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 McKim, Mead & White was an American architectural firm based in New York City. The firm came to define architectural practice, urbanism, and the ideals of the American Renaissance in ''fin de siècle'' New York. The firm's founding partners, Cha ...

. The company was founded in 1864 by brothers James Atkinson Norcross (1831-1903) and Orlando Whitney Norcross (1839-1920). It won its first major contract in 1869, and is credited with having completed over 650 building projects.

History

The Norcross brothers, James Atkinson (''b''. 24 March 1831) and Orlando Whitney (''b''. 26 October 1839), were born in Maine to Jesse Springer Norcross, proprietor of the Norcross Mills, and his wife, Margaret Ann Whitney. The brothers moved to

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 ...

in 1868. Their pedigree descends from Philip Norcross and his wife, Sarah ackson the brothers' paternal great - great grandparents, originally of Watertown, MA. Skilled construction

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

s, the brothers formed their own construction company in 1864, and three years later contracted to build the new Worcester high school. The architect of the school was a young, but soon to be famous,

Henry Hobson Richardson Henry Hobson Richardson, FAIA (September 29, 1838 – April 27, 1886) was an American architect, best known for his work in a style that became known as Richardsonian Romanesque. Along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright, Richardson is one ...

, and from then on Norcross Brothers became Richardson's favorite contractor, ultimately building more than thirty of his designs, including three considered by many his best work: Trinity Church in

Boston, Massachusetts 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 ...

; the Marshall Fields & Company building in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

; and the Allegheny County Courthouse in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

. Following the death of Richardson, the brothers became the contractor for many of

's projects. When MM&W opened a new office in New York City, in 1894, the Norcross Brothers had their own space within it. As had been the case with Richardson, much of the value of the Norcross Brothers to MM&W, and other architects derived from Orlando Norcross's engineering skill. Though largely self-taught, he had developed the skills needed to solve the vast engineering problems brought to him by his clients. For example, the size of the dome at the Rhode Island Capitol was expanded very late in the design process, perhaps even after construction had begun, so that it would be larger than the one just completed by

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of Early skyscrapers, skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minneso ...

for the Minnesota Capitol. Because of their need for stone, a primary building material of the time, was outpacing the supply the brothers eventually acquired their own stone quarries, first in Connecticut ( Branford) (now on the

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 ...

) and in Massachusetts, and later in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is a County (United States), county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, bordering the Long Island Sound and the Byram River to its east and the Hudson River on its west. The c ...

and in Georgia. They also established a factory in Worcester where they manufactured architectural building parts

Selected H.H. Richardson projects

* Ames Monument,

Laramie, Wyoming Laramie () is a List of municipalities in Wyoming, city in and the county seat of Albany County, Wyoming, United States, known for its high elevation at , for its railroad history, and as the home of the University of Wyoming. The population wa ...

Augustus Saint-Gaudens Augustus Saint-Gaudens (; March 1, 1848 – August 3, 1907) was an American sculpture, sculptor of the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts generation who embodied the ideals of the American Renaissance. Saint-Gaudens was born in Dublin to an Iris ...

, sculptor, 1882 * William Watts Sherman House, Newport, RI, 1875 - 1876.

Projects for other architects

*Juniper Hall, later Masonic Hospital,

Shrewsbury, Massachusetts Shrewsbury (/ˈʃruzberi/ ''SHROOZ-bury'') is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,325 according to the 2020 United States census, in nearly 15,000 households. Incorporated in 1727, Shrewsbury prospere ...

, James Earle, archite

*

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge,

, 1892 *Cathedral of All Saints,

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...

, Robert Gibson, Architect, begun 1884 * Congregational Library & Archives, Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge,

, 1889Boston Landmarks Commission Building information form of the Congregational House, home of the Congregational Library & Archives, June 1980. *The Algonquin Club, Boston, McKim, Mead and White, architects, 1886 *Adams Memorial, McKim, Mead and White, architects, Augustus Saint-Gaudens, sculptor,

Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth (Washington, D.C.), Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., across ...

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, 1891 *Millicent Library, Brigham & Spofford architects, Fairhaven, Massachusetts, 1893, as well as numerous other public libraries, mostly in the north eastern part of the United States. *Crouse Memorial College,

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, Archimedes Russell, architect, 1897 *

South Station South Station, officially The Governor Michael S. Dukakis Transportation Center at South Station, is the largest railroad station and intercity bus terminal in Greater Boston and New England's second-largest transportation center after Logan I ...

, Boston, Massachusetts with Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, 1897 *Worcester City Hall, Worcester, Massachusetts, Peabody and Stearns, architects, 1895–1898 *

University Club of New York The University Club of New York (also known as University Club) is a gentlemen's club, private social club at 1 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street and Fifth Avenue in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Founded to celebra ...

, McKim, Mead and White, architects, 1899 * Symphony Hall,

, McKim, Mead and White, architects, 1900 *Jersey City Public Library,

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, second-most populous

, Brite & Bacon, architects, 1901 *

Low Library The Low Memorial Library (nicknamed Low) is a building at the center of Columbia University's Morningside Heights campus in Upper Manhattan in New York City. The building, located near 116th Street (Manhattan), 116th Street between Broadway (M ...

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

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 ...

, McKim, Mead and White, architects, *Norcross Mausoleum, Hope Cemetery, Worcester, Massachusetts, 1903 * Corcoran Art Gallery, Washington D.C. *Leicester Congregational Church *Leicester Public Library, Stephen Earle, architect, 1895-1896 *Harvard Medical Building, Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge, Architects, 1906 * Rhode Island State Capitol Building, McKim, Mead and White, architects, 1895–1904 *

Pan American Union Building The Pan American Union Building is the headquarters for the Organization of American States. It is located at 17th Street N.W. between C Street N.W. and Constitution Avenue, Northwest, Washington, D.C. History The cornerstone was laid on May 1 ...

, Washington D.C. 1908-1910. *

New York Public Library Main Branch The Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (commonly known as the Main Branch, the 42nd Street Library, or just the New York Public Library) is the flagship building in the New York Public Library system in the Midtown Manhattan, Midtown neighborhood ...

, Carrere and Hastings, architects, 1911 *Gates for Hope Cemetery,

, 1915 *Gatehouses and Pavilion, Vanderbilt Mansion, McKim, Mead and White, architects,

Hyde Park, New York Hyde Park is a town in Dutchess County, New York, United States, bordering the Hudson River north of Poughkeepsie. Within the town are the hamlets of Hyde Park, East Park, Staatsburg, and Haviland. Hyde Park is known as the hometown of Fra ...

, 1896–1898

Citations

{{reflist

References

* Baker, Paul R., ''Stanny: The Gilded Life of Stanford White'', The Free Press, New York, 1989 * Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, ''H.H. Richardson:Complete Architectural Works'', MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1984 * Roth, Leland M., ''McKim, Mead & White, Architects'', Harper & Row Publishers, New York, NY 1983

External links

*http://college.holycross.edu/projects/worcester/institutions/norcross.htm *http://norcross.ca Construction and civil engineering companies of the United States Defunct companies based in Maine