Appleton Prentiss Clark Jr. (November 13, 1865 – March 25, 1955) was an American architect from

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

During his 60-year career, Clark was responsible for designing hundreds of buildings in the Washington area, including homes, hotels, churches, apartments and commercial properties. He is considered one of the city's most prominent and influential architects from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of his designs are now listed on the

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 ...

(NRHP).

Early life

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, Clark's family moved from

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

to Washington, D.C., shortly before his birth on November 13, 1865. His father was a lawyer and prominent local

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

who was a strong advocate of

voting rights Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

for African Americans. After graduating from Central High School in 1883, Clark apprenticed with prominent architect

Alfred B. Mullett Alfred Bult Mullett (April 7, 1834 – October 20, 1890) was a British-American architect who served from 1866 to 1874 as Supervising Architect, head of the agency of the United States Treasury Department that designed federal government building ...

until 1885. He then traveled to Europe to observe and study the continent's famous buildings and returned to Washington in 1886 where he opened his own practice. In 1891, he married

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the ...

native Florence Perry with whom he had two children, Waldo and Marguerite.

Career

Clark originally designed buildings in the

Romanesque Revival Romanesque Revival (or Neo-Romanesque) is a style of building employed beginning in the mid-19th century inspired by the 11th- and 12th-century Romanesque architecture. Unlike the historic Romanesque style, Romanesque Revival buildings tended to ...

style, influenced by his time working with Mullett. Examples include Eastern Presbyterian Church (now Imani Temple) at 609 Maryland Avenue NE (built 1891) and the Washington Post Building at 1337 E Street NW (built 1893, razed 1954). Like other architects, his design preferences changed throughout his career. His works include buildings designed in the

Colonial Revival The Colonial Revival architectural style seeks to revive elements of American colonial architecture. The beginnings of the Colonial Revival style are often attributed to the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, which reawakened Americans to the archi ...

, Gothic Revival,

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style drew its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century Italia ...

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range ...

Shingle Shingle may refer to: Construction *Roof shingles or wall shingles, including: **Wood shingle ***Shake (shingle), a wooden shingle that is split from a bolt, with a more rustic appearance than a sawed shingle *** Quercus imbricaria, or shingle oa ...

and

Spanish Colonial Revival The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

styles. Many of his house designs used the

Georgian Revival Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover— George I, George II, ...

style, including the Thomas Gales House (now the Embassy of Myanmar) at 2300 S Street NW, and the J. Philip Herrmann House (now the Embassy of Syria) at 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW. One of his house designs, built in 1900 for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' editor

Beriah Wilkins Beriah may refer to: * Beriah (biblical figure), several biblical figures *Beri'ah Beri'ah (Hebrew: בְּרִיאָה), Briyah, or B'ri'ah (also known as ''Olam Beriah'', עוֹלָם בְּרִיאָה in Hebrew, literally "the World of Creation" ...

, was a 35-room

French Colonial French colonial architecture includes several styles of architecture used by the French during colonization. Many former French colonies, especially those in Southeast Asia, have previously been reluctant to promote their colonial architect ...

mansion at 1711 Massachusetts Avenue NW (demolished) that was one of the largest residences in the city at the time of its construction. Owl's Nest - Washington, D

Clark's residential designs were not limited to houses. He designed 27 apartment buildings in Washington, D.C., including The Presidential at 1026 16th Street NW, The Rockingham at 1317 Rhode Island Ave NW and The Roosevelt at 2101 16th Street NW. Clark also specialized in designing commercial and public properties, including fifteen banks and five schools. The only known federal property designed by Clark is the U.S. Civil Service Commission Building. Clark was active with several professional and business organizations. He was "very active in civic affairs and viewed architecture as a vehicle for civic betterment." He was a member of the Washington Board of Trade and

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 ...

(AIA), serving as president of the AIA's local chapter. He also served on the board of directors of the Equitable Life Insurance Company, the Terminal Refrigerating and Warehousing Company, the Washington Hotel Company and the Washington Sanitary Housing Company. Clark was also an author, contributing an essay titled "History of Architecture in Washington" for volume II of

John Clagett Proctor John Clagett Proctor (1867-1956) was a local historian, newspaper columnist, and printer in Washington, D.C., best known for a long-running weekly column in the ''Washington Star'' newspaper. Proctor was born November 15, 1867, in a house on New Yo ...

's ''Washington: Past and Present'', and writing ''Institutional Homes for Children'', a book advocating for improved residential facilities for orphans. A strong advocate for these improved facilities, he designed three children's homes in the Washington area.

Later years and legacy

Clark retired around 1945 and maintained two homes, one at 1717 Lanier Place NW in

Lanier Heights Lanier Heights is a small urban neighborhood located in the northwest section of Washington, D.C. It was one of the early planned subdivisions which were created inside the District of Columbia, but which lay outside of the original, officially ...

, and a winter home in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

. He was hospitalized in 1955 for a broken hip while in St. Petersburg and died on March 25. In his obituary, ''The Washington Post'' referred to him as the "Dean of Architects." He left an estate of approximately $700,000 to his family members. Clark is now considered one of "Washington's most influential architects" and one of the "most prominent and prolific early twentieth century architects." Several of Clark's designs, including buildings he designed expansions or alterations, are now listed on the NRHP, including: 1644-1666 Park Road NW, 1833 Park Road NW, the

Christian Heurich Mansion Heurich House Museum, also known as the Christian Heurich Mansion or Brewmaster's Castle, is a Gilded Age mansion in the Dupont Circle neighborhood of Washington D.C. History The house was built in 1892-94 by architect John Granville Meyers for ...

, Engine Company 21, the

John Mercer Langston School John Mercer Langston School is a historic structure located in the Truxton Circle neighborhood in Washington, D.C. The two-story brick building was designed by Appleton P. Clark, Jr. The structure was completed in 1902. It was listed on the N ...

, the

National Saving And Trust Company The National Savings and Trust Company is a historic bank building located at the corner of New York Avenue and 15th Street, NW in Downtown Washington, D.C. It has also been known as the National Safe Deposit Company and the National Safe Deposi ...

Riggs National Bank Riggs National Bank is a historic former headquarters of Riggs Bank, located at 1503–1505 Pennsylvania Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the downtown Washington, D.C. neighborhood. It was designed by architects York and Sawyer in 1899, com ...

, Second Baptist Church,

Second National Bank The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January 1836.. The Bank's formal name, ac ...

and the U.S. Civil Service Commission Building. Many of his buildings are also designated

contributing properties In the law regulating historic districts in the United States, a contributing property or contributing resource is any building, object, or structure which adds to the historical integrity or architectural qualities that make the historic distric ...

to historic districts throughout the city. In addition, his buildings listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites include the Denrike Building, Homer Building, Owl's Nest, Saint Phillips Baptist Church and the Victor Building.

Selected works

* 312-336 Maryland Avenue NE (1892) * 313-321 C Street NE (1905) * 614 S Street NW (1890) * 1644-1666 Park Road NW (1905) * 1833 Park Road NW (1911) * 1849 Kalorama Road NW (1911) * 1921 19th Street NW (1906) * 1957 Biltmore Street NW * 2007 Columbia Road NW (1899) * 2126 Wyoming Avenue NW (1907) * The Chelsea, 201 E Street SE (1905) *

, 1307 New Hampshire Avenue NW (1914 and 1923 additions) * Columbia National Bank, 911 F Street NW * Columbia Title Insurance Company (incorporated into the Keck Center of the National Academies), 503 E Street NW (1924 addition) * Denrike Building, 1010 Vermont Avenue NW (1926) * Eastern Presbyterian Church ( Imani Temple 1994-2014, now residences), 609 Maryland Avenue NE (1891) * The Embassy (now the

Church of Scientology The Church of Scientology is a group of interconnected corporate entities and other organizations devoted to the practice, administration and dissemination of Scientology, which is variously defined as a cult, a business, or a new religious ...

), 1424 16th Street NW (1917) * Embassy of the Dominican Republic, 1715 22nd Street NW (1904) * Engine Company 21, 1763 Lanier Place NW (1908) * Fazl Mosque, 2141 Leroy Place NW (1913) *

Foundry United Methodist Church Foundry United Methodist Church is a historic congregation of the United Methodist Church, located on 16th Street NW, Washington, D.C., and founded in 1814. History Henry Foxall, the prominent owner of the Columbia Foundry (besides the church, ...

, 1500 16th Street NW (1903) * The Holmes, 3020 Dent Place NW (1902) * Home Savings Bank, 722 H Street NE (1912) * Homer Building, 601 13th Street NW (1914) * The Irving, 3104 Dent Place NW (1903) * J. Philip Herrmann House (now the Embassy of Syria), 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW (1911) * John Eaton Elementary School, 3301 Lowell Street NW (1910) *

, 43 P Street NW (1902) * The Linville, 116 6th Street NE (1914) * The Lurgan, 919 L Street NW (1913) * Marlo Building, 901 7th Street NW (1895) *

, 1445 New York Avenue (1915 and 1924 additions) * Owl's Nest, 3031 Gates Road NW (1897) * The Presidential, 1026 16th Street NW (1923) *

, 1503-05 Pennsylvania Avenue NW (1922 addition) * The Rockingham, 1317 Rhode Island Ave NW (1903) * The Roosevelt, 2101 16th Street NW (1920) * Saint Phillips Baptist Church, 1001 North Capitol Street NE (1892) * Samuel G. Wheatley Elementary School, 1299 Neal Street NE (1903) * Second Baptist Church, 816 3rd Street NW (1894) *

, 1331 G Street NW (1928) * Second National Bank, 509 7th Street NW (1910 alteration) * The Sterling, 1915 Calvert Street NW (1905) *

Strathmore Hall Strathmore is a cultural and artistic venue and institution in North Bethesda, Maryland, United States. Strathmore was founded in 1981 and consists of two venues: the Mansion and the Music Center. It is the home to hundreds of performances and ...

, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda, Maryland (1902) * Thomas Gales House (now the Embassy of Myanmar), 2300 S Street NW (1905) * U.S. Civil Service Commission Building, 1724 F Street NW (1911) * Victor Building, 724-726 9th Street NW (1911) * Washington City Orphan Asylum, 4125 Nebraska Avenue NW (1926) * William L. Crounse House (now the Austrian ambassador's residence), 2419 Wyoming Avenue NW (1926)National Trust for Historic Preservation pamphlet, Kalorama House and Embassy Tour

Bibliography

* ''Institutional Homes for Children'', W. Helburn, Incorporated, New York, 1945,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, Appleton P., Jr. 1865 births 1955 deaths Architects from Washington, D.C. 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects