Wikipedia

Amos P. Cutting

Amos P. Cutting FAIA (September 13, 1839 – February 6, 1896) was an American architect in practice in Worcester, Massachusetts. He entered practice in 1868 and developed a practice specializing in the design of churches and public buildings. Shortly before his death he organized the firm of Cutting, Carleton & Cutting; it maintained his specialties and outlived him by over thirty years.

Amos P. Cutting
Born(1839-09-13)September 13, 1839
Lyme, New Hampshire
DiedFebruary 6, 1896(1896-02-06) (aged 56)
Los Angeles
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
AwardsFellow, American Institute of Architects (1889)
PracticeA. P. Cutting;
Cutting & Holman;
Cutting & Forbush;
Cutting, Carleton & Cutting
The Franklin Wesson House in Worcester, designed by Cutting in the High Victorian Gothic style and completed in 1874.
The Uxbridge Town Hall, designed by Cutting in the High Victorian Gothic style and completed in 1879.
The Warren Public Library, designed by Cutting in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and completed in 1890.
The former Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church in New Britain, Connecticut, designed by Cutting in the Richardsonian Romanesque style and completed in 1891.
The New Hampshire State Library in Concord, New Hampshire, designed by Cutting in the Neoclassical style and completed in 1895.
The Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, Vermont, designed by Cutting in the Neoclassical style and completed in 1896.
The Fogg Library in South Weymouth, designed by Cutting, Carleton & Cutting in the Renaissance Revival style and completed in 1898.
The Tatnuck School in Worcester, designed by Cutting, Carleton & Cutting in the Tudor Revival style and completed in 1909.
The Hadley Furniture Company Building in Worcester, designed by Cutting, Carleton & Cutting in the Colonial Revival style and completed in 1924.

Life and career

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Amos Porter Cutting was born September 13, 1839, in Lyme, New Hampshire, to Hiram Cutting and Harriet Newell Cutting, née Chapin. When he was a toddler the family moved to Newport, Vermont. He was trained as a carpenter in Newport and Springfield, Massachusetts, and settled in Worcester in 1862. There he worked for Russ & Eddy, manufacturers of millwork. He was soon joined there by his elder brother, George H. Cutting, who would become a successful general contractor in Worcester. While working as a carpenter, Cutting studied architecture in his spare time.[1][2]

In 1868 Cutting opened an architects' office in Worcester. From c. 1876 to c. 1878 he worked in partnership with John E. Holman under the name Cutting & Holman, and from 1890 to c. 1891 with Walter R. Forbush under the name Cutting & Forbush.[3] In 1895 he organized a third and final partnership with Elbridge S. Carleton and Frank H. Cutting, his son, under the name Cutting, Carleton & Cutting.[1][2]

Over his nearly thirty years in professional practice, Cutting designed many churches, public buildings, office buildings and private homes. At the time of his death, the recently completed New Hampshire State Library (1895) and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library (1896) in Montpelier, Vermont, were considered his exceptional works.[2] He unsuccessfully participated in the 1895 architectural design competition for the Worcester City Hall.[4]

In 1887 Cutting joined the Western Association of Architects (WAA); he was one of the organization's easternmost members. In 1889 the WAA merged with the American Institute of Architects (AIA), and Cutting, like all members, was made a Fellow. In 1892 he was a founding member of the former Worcester chapter.[5]

Personal life

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Cutting was married in 1868 to Lora Jennie Smith of Worcester. They had ten children, five sons and five daughters, seven of whom lived to adulthood.[1][2]

In his 50s Cutting's health declined, and he spent the winters of 1894–95 and 1895–96 in Los Angeles in search of better health. He died there February 6, 1896, at the age of 56.[1][2][6]

Legacy

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Cutting's firm continued under the name Cutting, Carleton & Cutting until Carleton's death in 1932. Frank H. Cutting continued to practice and died in 1957.[7]

Worcester architects C. Leslie Chamberlain and Walter B. Nourse of the notable firms of Frost, Briggs & Chamberlain and Barker & Nourse worked for Cutting. J. William Patston, architect of the Quinsigamond Firehouse and other buildings, also worked for Cutting.[8]

At least seven of Cutting's works have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, in addition to four by Cutting, Carleton & Cutting. Others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

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All dates are date of completion.

A. P. Cutting, 1868–1876, 1878–1890 and 1891–1895

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Cutting & Holman, 1876–1878

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Cutting & Forbush, 1890–1891

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Cutting, Carleton & Cutting, 1895–1932

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Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Demolished.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j NRHP-listed.
  3. ^ Substantially rebuilt after a 1935 fire.
  4. ^ A contributing resource to the Uxbridge Common District, NRHP-listed in 1984.
  5. ^ a b A contributing resource to the Downtown Concord Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2000.
  6. ^ A contributing resource to the Spencer Town Center Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1986.
  7. ^ a b c A contributing resource to the Lincoln Estate–Elm Park Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1980.
  8. ^ Demolished. Formerly a contributing resource to the Newburyport Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1984.
  9. ^ A contributing resource to the Cambridge Common Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1973.
  10. ^ A contributing resource to the Waterbury Village Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1978.
  11. ^ A contributing resource to the Concord Civic District, NRHP-listed in 1983.
  12. ^ Converted into Westborough State Hospital in 1886, demolished in 2019. Formerly NRHP-listed.
  13. ^ A contributing resource to the Lower Pleasant Street District, NRHP-listed in 1980.
  14. ^ Demolished, formerly NRHP-listed.
  15. ^ A contributing resource to the Downtown Providence Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1984.
  16. ^ a b A contributing resource to the Oxford Main Street Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1984.
  17. ^ Now the Hebert Candy Mansion.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Historic Homes and Institutions and Genealogical and Personal Memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, vol 2, ed. Ellery Bicknell Crane (New York and Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1907): 177-181.
  2. ^ a b c d e "In Memoriam: A. P. Cutting, F.A.I.A." in Proceedings of the Thirtieth Annual Convention of the American Institute of Architects (Providence: E. A. Johnson & Company, printers, 1896): 150.
  3. ^ "Personal" in Architecture and Building 12, no. 15 (April 12, 1890): 179.
  4. ^ Rice, Franklin P. The Worcester of 1898. 1899.
  5. ^ "Amos P. Cutting (1841-1896)," AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, no date. Accessed October 3, 2024.
  6. ^ "Death of A. P. Cutting," Worcester Spy, February 8, 1896.
  7. ^ Gravesite, Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts
  8. ^ "Death of a Worcester architect" in Carpentry and Building (November 1904): 300.
  9. ^ "The C. A. Dresser House: a hotel in which Southbridge takes pride," Southbridge Journal, October 1896.
  10. ^ Zion's Herald, November 16, 1871, 549.
  11. ^ Memorial Sketch of Hyde Park, Mass. (Boston: L. Barta & Company, printers, 1888): 37-40.
  12. ^ Nutt, Charles. History of Worcester and its People 2 (1919)
  13. ^ Historic Building Detail: WRR.1107, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  14. ^ Historic Building Detail: WRR.150, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  15. ^ Walker, Joseph B. A History of the Four Meeting-houses of the First Congregational Society. 1888.
  16. ^ a b Wrona, B. Mae Edwards Wrona, Uxbridge (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2000)
  17. ^ "News from the churches," Congregationalist, July 12, 1882, 234.
  18. ^ a b American Architect and Building News (January 24, 1885): 48.
  19. ^ a b Downtown Concord Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2000)
  20. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.1314, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  21. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.175, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  22. ^ Historic Building Detail: SBD.157, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  23. ^ Engineering and Building Record (April 13, 1889): 266.
  24. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.503, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  25. ^ Glenn M. Andres and Curtis B. Johnson, Buildings of Vermont (Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2013): 234.
  26. ^ Library Journal (September 1890): 271.
  27. ^ Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church NRHP Registration Form (2007)
  28. ^ Historic Building Detail: NWB.367, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  29. ^ Kingwill, Jerry Kingwill, "Breathing New Life into Historic Buildings" in Professional Remodeler (October 3, 2008)
  30. ^ Historic Building Detail: CRT.179, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  31. ^ Historic Building Detail: CAM.345, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  32. ^ "Waterbury methodists," Vermont Watchman, February 1, 1893, 4.
  33. ^ The Congregational Year-Book, 1894 (1894)
  34. ^ Historic Building Detail: NBO.84, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  35. ^ Concord Civic District NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1983)
  36. ^ Glenn M. Andres and Curtis B. Johnson, Buildings of Vermont (Charlottesville : University of Virginia Press, 2013): 307-308.
  37. ^ Historic Building Detail: WBO.332, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  38. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.1132, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  39. ^ American Architect and Building News (May 25, 1878): viii.
  40. ^ "A Brief History of Carolyn Jenkins and the Kimball Jenkins Estate," Kimball Jenkins, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  41. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.552, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 4, 2024.
  42. ^ Engineering and Building Record (August 9, 1890): 160.
  43. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.711, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 5, 2024.
  44. ^ William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 56.
  45. ^ Dedication of the Fogg Library at South Weymouth, Mass., Sept. 14, 1898 (South Weymouth: H. H. Joy, 1898)
  46. ^ American Architect and Building News (October 27, 1900): xi.
  47. ^ Souvenir of the Charles Larned Memorial and the Free Public Library (Boston: George H. Ellis, 1906)
  48. ^ American Architect and Building News (August 30, 1902): xi.
  49. ^ American Architect and Building News (August 18, 1906): xv.
  50. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.682, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 5, 2024.
  51. ^ Engineering Record (July 25, 1908): 46b.
  52. ^ Reports of the Town Officers of the Town of Leicester for the Year Ending February 1, 1911. 1911.
  53. ^ American Contractor (April 4, 1914): 81.
  54. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.2396, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 5, 2024.
  55. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.2283, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 5, 2024.
  56. ^ Historic Building Detail: WOR.2284, Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 5, 2024.
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