Clinton Briggs Ripley (February 13, 1849 – February 13, 1922) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

active in

Honolulu, Hawaii Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island o ...

, from the 1890s until the 1920s. Ripley was born in Peru, Maine. In 1871, he began his career in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020 ...

, forming Ripley & Co. with William K. Ripley. After living in Nashville, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

until settling in Hawaii around 1890. Ripley became Commissioner of Patents in 1894, then formed a partnership with a junior but well-connected local architect,

Charles William Dickey Charles William “C.W.” Dickey (6 July 1871 – 25 April 1942) was an American architect famous for developing a distinctive style of Hawaiian architecture. He was known not only for designing some of the most famous buildings in Hawaii— ...

, during the peak of the building boom in 1896–1900. During the downturn that followed, he briefly headed the Concrete Construction Company, then looked for work elsewhere before settling back in Honolulu in 1910 in partnership first with Arthur L. Reynolds, and then with Louis E. Davis from 1913 until his death. (Reynolds went on to design the

Aloha Tower The Aloha Tower is a retired lighthouse that is considered one of the landmarks of the state of Hawaii in the United States. Opened on September 11, 1926, at a then astronomical cost of $160,000, the Aloha Tower is located at Pier 9 of Honolulu ...

, and Davis went on to design

President William McKinley High School President William McKinley High School, more commonly referred to as McKinley High School, is a comprehensive public high school in the Honolulu District of the Hawaii State Department of Education. It serves grades nine through twelve. McKinley i ...

and many other notable buildings.)Wilcox, Gaylord (1972)
Business and Buildings: Downtown Honolulu's Old Fashioned Block
''Hawaiian Journal of History'' 6:16. His early work in

Downtown Honolulu Downtown Honolulu is the current historic, economic, and governmental center of Honolulu, the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii. It is bounded by Nuuanu Stream to the west, Ward Avenue to the east, Vineyard Boulevard to the nor ...

was in the then popular Richardsonian Romanesque style, as in the old Central Fire Station (1896, remodeled in 1934), the Bishop Estate Building on Merchant Street (1896), the Irwin Block (Nippu Jiji building) on Nuuanu Street (1897), and Progress Block on Fort Street (1897), the last now occupied by Hawaii Pacific University.Neil, J. Meredith (1975)
The Architecture of C.W. Dickey in Hawai‘i
''Hawaiian Journal of History'' 9:101-113. Among his other notable buildings were the H.P. Baldwin Home (1899, with Dickey) and Hawaii Hall for the new

University of Hawaii A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

(1911, with Reynolds). He died in

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

on his 73rd birthday.''California, Death Index, 1905-1939''

Gallery

Image:Honolulu-Merchantst-Bishop-Estate-bldg.JPG, Bishop Estate Building, 1896 (with Dickey) Image:Punahou Pauahi Hall through leaves.jpg, Pauahi Hall, Punahou School, 1896 (with Dickey) Image:Honolulu-FortStreet-ProgressBlock-corner.JPG, Progress Block, 1897 Image:Honolulu-NippuJiji-bldg.JPG, Irwin Block, 1897 (with Dickey); bought by Nippu Jiji (1895-) in 1923 Image:Hawaii-Hilo-Thomas Guardhouse.jpg, Thomas Guard House, Hilo (with Louis E. Davis)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ripley, Clinton Briggs 1849 births 1922 deaths People from Peru, Maine Architects from Maine Architects from Hawaii Hawaiian architecture History of Oahu