J. Harleston Parker (1873 - May 5, 1930) was an American architect active 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 Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. Parker was born in Boston, graduated from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

in 1893, then studied architecture at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

and, after a further four years at the

École des Beaux-Arts École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, took his degree in 1899. In 1900, he formed the firm of Parker & Thomas in Boston with Douglas H. Thomas Jr., which later in 1907 added Arthur Wallace Rice to become

Parker, Thomas & Rice Parker, Thomas and Rice and Parker & Thomas were architectural firms formed in the early 20th century by partners J. Harleston Parker, Douglas H. Thomas, and Arthur W. Rice. A number of their works are listed on the U.S. National Register of His ...

. As head of the firm, he designed many notable buildings and served as chairman of the

Boston Art Commission The Boston Art Commission, established in 1890, exercises legal authority to approve and site new public art on property owned by the City of Boston. Woven through the urban landscape, site-specific artworks identify Boston as a place with long hi ...

. In 1921, he established the "

Harleston Parker Medal The Harleston Parker Medal was established in 1921 by J. Harleston Parker to recognize “such architects as shall have, in the opinion of the Boston Society of Architects One of the oldest and largest chapters of the AIA, the Boston Society of ...

" in memory of his father, awarded annually by the

Boston Society of Architects One of the oldest and largest chapters of the AIA, the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) is a nonprofit membership organization committed to architecture, design and the built environment. History On June 20, 1867, approximately 50 architects co ...

and

City of 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- most p ...

to recognize "such architects as shall have, in the opinion of the Boston Society of Architects for any private citizen, association, corporation, or public authority, the most beautiful piece of architecture, building, monument or structure within the limits of the City of Boston or of the Metropolitan Parks District".

Selected works

A number of their works are listed on the U.S.

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 ...

, maintained by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

of the

U.S. Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the mana ...

. Works include: ;As Parker & Thomas: * Alex Brown Building (1901), 135 East Baltimore Street at North Calvert Street, (southwest corner),

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, (Parker & Thomas), NRHP-listed *

Belvedere Hotel The Belvedere is a Beaux Arts style building in Baltimore, Maryland. Designed by the Boston architectural firm of Parker and Thomas and built in 1902–1903, the Belvedere is a Baltimore City Landmark at the southeast corner of North Charles St ...

(1903), 1 East Chase Street off North Charles Street,

, (Parker & Thomas), NRHP-listed * Tennis and Racquet Club, (1904),

. (Parker & Thomas) *

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. Merchants from Baltimore, which had benefited to some extent from the construction of ...

Building (1904-1906), 2 North Charles Street at West Baltimore Street, (northwest corner),

, (Parker & Thomas), with Herbert D. Hale and

Henry G. Morse Henry Grant Morse, Jr. (1884 – May 28, 1934) was an American architect, best known for the two English manor houses that he Structure relocation, relocated to Richmond, Virginia. Early life He was born in Canton, Ohio to Mary K. and Henry G. Mor ...

. Now the Hotel Monaco Baltimore. *Stone House Hill House (1905), mansion of

Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. Frederick Lothrop Ames Jr. (July 23, 1876 – June 19, 1921) was a Massachusetts financier and socialite. He was the great-grandson of Oliver Ames, who established the Ames Shovel Company, grandson of Oliver Ames Jr., and son of Frederick Loth ...

, later part of

Stonehill College Stonehill College is a Private college, private Catholic church, Roman Catholic Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Easton, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1948 by the Congregation of Holy Cross and is located on ...

* Rosenfeld Building, (1905), 32-42 South Paca Street,

, (Parker & Thomas), NRHP-listed *

Fenway Studios The Fenway Studios are artists' studios located at 30 Ipswich Street, Boston, Massachusetts. The studios were built after a disastrous 1904 fire at Harcourt Studios in which many artists lost their homes, studios, and work. Business and civic lea ...

(1905-1906), 30 Ipswich Street,

, (Parker & Thomas), NRHP-listed * Finney Houses Historic District (1906), Glenville Road. near junction with MD 155, near

Churchville, Maryland Churchville is an unincorporated community in Harford County, Maryland, United States, situated between the county seat, Bel Air, and Aberdeen, where Aberdeen Proving Ground is located. Population The population of the area is 2,818. History an ...

Harford County Harford County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 census, the population was 260,924. Its county seat is Bel Air. Harford County is included in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is al ...

, (Parker & Thomas), NRHP-listed *World Relief Headquarters (1907), (former Savings Bank of Baltimore Building, founded 1818), East Baltimore Street at North Charles Street, (southeast corner),

(Parker & Thomas) * U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, (1905-1907), 9th Street and 5th Avenue,

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell and Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Cabell County, and the largest city in the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as the Tri-State Area. A h ...

, (Parker & Thomas), NRHP-listed * Maryland Casualty Building, of the Maryland Casualty Company, (1912), also known as "The Tower Building" with landmark roof tip clock, 400 block East Baltimore Street at Holliday Street, (northwest corner),

, razed early 1980s, a parking lot still exists. ;As Parker, Thomas & Rice: * R. H. Stearns Building, (1908-1909), 140 Tremont Street,

, (Parker,Thomas & Rice), NRHP-listed *

Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building The Baltimore Gas and Electric Company Building is a historic office building located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is the former headquarters of the old Consolidated Gas, Light and Electric Power Company of Baltimore City, which was a ...

(1916), of old Consolidated Gas, Electric Light and Power Company, (later renamed Baltimore Gas and Electric Company - founded 1816), 39 West Lexington Street, at North Liberty/Sharp Street/Hopkins Place, (northeast corner),

, (Parker, Thomas and Rice), NRHP-listed *

John Hancock Building Four buildings in Boston, Massachusetts, have been known as the "John Hancock Building". All were built by the John Hancock Insurance companies. References to ''the'' John Hancock building usually refer to the 60-story, sleek glass building on Cla ...

, (1922), The Stephen L. Brown Building, 197 Clarendon Street,

, (Parker, Thomas and Rice) *

United Shoe Machinery Corporation Building The United Shoe Machinery Corporation Building is a historic office building at 160 Federal Street in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. The steel-frame skyscraper has 24 stories and a penthouse, and was built in 1929–1930 to a de ...

, (1929), 138-164 Federal Street,

, (Parker,Thomas & Rice), NRHP-listed

References

*
Society of Architectural Historians
* ''The Architectural Record'', Volume 46, December 1919, American Institute of Architects, pages 499-517. * ''The Architectural Forum'', Volume 36, 1922, page 42. {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, J. Harleston Architects from Boston 1873 births 1930 deaths American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts Harvard University alumni MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni