John A. Fox (1835–1920) was an American architect. Fox practiced in Boston for fifty years and is best remembered for his works in the Stick Style.

Life and career

John Andrews Fox was born December 23, 1835, in

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, to Thomas Bayley Fox, pastor of the First Religious Society, and Feroline Walley (Pierce) Fox.Alonzo H. Quint,
The Record of the Second Massachusetts Infantry, 1861-65
' (Boston: James P. Walker, 1867): 488. In 1845 the family moved to Dorchester, where Fox was educated.Fox Family Papers, 1795-1936
Massachusetts Historical Society. He initially trained as a civil engineer and surveyor, working for Garbett & Wood and Whitwell & Henck, with whom he worked on the initial surveys for the Back Bay. In 1858 he joined the office of Boston architect

Benjamin F. Dwight Benjamin ( he, ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the last of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel (Jacob's th ...

, with whom he remained until the outbreak of the Civil War."Fox, John A." in
Boston of To-day: A Glance at its History and Characteristics
', ed. Richard Herndon (Boston: Post Publishing Company, 1892): 230."Obituary" in
Journal of the American Institute of Architects
' 8, no. 8 (August, 1920): 311. In 1862 he was commissioned second lieutenant of the

2nd Massachusetts Infantry Regiment The 2nd Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry was an infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Major George H. Gordon (later Brigadier General), a West Point graduate and veteran of the Mexican-American War, organize ...

, and was promoted to first lieutenant and later adjudant. He participated in the Chattanooga campaign and Sherman's March to the Sea. He was mustered out July 26, 1865. For two years he worked for Ware & Van Brunt before returning to Dwight in 1867. He remained with Dwight until 1870, when he established his own practice in Boston. His experience with Dwight, known as an architect of theatres, led to several major theatre and hall projects for Fox in the 70s and 80s. In his later career he designed major buildings for several state institutions. Fox would become known primarily as an architect of suburban homes in Dorchester and elsewhere, though he did not consider himself a specialist. Fox practiced architecture for fifty years, until his death in 1920. Fox joined the American Institute of Architects in 1875, and was elevated to Fellow in 1889.

Personal life

In 1867 Fox was brevetted a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

for his "faithful and meritorious services." Fox married Josephine Clapp of Boston in 1878. They had no children. The couple lived in a house of Fox's own design at 25 Trull Street in Dorchester. Fox died May 4, 1920, at home in Dorchester.

Legacy

The Boston historian Anthony Mitchell Sammarco has referred to Fox as the "Father of Stick Style architecture." Vincent Scully has identified him as an early innovator of the style, though his Stick Style works are preceded by a decade by those of

Richard Morris Hunt Richard Morris Hunt (October 31, 1827 – July 31, 1895) was an American architect of the nineteenth century and an eminent figure in the history of American architecture. He helped shape New York City with his designs for the 1902 entrance fa� ...

, Henry Hobson Richardson and others. Architect S. Edwin Tobey worked in Fox's office in the late 1870s before opening his own office in 1880. Curtis W. Bixby was a later associate, and was involved on several of Fox's projects for state institutions. Several of Fox's works, including the campus of the

Tewksbury Hospital Tewksbury Hospital is a National Register of Historic Places-listed site located on an 800+ acre campus in Tewksbury, Massachusetts. The centerpiece of the hospital campus is the 1894 Richard Morris Building ("Old Administration Building"). The M ...

, have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

* Providence Opera House, 115 Dorrance St, Providence, Rhode Island (1871, demolished 1931) * Tileston School (former), 412 Ann St, Wilmington, North Carolina (1871–72, altered) * Chelsea Academy of Music, 179-189 Winnisimmet St,

Chelsea, Massachusetts Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States, directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. As of the 2020 census, Chelsea had a population of 40,787. With a total area of just 2.46 s ...

(1872, burned 1905) * House for J. Homer Pierce, 14 Bellevue St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1872)Boston Athenaeum collections * Frye Block and Music Hall, 71 Lisbon St, Lewiston, Maine (1877) * Houses for Franklin King, 19-21 Trull St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1877)"The Illustrations,"
American Architect and Building News
' 3, no. 119 (April 6, 1878): 121. * House for James D. Scudder, 6 Dewolf St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1877) * House for John A. Fox, 25 Trull St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1878) * Houses for Franklin King, 24-26 Trull St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1878, partially extant) * Double house for Mary E. Noyes, 26-28 Mill St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1879) * House for Thomas G. Wales, 30 Mill St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1879) * House for

Samuel J. Barrows Samuel June Barrows (May 26, 1845 – April 21, 1909) was an American Republican politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Boston, Massachusetts. Early life and education Barrows was born in New York City to a strict Baptist ...

, 51 Sawyer Ave, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1881)"Building Intelligence,"
American Architect and Building News
' 10, no. 289 (July 9, 1881): xi. * House for Benjamin B. Converse, 18 Monadnock St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1881) * House for William W. Cross, 55 Green St, Brockton, Massachusetts (1881, demolished) * Building for George H. Homans and John Homans, 115 Chauncy St, Boston, Massachusetts (1882–83, demolished 1922)Charles S. Damrell, ''A Half Century of Boston Building'' (Boston: Louis P. Hager, 1895) * House for Capt. Smith W. Nichols, 24 Beaumont St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1883) * Remodeling of house for Lewis W. Tappan Jr., 278 Adams St, Milton, Massachusetts (1883) * City Theatre, 50 Main St, Brockton, Massachusetts (1884, demolished 1954) * House for Dexter J. Cutter, 15 Blanche St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1884) * Pedestal of ''Daniel Webster'',

New Hampshire State House The New Hampshire State House, located in Concord at 107 North Main Street, is the state capitol building of New Hampshire. The capitol houses the New Hampshire General Court, Governor, and Executive Council. The building was constructed on ...

Grounds,

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the seat of Merrimack County. As of the 2020 census the population was 43,976, making it the third largest city in New Hampshire behind Manchester and Nashua. The village of ...

(1885–86) * House for Charles H. Tilton, 403 Marlborough St, Boston, Massachusetts (1886–87) * Provincetown Town Hall, 260 Commercial St, Provincetown, Massachusetts (1886) * Thomas Building, 58 Winter St, Boston, Massachusetts (1887) * ''110th Pennsylvania Infantry Monument'', Gettysburg National Military Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania (1889) * Pedestal of ''General John Stark'',

Grounds,

(1890) * House for Frank C. Churchill, 3 Campbell St, Lebanon, New Hampshire (1892) * Sewall Maternity Building, New England Hospital for Women and Children, 55 Dimock St, Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts (1892 and 1916)BOS.RB
" ''mhc-macris.net''. Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed July 27, 2021. * Walnut Building, Home for Aged Couples, 2055 Columbus Ave, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts (1892, NRHP 2005) * House for William C. Clapp, 179 Boston St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1893) * Administration and other buildings,

, 365 East St, Tewksbury, Massachusetts (1894 et seq., NRHP 1994) * Chelmsford Public Library, 25 Boston Rd, Chelmsford, Massachusetts (1894) * House for Herbert J. Blodgett, 71 Addington Rd,

Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, in the United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton, A ...

(1894) * ''2nd and 33rd Massachusetts Infantry Monument'', Orchard Knob Reservation, Chattanooga, Tennessee (1895) * Engine 30 and Ladder 25 Fire Station, 1940 Centre St,

West Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts West Roxbury is a neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts bordered by Roslindale and Jamaica Plain to the northeast, the town of Brookline, Massachusetts, Brookline to the north, the cities and towns of Newton, Massachusetts, Newton and Needham, ...

(1897–98) * Boston Fire Department Veterinary Hospital, Atkinson St, Dorchester, Boston, Massachusetts (1899-1900, demolished) * Engine 22 and Ladder 13 Fire Station, 70 Warren Ave, Boston, Massachusetts (1900–01) * Chemical 7 Fire Station, 360 Saratoga St, East Boston, Boston, Massachusetts (1901, altered) *

Cottage A cottage, during Feudalism in England, England's feudal period, was the holding by a cottager (known as a Cotter (farmer), cotter or ''bordar'') of a small house with enough garden to feed a family and in return for the cottage, the cottager ...

for

Cornelia Warren Cornelia Warren (March 21, 1857 – June 4, 1921) was an American farmer and an educational and social service philanthropist, widely known for her investment in social improvement projects. She was a trustee of Wellesley College, bought the locat ...

, 294 Linden St, Waltham, Massachusetts (1901, NRHP 1989) * Various buildings, Gardner State Hospital (former), Gardner, Massachusetts (1902 et seq.) * Samuel W. Mason School, 150 Norfolk Ave, Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts (1905) * Goddard Home for Nurses, New England Hospital for Women and Children, 55 Dimock St, Roxbury, Boston, Massachusetts (1909) * Columbus Building, Home for Aged Couples, 2055 Columbus Ave, Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts (1910, NRHP 2005) * Hotel Rogers (former), 39 N Park St, Lebanon, New Hampshire (1911)Colburn Park Historic District NRHP Registration Form
(1986)

Gallery of architectural works

Notes

References

External links

Fox Family Papers, 1795-1936
Massachusetts Historical Society.
John A. Fox collection
Boston Athenæum. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, John A. 19th-century American architects 1835 births 1920 deaths Architects from Boston Fellows of the American Institute of Architects