Lucius W. Briggs (August 26, 1866 – September 10, 1940) was an American architect in practice in

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Massachusetts, second-most populous city in the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the list of United States cities by population, 113th most populous city in the United States. Named after Worcester ...

from 1896 until his death in 1940. During that period he was the city's leading architect.

Life and career

Lucius Wallace Briggs was born August 26, 1866, in Worcester to Cornelius Winters Briggs, a mechanical engineer, and Lucy Ryder Briggs, née Wallace. He was educated in the Worcester public schools and as a special student in architecture at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

. He worked as a

drafter A drafter (also draughtsman / draughtswoman in British English, British and English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English, draftsman / draftswoman, drafting technician, or CAD technician in American English, American and Canadia ...

for Worcester contractors

Norcross Brothers Norcross Brothers, Contractors and Builders was a nineteenth-century American construction company, especially noted for its work, mostly in stone, for the architectural firms of H.H. Richardson and McKim, Mead & White. The company was founded in 1 ...

and architects

Barker & Nourse Barker & Nourse was an architectural firm from Worcester, Massachusetts, active from 1879 to 1904. History Barker & Nourse was formed March 1, 1879, as the partnership of architects Albert A. Barker (1852–1905) and Walter B. Nourse (1853 ...

and

Fuller & Delano Fuller & Delano was an architectural firm in Worcester, Massachusetts, active from 1878 until 1942. It originally consisted of architects James E. Fuller and Ward P. Delano. The firm designed more than 20 buildings that were later listed on the U ...

. In 1896 he left to open his own office. His early practice was chiefly residential, and he was a runner-up in the competition to design the new

Worcester County Courthouse The former Worcester County Courthouse is a historic Greek Revival and Classical Revival building at 2 Main Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the Lincoln Square district and within the historic Institutional District. It was individually list ...

.Charles Nutt, "Lucius Wallace Briggs," in ''History of Worcester and its People'', vol. 4 (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1919): 711.Leon Keach, "Lucius W. Briggs" in ''Pencil Points'' 21, no. 11 (November 1940): 22. In 1899 he formed the partnership of Frost, Briggs & Chamberlain with Howard Frost and C. Leslie Chamberlain, former colleagues from the office of Fuller & Delano. The new firm quickly outpaced Worcester's other architects and became the city's most prominent architects. This firm was, among other projects, responsible for the design of such landmarks as the Slater Building. In 1912, after thirteen years, the partnership was dissolved. Frost & Chamberlain continued their practice, and Briggs incorporated the L. W. Briggs Company. He continued in his former success, and at the time of his death was Worcester's best known architect. Briggs joined the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

in 1902 as a member of the former Worcester chapter. He served as chapter president for twenty years. For many years he also served on the Worcester Planning Board.

Personal life

Briggs was married in 1889 to Lillian Fraser Vickers of

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

. They had four children, two sons and two daughters. Stuart Wallace Briggs, who worked with his father, was the youngest. In addition to his professional associations, Briggs was also a member of the

Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities Historic New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England a ...

, the

Worcester Country Club Worcester Country Club is a private country club and golf course in Worcester, Massachusetts. The course hosted the first Ryder Cup in 1927, and was the site of the 1925 U.S. Open, which was won by Willie Macfarlane. Worcester also hosted the 1 ...

and local fraternal organizations. Briggs died September 10, 1940, in Worcester at the age of 74.

Legacy

After Briggs' death, the firm was continued by his son, Stuart W. Briggs, a

Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) is a Private university, private research university in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1865, WPI was one of the United States' first engineering and technology universities and now h ...

graduate who had been associated with him since 1920. In 1949 he reorganized the firm as L. W. Briggs Associates."Briggs, Stuart Wallace," in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 79. The work of the younger Briggs includes the

annex (1954, with Cornelius W. Buckley) and

Burncoat High School Burncoat High School is a public magnet high school in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. The school was formerly known as Burncoat Senior High School chiefly to distinguish it from the adjacent Burncoat Junior High School, now Burnc ...

(1964) He died in 1968. At least three buildings designed independently by Briggs have been listed on the United States

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

, in addition to three designed by Frost, Briggs & Chamberlain. Others contribute to listed historic districts.

Works

* 1898 – George Gabriel House, 31 Lenox St,

* 1913 –

Frances Perkins Branch Library The Frances Perkins Branch Library, formerly known as the Greendale Branch Library, is a branch library in the public library system of Worcester, Massachusetts. It is located at 470 West Boylston Street, in an architecturally distinguished buil ...

, 470 W Boylston St,

* 1914 – Frank O. Woodland house, 1 Drury Ln,

* 1914 –

, 2 Rice St,

* 1917 – Worcester Technical High School expansion, 34 Grove St,

* 1925 – Worcester Fire Alarm Station, 230 Park Ave,

* 1926 – Katz and Leavitt Apartment House, 53 Elm St,

* 1931 – South High School annex, 14 Richards St,

* 1933 –

Worcester Memorial Auditorium Worcester Memorial Auditorium (also known simply as "the Aud") is a multi-purpose arena located at Lincoln Square in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was built in 1933 to honor Worcester citizens who fought in World War I. The building includes a mu ...

, 1 Lincoln Sq,

* 1936 – Auburn High School, 99 Auburn St,

Auburn, Massachusetts Auburn is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,889 at the 2020 census. History The Auburn area was first settled in 1714. On April 10, 1778, parts of Worcester, Sutton, Leicester and Oxford, Massac ...

* 1939 – Leicester Town Hall, 3 Washburn Sq,

Leicester, Massachusetts Leicester ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,087 at the 2020 United States census. History What is now Leicester was originally settled by the Nipmuc people and was known by them as ''Towtaid' ...

Historic Building Detail: LEI.114
Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, no date. Accessed October 1, 2024.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Briggs, Lucius W. 1940 deaths Architects from Worcester, Massachusetts 1866 births