User:JPRiley/Richardson
Joseph Priestley Richardson | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 9, 1913 |
| Died | September 14, 1979 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | Fellow, American Institute of Architects (1960) |
| Practice | Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott; Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbott |
Joseph Priestley Richardson (April 9, 1913 – September 14, 1979) was an American architect in practice in Boston from 1939 until his retirement in 1978. He spent nearly his entire career with the firm now known as Shepley Bulfinch, founded by his grandfather, Henry Hobson Richardson, in 1878.
Life and career
[edit]Joseph Priestley Richardson was born April 9, 1913, in Needham, Massachusetts, to Frederick Leopold William Richardson, an architect, and Anne Richardson, née Blake. His father and uncle were partners in the Boston architectural firm of Richardson, Barott & Richardson; they were well known for the design of country houses including Long Hill (1923) in Beverly.[1] His grandfather was the influential architect Henry Hobson Richardson; he was named for his ancestor, chemist Joseph Priestley.[2][3]
Richardson was educated at Milton Academy and Harvard University, graduating in 1938 with a BArch. He was first employed by his late grandfather's firm, then known as Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott and led by his first cousin, Henry Richardson Shepley, as an assistant engineer on the construction of the George R. White Memorial Building (1939) of Massachusetts General Hospital. He then entered independent practice, collaborating with Huson Jackson, a Harvard classmate, who was later the long-time partner of Josep Lluís Sert.[4] This practice was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the United States Naval Reserve. In 1945 he returned to the family firm, working as a draftsman and job captain. His first major design project for the firm was the apron building (1950), the first phase of the current terminal complex at Logan International Airport. On the basis of this project, he was made a partner in the firm in 1950, though it was not renamed Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbott until 1952.[5][2][3]
He was principal-in-charge of Quincy House (1959) of Harvard University, which was recipient of the Harleston Parker Medal for 1960. In 1962 Shepley died, and Richardson became senior partner, the other name partners having retired. Major projects where he was in charge include the terminals of the Palisades Tahoe Aerial Tram (1968) in California and the Charles F. Hurley Building (1971) of the Boston Government Service Center. Richardson worked with project designer Lloyd P. Acton Jr. on the former and worked with fellow partner Jean Paul Carlhian on the latter.[5][2][3] Paul Rudolph was employed as coordinating architect for the Government Service Center and set design parameters for the project. Though the building is often credited to Rudolph, Richardson always defended his firm as its principal designers.[6][7] Richardson retired in 1978 as the last member of the extended Richardson-Shepley-Coolidge family to lead the firm.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Richardson was married in 1940 to Margaret Stevenson. They had six children, including two sons and four daughters.[2][3]
He was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Boston Society of Architects (BSA), the Century Association, the Country Club, the Harvard Club of Boston and the Somerset Club. He served as a president of the BSA, a vice president of the Boston Architectural Center, a vice president and trustee of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) and a co-founder of the ICA's Boston Art Festival.[2][3] He was elected a Fellow of the AIA in 1960 for design.[8]
Richardson died September 14, 1979, at home in Chestnut Hill at the age of 66.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ American Contractor (August 5, 1922): 48.
- ^ a b c d e "Richardson, Joseph Priestley" in Who's Who in America, 39th ed. (Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1976): 2625.
- ^ a b c d e f Edgar J. Driscoll Jr., "Architect J. P. Richardson," Boston Globe, September 16, 1979.
- ^ "Jackson, Huson" in American Architects Directory, ed. John F. Gane (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 441.
- ^ a b c Julia Heskel, Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott: Past to Present (Boston: Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson & Abbott Inc., 1999)
- ^ Timothy M. Rohan, The Architecture of Paul Rudolph (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2014): 118.
- ^ Daniel M. Abramson, “Representing the American Welfare State” in Grey Room 78 (Winter 2020): 96-123.
- ^ "College of Fellows" in American Architects Directory, ed. George S. Koyl (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962)