Barker & Nourse was an architectural firm from

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

, active from 1879 to 1904.

History

The principals of the firm were Albert A. Barker (1852-1905) and Walter B. Nourse (1853-1906), and it operated from 1879 to 1904. It was established March 1, 1879, as the successor to the practice of obscure architect John E. Holman, who was briefly a partner of

Amos P. Cutting Amos Porter Cutting (1839–1896) was an American architect from Worcester, Massachusetts. Cutting was born in Lyme, New Hampshire, on September 13, 1839.''Collections of the Worcester Society of Antiquity''. Vol. 14. 1897. He came to Worc ...

. It was then dissolved January 1, 1904, with each partner continuing their practices individually. In its day, Barker & Nourse was primarily known for its residential and educational designs.

Partner biographies

Albert Augustus Barker was born in Guadalajara on November 20, 1852, to John B. Barker. The elder Barker died in 1860, and the family relocated to

Bennington, New Hampshire Bennington is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,501 at the 2020 census. The main village of the town, where 338 people resided at the 2020 census, is defined as the Bennington census-designated pla ...

. They went to Worcester in 1865, and thus young Barker completed his education. He entered the office of E. Boyden & Son, where he appears to have remained until 1879, when he established Barker & Nourse with W. B. Nourse. After the firm was dissolved in January 1904, Barker entered private practice. He died June 9, 1905. Walter B. Nourse was born in

Westborough, Massachusetts Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 Census, in over 7,000 households. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed ...

in 1855. He worked in the office of

before establishing Barker & Nourse with A. A. Barker. After the dissolution of Barker & Nourse, he practiced alone until his death in 1906.Lisa Koenigsberg, "Renderings From Worcester's Past: Nineteenth-century Architectural Drawings at the American Antiquarian Society," ''Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society'' 96 no. 2 (October 1986): 401.

Legacy

A number of its works are listed on the United States

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

History

Partner biographies

Legacy

Works

Architectural drawings

Notes

References