Caleb Ormsbee (1752-1807) was an American

master builder A master builder or master mason is a central figure leading construction projects in pre-modern times (a combination of a modern expert carpenter, construction site supervisor, and architect / engineer). Historically, the term has generally ref ...

and

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

. Two of his buildings have been designated United States

National Historic Landmarks A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

Life and career

Ormsbee was born October 15, 1752, in

Rehoboth, Massachusetts Rehoboth is a historic town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1643, Rehoboth is one of the oldest towns in Massachusetts. The population was 12,502 at the 2020 census. Rehoboth is a mostly rural community with many ...

to Daniel and Keziah (Cummings) Ormsbee. His training is unknown, but he may have served his apprenticeship with Jonathan Hammond, a carpenter who was associated with Joseph Brown in designing and building the

First Baptist Church in America The First Baptist Meetinghouse, also known as the First Baptist Church in America is the oldest Baptist church in the United States. The Church was founded in 1638 by Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The present church building was ere ...

in 1774.Norman M. Isham,
The Meeting House of the First Baptist Church in Providence: A History of the Fabric
' (Providence: Charitable Baptist Society, 1925) Ormsbee was self-trained in design. He is known to have owned a copy of ''A Book of Architecture'', published by

James Gibbs James Gibbs (23 December 1682 – 5 August 1754) was a Scottish architect. Born in Aberdeen, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England. He is an important figure whose work spanned the transition between English Ba ...

in 1728, which he is believed to have purchased from the estate of Joseph Brown. He also looked to contemporary American architecture, and based his design for the 1795 building of the First Congregational Church on the

Hollis Street Church The Hollis Street Church (1732 - 1887) in Boston, Massachusetts, was a Congregational (1732 - c. 1800) and Unitarian (c. 1800 - 1887) church. It merged with the South Congregational Society of Boston in 1887. Brief history 1732-1825 In the ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, designed by

Charles Bulfinch Charles Bulfinch (August 8, 1763 – April 15, 1844) was an early American architect, and has been regarded by many as the first American-born professional architect to practice.Baltzell, Edward Digby. ''Puritan Boston & Quaker Philadelphia''. Tra ...

and built in 1788. John Holden Greene was an apprentice of Ormsbee beginning in 1794, and remained in his employ until his death in 1807.

Personal life

In 1774 Ormsbee married Molly Walker, also a Rehoboth native.James N. Arnold, ''Vital Record of Rehoboth, 1642-1896'' (Providence: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1897) Ormsbee died December 31, 1807, in Providence.

Works

* Double house for Caleb Ormsbee,

(1788)William McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, ''Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources'', ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986) * House for John I. Clark,

(1789, burned 1849) * House for Joseph Nightingale,

(1791–92, NHL and NRHP 1989) * First Congregational Church,

(1795, burned 1814)

John Hutchins Cady John Hutchins Cady (January 17, 1881 – September 27, 1967) was an American architect, architectural historian, author, and historical preservationist in Rhode Island. Biography Cady was born January 17, 1881, in Providence, Rhode Island. He ...

, ''The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636-1950'' (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957) * House for Thomas P. Ives,

(1803–06, NHP and NRHP 1970)Thomas P. Ives House NRHP Registration Form
(1970)

Gallery

Notes

References

External links

1752 births 1807 deaths Architects from Providence, Rhode Island Architects from Massachusetts People from Rehoboth, Massachusetts {{US-architect-18C-stub