Walter Atherton (1863–1945) was an architect and draftsman born in Stoughton, Massachusetts, United States. A Harvard alumnus, he also studied 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 ...
in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...
in Paris for two years. He designed many schools, other public buildings and homes in New England, New York and New Jersey.
Early life
Atherton was born into a prominent
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 ...
family who descended from Major General Humphrey Atherton, an early settler of the
Massachusetts Bay Colony
The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1630–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay, was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around the Massachusetts Bay, the northernmost of the several colonies later reorganized as the ...
.
His father, James Atherton (1819–1879), had been a partner since 1852 of Atherton, Stetson and Company, dealers in leather and one of Boston's most successful businesses at the time. A year later James married Phebe Reed (1831–1868), the daughter of John Reed of Boston. When Walter was 5 years old, his mother Phebe, died, aged 37, leaving behind a husband and three children between the ages of 5 and 14. Within a year, Atherton had a young stepmother aged 27; Mary B Marshall (1841–1880), the daughter of Thomas Marshall and Isabella McBey Marshall of Boston. His father’s health worsened and he retired in 1867.
Over a 12 month period (1879–1880) he lost both his father and his stepmother. His stepmother, Mary, shares her grave at Evergreen Cemetery in Stoughton with her husband and his first wife. During this time Atherton was enrolled at the
Phillips Academy
("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness
, address = 180 Main Street
, city = Andover
, state = Ma ...
.
Walter Atherton was the youngest of three brothers. His older brothers James (1854–1947) and William (1859–1921) were both successful businessmen, involved in banking.
His paternal uncle, Samuel Atherton (1815–1895),
is credited with having greatly improved the financial standing of the family, having established himself in business as a retail dealer in boots and shoes, first entering into partnership with
Caleb Stetson
Caleb Stetson (January 6, 1801 – January 1885) was an American businessman and politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, in 1852 he was elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. In the legislature ...
, then admitting his two younger brothers, James (1819–1879) and William, as partners in 1852. Samuel was a director of the New England Bank, the Prescott Insurance Company, the Massachusetts Loan and Trust Company, and the
Central Massachusetts Railroad
The Central Massachusetts Railroad was a railroad in Massachusetts. The eastern terminus of the line was at North Cambridge Junction where it split off from the Middlesex Central Branch of the Boston and Lowell Railroad in North Cambridge and ...
, and president of the Dorchester Gas-Light Company, as well as being connected with many other corporations. Samuel was a member of the
Massachusetts State Legislature
The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled the General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the earliest days of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, ...
in 1867, 1870 and 1877. He was elected to the
New England Genealogical Society
The New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) is the oldest and largest genealogical society in the United States, founded in 1845.
NEHGS provides family history services through its staff, original scholarship, website,Stoughton Musical Society.
Education
Atherton received a preparatory education at
Phillips Academy
("Not for Self") la, Finis Origine Pendet ("The End Depends Upon the Beginning") Youth From Every Quarter Knowledge and Goodness
, address = 180 Main Street
, city = Andover
, state = Ma ...
in
Andover
Andover may refer to:
Places Australia
* Andover, Tasmania
Canada
* Andover Parish, New Brunswick
* Perth-Andover, New Brunswick
United Kingdom
* Andover, Hampshire, England
** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station
United States
* Ando ...
and completed his academic studies at
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 architecture in 1885. He took a two-year course at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. On completion he travelled to Europe with his cousin, the composer Percy Lee Atherton.
Career
Atherton was initially employed by
Carl Fehmer
Carl Fehmer (November 10, 1838 – 1923) was a prominent German-American Boston architect during the 19th century.
Fehmer had already started his architectural career before his service in the Civil War, but became well-established afterwar ...
, owner of the architectural firm Fehmer & Page. He then moved to the practice of Herbert Dudley Hale, and in 1897 he competed under Herbert D. Hale for the design of the new armory in
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 ...
. Their competitors William R. Walker & Son's design was chosen to build the Cranston Street Armory.
He was responsible for the design of various types of building in Boston and surrounding areas. He was a member of the Boston Society of Architects from 1902 onwards. He also was responsible for the design of several school buildings on the Eastern Seaboard. In 1908, as an Associate Architect for Hale he was successful in competing for the design of the Pawtucket YMCA in Rhode Island.
He set up his own company, with the red brick Georgian Revival YMCA, at 207 Shurtleff Street being an early project. In 1909, The Harvard Graduates’ Magazine reported that he was responsible for the design of the new YMCA in
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 ...
.
He was an instructor in military mapping, Harvard University, S.A.T.C. during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
In 1919, he was responsible for the design for the YMCA in Orange, New Jersey. During this time, Atherton ran an architectural practice out of 15 Exchange Place, Boston.
In 1922 he was awarded a contract to design the YMCA in
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville ( ) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a total population of 81, ...
.
Notable works
* Channing Church (now residential), 275 East Cottage St, South Boston, built 1900-1901
* The Lucius Clapp Memorial in Stoughton, Massachusetts, built in 1903
* The Pumpelly Studio in Dublin, New Hampshire, built in 1912
* The YMCA Building, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
* Church for the First Unitarian Society, Marfan St, East Boston
Personal
He was a member of many clubs; including the
Boston Architectural Club
Boston Architectural College, also known as The BAC, is New England's largest private college of spatial design. It offers first-professional bachelor's and master's degrees in architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, and n ...
and the
Harvard Club of New York
The Harvard Club of New York City, commonly called The Harvard Club, is a private social club located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Its membership is limited to alumni, faculty, and boardmembers of Harvard University.
Incorporated in 1 ...
.
In 1909 he is listed along with his brother William, under “Hotel Bristol” in Clark’s Boston Blue Book, also known as the Élite Private Address and Club Directory and Ladies' Visiting List and Shopping Guide.
He was a member of the Boston Society of Architects, 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 ...
, the New York Society of Beaux Arts Architects.
He married his neighbor, Grace Helen (Hackett) Thorndike (18701967) at the age of 71 on April 7, 1934. Grace was a wealthy widow and the daughter of C. Hubbard Hackett, President of the Bank of the Metropolis in New York. Her late husband, Alden Augustus Thorndike, had inherited a large family trust; he being of direct descent to an early Massachusetts pioneer, John Thorndike). Atherton had been a bachelor all his life, whilst Grace had been a widow for 9 years. As Mrs Walter Atherton, Grace continued her patronage of the arts.
Atherton became stepfather to three of Grace’s adult daughters, through her marriage to Thorndike.
Atherton lived with Grace at 130 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston. This home was purchased originally by Grace’s first husband. The couple also maintained a home Highwood, in East Windsor, where they also entertained.
On December 30, 1944, Atherton and his wife were admitted to the congregation of the First Unitarian Church, Boston.
Atherton died on November 23, 1945, in Boston, aged 82. His obituary in ''The New York Times'' was published on November 25, 1945. His brother James was his only surviving sibling, dying just two years later. His wife, Grace H Atherton continued her philanthropy in his name donating many historical pieces of art to causes of historical interest. His wife died in 1967 , aged 96, and is buried in Berkeley, California.
Family
Atherton was the nephew of the successful merchant and Massachusetts Politician, Samuel Atherton.
Having lost both his parents during his early years, he came under the guardianship of his uncle William and his aunt Mary Edwards Atherton; the later whom he travelled with to Liverpool, England, prior to commencing his architectural studies in Paris.
He remained close with them, often traveling with his cousins, particularly Percy Lee Atherton.
He was appointed as a trustee to manage the estate of his late uncle, William Atherton (father of Percy Lee Atherton).
His cousin, Percy Lee Atherton, preceded him in death and left him $7,500 in his will in 1944.
He was cousin to
Ray Atherton
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...