Frank Joseph Forster (1886 – March 4, 1948) was an American architect who designed homes in the style of

French Provincial architecture French Provincial architecture also known as French Eclectic architecture is a Revivalism (architecture), revivalist architectural style based on Manor houses or chateaux homes which were built by French aristocrats beginning in the 1600s. The h ...

during the early 20th century. He was also the author of two books about the French Provincial architecture style.

Early life

Forster was born in New York City in 1886. From 1903 to 1908 he studied architecture at

Cooper Union The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, commonly known as Cooper Union, is a private college on Cooper Square in Lower Manhattan, New York City. Peter Cooper founded the institution in 1859 after learning about the government-s ...

college in New York City. He went to Europe in 1908 and upon his return he began work as a

draftsman A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British and Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American and Canadian English) is an engineering technician who makes detailed technical drawi ...

for New York Architect Edward King.

Career

He was considered an expert in the creation of

. Many of the homes he designed are located in the New York Metropolitan area. He was from New York but he also built homes in

Fairfield County, Connecticut Fairfield County is a County (United States), county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the List of counties in Connecticut, most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. ...

, Long Island's north shore and along the

Hudson River The Hudson River, historically the North River, is a river that flows from north to south largely through eastern New York (state), New York state. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains at Henderson Lake (New York), Henderson Lake in the ...

. His architectural designs recreating French chateaus and English Tudor homes often featuring turrets. He built several homes in Connecticut including a home in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

that was home of singer

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

. In 1927 and 1929 Forster won the Architectural League Medal for Domestic architecture. In 1933 he won the Better Homes Medal for his residential designs.

Personal life

He was married to Mary Viola Tackleson. Forster and his wife Mary purchased 92 acres in Connecticut and built their home in what is now Forster Pond State Park which is also known as Chatfield Hollow State Park in

Killingworth, Connecticut Killingworth is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut, Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning ...

. He died at his home in Killingworth on March 4, 1948 after an illness.

References

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forster, Frank Joseph Architects from New York City 1886 births 1948 deaths