Architectural Works
- Willard Kent House, 21 Summer St., Woonsocket, RI (1883)[3]
- Woonsocket Opera House, 37 N. Main St., Woonsocket, RI (1888) - Burned 1975.[4]
- Rocky Brook Reservoir Pumping Station, 1464 Kingstown Rd., Peace Dale, RI[5]
- Narragansett Pier Railroad Station, 145 Boon St., Narragansett Pier, RI (1896)[6]
- Willard Kent House, 203 Providence St., Woonsocket, RI (1897)[3]
- Four Gables (Willard Kent House), 12 S. Pier Rd., Narragansett Pier, RI (1898)[7]
- Rose Lea (George W. Cresson House), 410 Ocean Rd., Narragansett Pier, RI (1898)[8]
- Hope Street School (Former), 40 Hope St., Woonsocket, RI (1899)
- Joel N. Bense House, 103 Glen Rd., Woonsocket, RI (1917)[9]
- Fifth Avenue School, 25 5th Ave., Narragansett Pier, RI (1924) - This building currently serves as the Town Hall.[7]
References
- ↑ The Massachusetts Register: A State Record for the Year 1852. 1852
- ↑ "Memoir of Willard Kent". Transactions of the American Society of Civil Engineers. 1924.
- 1 2 Woonsocket, Rhode Island: Statewide Historic Preservation Report P-W-1. 1976.
- ↑ Bellerose, Robert R. Images of America: Woonsocket. 2003.
- ↑ Jordy, William H. Buildings of Rhode Island. 2004.
- ↑ Annual Report of the Railroad Commissioner for 1896. 1897.
- 1 2 Historic and Architectural Resources of Narragansett, Rhode Island. 1991.
- ↑ Latimer, Sallie. Postcard History Series: Narragansett: In Vintage Postcards. 1999.
- ↑ American Contractor 5 May 1917: 67.