Howard Nott Potter (May 6, 1859 – July 31, 1937), was an American architect known for his design of churches who was prominent in New York society during the

Gilded Age In History of the United States, United States history, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was named by 1920s historians after Mar ...

Early life

Potter was born in New York City on May 6, 1859. He was the son of Virginia (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Mitchell) Potter (1827–1890) and Democratic

U.S. Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Article One of th ...

Clarkson Nott Potter Clarkson Nott Potter (April 25, 1825 – January 23, 1882) was a New York attorney and politician who served four terms in the United States House of Representatives from 1869 to 1875, then again from 1877 to 1879. Early life Potter was born in ...

(1825–1882). Among his siblings was Maria Louisa Potter, who married Joseph Leslie Cotton of Boston; Virginia Potter, who did not marry, Eleanor Potter, and Clarkson Alonzo Potter. Upon his father's death in 1882, he shared in his estate valued in excess of $1,000,000. His paternal grandparents were Sarah (

Nott) Potter (daughter of

Eliphalet Nott Eliphalet Nott (June 25, 1773January 25, 1866), was a famed Presbyterian minister, inventor, educational pioneer, and long-term president of Union College, Schenectady, New York. Early life Nott was born at Ashford, Connecticut, on June 25, 177 ...

, the longest serving college president in the United States) and

Alonzo Potter Alonzo Potter (July 6, 1800 – July 4, 1865) was an American bishop of the Episcopal Church in the United States who served as the third bishop of the Diocese of Pennsylvania. Early life Potter was born on July 6, 1800, in Beekman, New York. H ...

, the Episcopalian Bishop of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. His maternal grandparents were Matthew and Louisa (née Kidd) Mitchell of Philadelphia. Among his many prominent relatives were uncles

Howard Potter Howard Potter (July 8, 1826 – March 24, 1897) was an American industrialist, investment banker, diplomat and philanthropist, and a partner in Brown Bros. & Co. Early life Potter was born in Schenectady, New York on July 8, 1826. He was the ...

, a New York City banker,

Robert Brown Potter Robert Brown Potter (July 16, 1829 – February 19, 1887) was a United States lawyer and a Union Army general in the American Civil War. Early life Potter was born in Schenectady, New York on July 16, 1829. He was the third son of Alonzo P ...

, a General in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Edward Tuckerman Potter Edward Tuckerman Potter (September 25, 1831 – December 21, 1904) was an American architect best known for designing the 1871 Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut. With his half-brother William Appleton Potter, he also designed Nott M ...

, an architect,

Henry Codman Potter Henry Codman Potter (May 25, 1834 – July 21, 1908) was a bishop of the Episcopal Church of the United States. He was the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of New York. Potter was "more praised and appreciated, perhaps, than any public man ...

, the bishop of the

Episcopal Diocese of New York The Episcopal Diocese of New York is a diocese of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America, encompassing three New York City boroughs and seven New York state counties.

, Eliphalet Nott Potter, who served as President of Union College and Hobart College, and

William Appleton Potter William Appleton Potter (December 10, 1842 – February 19, 1909) was an American architect who designed numerous buildings for Princeton University, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Office of the Supervising Architect, ...

, also an

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 ...

who designed the Church of the Presidents in

Elberon, New Jersey Elberon is an unincorporated community that is part of Long Branch in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP code 07740. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population for ZIP ...

. Potter was educated in private schools in New York, then "fitted for college" under Dean Oliver. He entered Union College and graduated in 1881 with an A.B. degree. After Union, he went abroad for several years until he returned in 1890 to attend Columbia College to study architecture. He returned to Europe to finish his education.

Career

After completing his architectural education in Europe, Potter returned to New York and began his career by partnering with Glenville Snelling to form the architecture firm of Snelling & Potter. In his practice, he was known for designing many private homes in the city and country, including the Bencoe Residence in

White Plains, New York White Plains is a city in and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, and a commercial hub of Westchester County, a densely populated suburban county that is home to about one milli ...

. He also designed several churches, including the St. John's Cathedral in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

and the enlargement of

The Priory The Priory Hospital, Roehampton, often referred to as The Priory, is a private mental health hospital in South West London. It was founded in 1872 and is part of the Priory Group. The Priory has an international reputation and, because of the ...

Pelham, New York Pelham is a suburban town in Westchester County, approximately 10 miles northeast of Midtown Manhattan. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 13,078, an increase from the 2010 census.United States Census Bureau, 2020 Report, Pelham to ...

. Potter also wrote about architecture, including ''Stable Planning'', published in ''

The Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism � ...

'' in September 1902. He served on the

New York Society of Architects New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

as the vice-chair of the Decoration committee in 1922.

Society life

In 1892, Potter and his wife were included in

Ward McAllister Samuel Ward McAllister (December 28, 1827 – January 31, 1895) was a popular arbiter of social taste in the Gilded Age of America, widely accepted as the authority to which families could be classified as the cream of New York society ( The Fou ...

's "

Four Hundred 400 (four hundred) is the natural number following 399 and preceding 401. Mathematical properties A circle is divided into 400 grads. Integers from 401 to 499 400s 401 401 is a prime number, tetranacci number, Chen prime, prime index p ...

", purported to be an index of New York's best families, published in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''. Conveniently, 400 was the number of people that could fit into Mrs. Astor's ballroom. Potter was a member of the

Kappa Alpha Society The Kappa Alpha Society () is a North American social college fraternity. Founded in 1825, it was the progenitor of the modern fraternity system in North America. It is considered to be the oldest national, secret, Greek-letter social fraterni ...

, the Racquet Club, the

Westchester Country Club Westchester Country Club is a private country club located in Harrison, New York. Founded in 1922 as a destination for sportsmen, it was known to professional golfers and spectators for more than four decades as the home of the Westchester Cla ...

, and the

City Club of New York The City Club of New York is an independent, not-for-profit organization based in New York City. In 1950, ''The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Tim ...

Personal life

On May 9, 1884, Potter was married to Ethelinda "Ethel" Potter (1860–1949). Ethel, his first cousin, was the daughter of his paternal uncle, and fellow architect,

, who designed the

Nott Memorial The Nott Memorial is an elaborate 16-sided stone-masonry building which serves as both architectural and physical centerpiece of Union College in Schenectady, New York. Dedicated to Eliphalet Nott, president of Union for sixty-two years (1804� ...

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

. Together, they were the parents of: * Howard Clarkson Potter (1894–1894), who died in infancy. * John Howard Nott Potter (1896–1961), who married Margaretta Wood, daughter of Rear Adm. Spencer Shepard Wood. He was president of Brett, Wyckoff, Potter, Hamilton Inc., real estate brokers in New York. * Ethel Julia Howard Potter (1898–1971), who married artist

Allyn Cox Allyn Cox (June 5, 1896 – September 26, 1982) was an American artist known for his murals, including those on display in the United States Capitol and the U.S. Department of State. Early life and education Cox was a son of Kenyon Cox and ...

(1896–1982), son of artists

Kenyon Cox Kenyon Cox (October 27, 1856 – March 17, 1919) was an American painter, illustrator, muralist, writer, and teacher. Cox was an influential and important early instructor at the Art Students League of New York. He was the designer of the League ...

and Louise King Cox, in 1927. Potter inherited fifty percent of his father's country house, known as "Nutwood", in

New Rochelle New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtown Manhattan. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the 7th-largest city and 2 ...

, overlooking the

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. They also had a home in

Harrison, New York Harrison is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town and Administrative divisions of New York (state), village in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York Cit ...

known as "Allendale Farm". Potter died at his home, "The Sea Horse" in

Westhampton Beach Westhampton Beach is an incorporated village in the Town of Southampton, in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,721. History Westhampton Beach Village ...

, on July 31, 1937. His widow died in Mendham, New Jersey in January 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, Howard Nott 1859 births 1937 deaths 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects Union College (New York) alumni Columbia College (New York) alumni