Electus Darwin Litchfield,

FAIA Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-membe ...

(1872–1952) was an American architect and town planner, practicing in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

.Electus D. Litchfield (1872-1952), Architect and Town Planner
Historic Fairview Village His firm, Electus D. Litchfield, established in 1926, practiced at 80 Fifth Avenue until he disestablished it in 1950."E. D. Litchfield, 80, Architect, Is Dead: Civic Leader Here Won Reversal of Grandfather's Demotion in Court-Martial of 1814," ''New York Times'', November 28, 1952, p. 25.

Career

Born in New York City, Litchfield graduated from

Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute The New York University Tandon School of Engineering (commonly referred to as Tandon) is the engineering and applied sciences school of New York University. Tandon is the second oldest private engineering and technology school in the United St ...

in 1889 and

Stevens Institute of Technology Stevens Institute of Technology is a Private university, private research university in Hoboken, New Jersey. Founded in 1870, it is one of the oldest technological universities in the United States and was the first college in America solely de ...

in 1892. He worked at various firms in New York, including Carrère & Hastings and Lord & Hewlett, before establishing his own in 1926, designing a number of commercial buildings. "He was a devotee of municipal beautification." He was one of the main architects and

town planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

s of Yorkship Village, a World War I industrial town of 2,000 homes near the shipyard in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a City (New Jersey), city in Camden County, New Jersey, Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan region. The city was incorporated on February 13, 1828.Snyder, John P''The Story of ...

. "He was also an architect for the Red Hook

slum clearance Slum clearance, slum eviction or slum removal is an urban renewal strategy used to transform low-income settlements with poor reputation into another type of development or housing. This has long been a strategy for redeveloping urban communities; ...

and housing project, assisted in reconstruction of

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, and designed the

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

Masonic Temple." Outside of New York, Litchfield designed "many public and commercial buildings and monuments, including the

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

in St. Paul; the National Armory in

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, and a monument to the Lewis and Clark expedition at Astoria, Ore." He disestablished his firm in 1950. He designed the Franklin Pierce Tate House (1928) at

Morganton, North Carolina Morganton is a city in and county seat of Burke County, North Carolina, United States. It is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Catawba River. The population was 17,474 at the 2020 census. Morganton is approximately ...

Organization membership

In the 1930s, as president of the

Municipal Art Society The Municipal Art Society of New York (MAS) is a non-profit membership organization for preservation in New York City, which aims to encourage thoughtful planning and urban design and inclusive neighborhoods across the city. The organization was ...

, he fought a proposal to renovate

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with numerous baseball fields. He was a

Fellow of the American Institute of Architects Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) is a postnominal title or membership, designating an individual who has been named a fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). Fellowship is bestowed by the institute on AIA-memb ...

, member of the

Architectural League of New York The Architectural League of New York is a non-profit organization "for creative and intellectual work in architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construct ...

, New York Fine Arts Federation, the

Beaux-Arts Institute of Design The Beaux-Arts Institute of Design (BAID, later the National Institute for Architectural Education) was an art and architectural school at 304 East 44th Street in Turtle Bay, Manhattan, in New York City.Citizens Housing and Planning Council Citizens Housing and Planning Council (CHPC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit research and education organization based in New York City focused on advancing public policies that support housing and neighborhoods. Mission Citizens Housing and Planning C ...

, a founder of the New York Building Congress, and a "former governor of the Society of Colonial Wars of New York, and a member of the General

Society of Colonial Wars The General Society of Colonial Wars is a patriotic society composed of men who trace their descents from forebears who, in military, naval, or civil positions of high trust and responsibility, by acts or counsel, assisted in the establishment, d ...

, the City Club of New York and The Pilgrims."

Rehabilitation of Lieutenant William S. Cox

"Mr. Litchfield had come into the news as the grandson of William S. Cox, a naval lieutenant in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, whose commission had been revoked by

court-martial A court-martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the arme ...

in 1814. "Lieutenant Cox had helped carry the dying Capt. James Lawrence below decks of the frigate Chesapeake during a battle with the British at Boston Harbor. As the result of leaving the scene of the fighting while senior uninjured officer, Mr. Cox was demoted. "For forty years, Mr. Litchfield sought to have the Navy remove the stigma of that decision. On Sept. 8 he won his fight when the Navy presented to him at St. Barnabas a certificate of restoration of Mr. Cox's commission authorized by the President and the Congress."

Death and legacy

Litchfield was a lifetime New Yorker, residing at 171 East Seventy-third Street. He died aged 80 at St. Barnabas Hospital in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York City, New York. He was survived by his widow Elizabeth, daughter Mrs. Elizabeth Lamble of

Sarasota, Florida Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers, Florida, Fort Myers and Punta Gorda, Florida, Punta Gord ...

, and son, Burnham Litchfield of

Edgartown, Massachusetts Edgartown is a town on the island of Martha's Vineyard in Dukes County, Massachusetts, United States, for which it is the county seat. The town's population was 5,168 at the 2020 census. It was once a major whaling port, with historic houses ...

References

External links

* "Reminiscences of an Architectural Practice: An Interview with Electus D. Litchfield.
''American Architect'' vol. 120
no. 2376 (September 14, 1921). pp. 178–82.

at the

Naval Historical Center The Naval History and Heritage Command, formerly the Naval Historical Center, is an Echelon II command responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage located at the historic Washington Navy Yard ...

National Register of Historic Places nomination for the Franklin Pierce Tate house
Morganton, NC
Electus D. Litchfield architectural drawings and photographs, circa 1912-1940
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litchfield, Electus D. Architects from New York City Defunct architecture firms based in New York City 1872 births 1952 deaths Fellows of the American Institute of Architects Polytechnic Institute of New York University alumni Beaux Arts architects 20th-century American architects