Edgar Allen Poe Newcomb (April 23, 1846 – November 10, 1923) was an
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 ...
, also known as E. A. P. Newcomb and Edgar A. P. Newcomb. The majority of his accomplishments were in Boston and Honolulu. Newcomb was also a bass vocalist who composed dozens of songs and at least one opera.
Initial success
He was born in
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, Massachusetts, on April 23, 1846, to Levi Newcomb and his wife Sarah Ann.
Edgar Allen Poe Newcomb was the nephew of sculptor
Thomas Ball.
While a student at
Ogdensburg Free Academy in New York, he dropped out of school at age 16 to learn the architecture business from his father.
[
The first three decades of his architectural career were with his father's firm L. Newcomb & Son in Boston. He was interested in religious architecture and twice toured Europe visiting the cathedrals. During his association with L. Newcomb & Son, the firm is credited as designing the following (partial listing):]Andover, Massachusetts
Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. It was settled in 1642 and incorporated in 1646."Andover" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th ed., 1992, Vol. 1, p. 387. As of th ...
*Hotel Bristol
Hawaii
He moved to Honolulu
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 ...
in 1901 and joined with 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— ...
to form the Dickey & Newcomb firm.[ During 1901, he is credited with designing the following Honolulu structures:]YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
, drawing a correlation between a culture's headwear and its architecture.
In 1902, Newcomb returned to New York for what he believed would be a matter of months, to design a home for S. S. Spaulding of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...
. He ended up staying almost two years. He returned with his sister Sarah Newcomb, and gave a lengthy interview about the United States interest in Hawaii. A local civic club held its meeting in Newcomb's home in 1904, listening to a presentation of his vision for beautification and improvement of Honolulu. Resuming his practice with Dickey, Newcomb designed the following buildings:[
*Territorial Normal School, Honolulu
*Mrs. Fanny Lane residence, Kewalo and Heulu St., Honolulu
* Alfred Hocking House, Kewalo and Wowehi St., Honolulu
*C. Du Roi residence, Liliha St. near Wyllie, Honolulu
* Wailuku School on Maui
In 1905, Newcomb and his sister once again returned to the mainland United States. During his sojourn, he gave an interview to a Manchester, New Hampshire, newspaper, extolling the beauty of Hawaii.
]
Later work
Newcomb was selected, along with Edward Lippincott Tilton
Edward Lippincott Tilton (19 October 1861 – 5 January 1933) was an American architect, with a practice in New York City, where he was born. He specialized in the design of libraries, completing about one hundred in the U.S. and Canada, inc ...
, to design the Carpenter Memorial Library in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644.
Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Ha ...
. The cornerstone was laid in 1913, and the dedication of the building was on November 18, 1914.
He designed the Sacred Heart Church-Punahou in Honolulu at 1701 Wilder Avenue in 1914. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 2001.
Music
Newcomb was a bass vocalist who participated in choral performances. He is sometimes listed as E. A. P. Newcomb. He was also known as a musician and songwriter, and sometimes listed as Edgar A. P. Newcomb.[ In 1891, he wrote the music to "Slumber Song" and "The Sweet Tum Tum", words by Arthur Macy.]
Death
Following a lengthy illness, Newcomb died November 10, 1923, at the Moana Hotel
The Moana Hotel is a historic hotel building in Honolulu, Hawaii, located at 2365 Kalākaua Avenue in the Waikiki neighborhood. Built in the late 19th century as the first hotel in Waikiki, the Moana opened in 1901. It is listed on the National Re ...
in Waikiki. His only survivor was his sister Sarah. The Reverend Canon John Usborne officiated over the services at the hotel. Following cremation, Newcomb's ashes were interred at Nuuanu Cemetery.[
]
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Newcomb, Edgar Allen Poe
1846 births
1923 deaths
19th-century American architects
20th-century American architects
Architects from Hawaii
Architects from Boston