Edward I. Nickerson (1845–1908) 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 ...

from

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, known for his work in the Queen Anne style in Providence.

Life and career

Edward Irving Nickerson was born September 13, 1845, in

Pawtucket, Rhode Island Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...

, to Sparrow Howes Nickerson and Elizabeth Clarke (Darling) Nickerson. He was educated in the local schools until circa 1862, when he left to study architecture in the office of

Clifton A. Hall Clifton A. Hall (1826-1913)Jordy, William H. and Christopher P. Monkhouse. ''Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Architectural Drawings, 1825-1945''. 1982. was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island. Biography Hall was born in Bost ...

.Norman W. Isham, "Edward I. Nickerson FAIA" in
American Institute of Architects Quarterly Bulletin
' 9, no. 1 (April, 1908): 39-40."Nickerson" in
New England Families: Genealogical and Memorial
' 3, ed. William Richard Cutter (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1915): 1122-1125. After several years working in Hall's office, in 1871 Nickerson opened an office of his own. After several years of practice, in 1877 Nickerson closed his practice and left for Europe with his wife, where they undertook a Grand Tour. They did not return to the United States until 1881, after which Nickerson reestablished his practice."A Group of American Architects" in
American Architect and Building News
' 15, no. 425 (February 16, 1884): 75. During his career Nickerson was chiefly known as an architect of large suburban houses in and around Providence. Designing chiefly in an ornate Queen Anne style, in his lifetime his unique houses were locally referred to as "Nickersonian." He practiced until his death, though he scaled back his practice significantly during the last decade of his life. Most of Nickerson's houses were designed for the city's manufacturers and merchants. Nickerson joined the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

as a Fellow in 1875, and the same year was a founding member of the Rhode Island chapter. He served two terms as secretary and four terms as president of the chapter. In 1889 he was secretary of the AIA convention of that year, at which the

Western Association of Architects The Western Association of Architects (WAA) was an American professional body founded in Chicago in 1884 separately from the American Institute of Architects (AIA) by John Wellborn Root, Daniel Burnham, Dankmar Adler, and Louis Sullivan, because the ...

was merged into the AIA. He was a long-time trustee of the

Providence Public Library Providence Public Library of Providence, Rhode Island was founded in 1875. The central library building at 225 Washington Street opened in 1900 and was constructed in a Renaissance style with private donations including a large donation from J ...

, sitting on the board from 1878 until his death."Special Collections in the Providence Public Library" in
Books for All: A Bulletin Issued by the Providence Public Library
' 2, no. 9 (November, 1927): 342-347.

Personal life

In 1873 Nickerson married Lyra Frances Brown, youngest daughter of Joseph Rogers Brown, who had cofounded Brown & Sharpe in 1833. The Brown family money allowed the Nickersons to travel abroad extensively and frequently. They had one daughter, Lyra Brown, in 1885. Lyra Frances died July 13, 1907, in Providence, followed by Edward Irving on March 15, 1908. Nickerson's home, 71 Angell Street, is now Larned House of the Rhode Island School of Design.

Legacy

After the death of her parents Lyra B. Nickerson became noted as a philanthropist, both in executing her father's will and on her own account. She donated her father's his large architectural library to the

, where it now forms the core of the Nickerson Art and Architecture Collection. This was followed by financial gifts to both the library and the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

. Nickerson was interested in flying, and donated funds to the Aero Club of America and Rhode Island National Guard for the purchase of airplanes, and learned to fly herself. Upon her death, which occurred August 30, 1916 in Narragansett, her remaining estate was divided between the Providence Public Library and the Rhode Island School of Design. The latter bequest included several pieces of artwork, including two portraits of her father. The earlier of these was painted in 1885 by Gerald Sinclair Hayward. The latter is part of a pair of portraits posthumously commissioned in 1909 by Lyra Brown Nickerson of her parents from Albert Edward Jackson. At least one of Nickerson's works has been listed independently on the United States

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 v ...

, and many others are contributing properties to listed historic districts.

Works

* Miller Block and Spencer Block, Roosevelt Ave and Main St,

(1873 and 1874, demolished) * Cottage for Joseph U. Starkweather, 26 Nayatt Rd,

Barrington, Rhode Island Barrington is a suburban, residential town in Bristol County, Rhode Island located approximately southeast of Providence. It was founded by Congregationalist separatists from Swansea, Massachusetts and incorporated in 1717. Barrington was ceded ...

(1882) * House for Seth H. Brownell, 57 Vernon St,

(1882) * House for William H. Crins, 24 Linden St,

(1882)William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, ''Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources'', ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986) * House for George W. Whitford, 48 Barnes St,

(1882) * House for Joseph C. Hartshorn, 81 Parade St,

(1883) * House for Frederick W. Hartwell, 77 Parade St,

(1883–84) * House for Walter E. Richmond, 163 Waterman St,

(1883) * Double house for Edward S. Aldrich, 34 Barnes and 199 Brown Sts,

(1884) * House for George W. Whitford, 54 Barnes St,

(1884) *

Beneficent Congregational Church The Beneficent Congregational Church is a United Church of Christ Congregationalist church located at 300 Weybosset Street in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The congregation was founded in 1743 during the "First Great Awakening" as a separ ...

chapel, 300 Weybosset St,

(1885) * Grace Memorial Home, 133 Delaine St,

(1885, burned 1959) * House for George W. Carr, 29 Waterman St,

(1885, NRHP 1973)Dr. George W. Carr House NRHP Registration Form
(1973) *

Providence Art Club The Providence Art Club, Thomas Street, Providence, Rhode Island, was founded in 1880. An art club is an organization for artists and the community to engage and collaborate with each other in a shared space dedicated to art and culture. The P ...

, 11 Thomas St,

(1886–87) * Double house for Jane S. Hammond, 29 and 31 Cabot St,

(1887) * House for Newton D. Arnold, 24 Stimson Ave,

(1888) * House for George Wilkinson, 153 Ontario St,

(1888) * House for Stephen A. Cooke Jr., 158 Bowen St,

(1889) * House for John D. Lewis, 134 Brown St,

(1891) * House for Frank H. Maynard, 420 Angell St,

(1891) * House for Almena I. Kern, 148 Melrose St,

(1893) * "Miramar" for Joshua Wilbour, 217 Hope St,

Bristol, Rhode Island Bristol is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, US as well as the historic county seat. The town is built on the traditional territories of the Pokanoket Wampanoag. It is a deep water seaport named after Bristol, England. The population of B ...

(1893) * House for Jesse W. Coleman, 272 President Ave,

(1894) * House for Charles H. Sprague, 44 Stimson Ave,

(1894) * House for George W. Williams, 26 Sycamore St,

(1895) * House for John E. Camfield, 349 Hope St,

(1896–97)Robert Owen Jones, ''Historic and Architectural Resources of the East Side, Providence: A Preliminary Report'' (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1989) * House for B. Thomas Potter, 8 Stimson Ave,

(1897)

Gallery of works

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickerson, Edward Irving 1845 births 1908 deaths 19th-century American architects Architects from Providence, Rhode Island Fellows of the American Institute of Architects