Orin M. Bullock Jr. (1905–1994) was an architect, professor, author, and

historic preservation Historic preservation (US), built heritage preservation or built heritage conservation (UK) is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance. It is a philos ...

ist. He was one of the original team members on the restoration of

Colonial Williamsburg Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district in Williamsburg, Virginia. Its historic area includes several hundred restored or recreated buildings from the 18th century, wh ...

and wrote ''The Restoration Manual,'' a book detailing the steps and procedures that must be completed to properly restore old buildings, which is still considered the seminal book of its field.

Biography

Bullock was born in California in 1905 and attended

Harvard Graduate School of Design The Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) is the graduate school of design at Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It offers master's and doctoral programs in architecture, landscape architecture, urba ...

, graduating in 1927 with a degree in Architecture. His first major restoration project was helping to restore Colonial Williamsburg beginning in 1929, specifically the Benjamin Waller House which had been owned by a prominent lawyer and ancestor of President John Tyler. By the 1930s, the house was in need of substantive restoration. He became the director of architectural research there from 1953 to 1961. As part of his involvement with Colonial Williamsburg, Bullock portrayed

Richard Henry Lee Richard Henry Lee (January 20, 1732June 19, 1794) was an American statesman and Founding Father from Virginia, best known for the June 1776 Lee Resolution, the motion in the Second Continental Congress calling for the colonies' independence fr ...

in '' Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (1957),'' the longest-running museum orientation film still in operation. Other restoration projects Bullock worked on include the Waverly House in

Howard County, Maryland Howard County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population is 334,529. Since there are no incorporated municipalities, there is no incorporated coun ...

, the Rogers Tavern in

Perryville, Maryland Perryville is a town in Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 4,361 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. The town is located near an exit for Interstate 95 in Maryland, Interstate 95, on the north side of the outlet ...

, the William Paca House and Garden in

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the county seat of Anne Arundel County and its only incorporated city. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east ...

, and the 17th-century Quaker

Great Friends Meeting House Great Friends Meeting House is a Friends meeting house, meeting house of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) built in 1699 in Newport, Rhode Island. The meeting house, which is part of the Newport Historic District (Rhode Island), Newport ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

in order to better preserve the regional differentiation. He was a technical consultant for the

Maryland Historical Trust The Maryland Historical Trust is an agency of Maryland Department of Planning and serves as the Maryland State Historic Preservation Office. The agency serves to assist in research, conservation, and education, of Maryland's historical and cultur ...

, 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 ...

, and taught architecture at the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the Univ ...

. In 1961, he moved to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

and six years later was appointed chief of property rehabilitation for the Baltimore Urban Renewal and Housing Agency. Bullock restored a Bolton Hill townhouse 1432 John St. and made it his home. In 1966, Bullock wrote ''The Restoration Manual'', which is still in print and is considered to be a cornerstone in the field of architectural restoration. He died at age 88 of sepsis in

Centreville, Maryland Centreville is an incorporated town in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States on the Delmarva Peninsula. Incorporated in 1794, it is the county seat of Queen Anne's County. The population was 4,285 at the 201 ...

on December 6, 1994.

Works

* ''The Restoration Manual: An illustrated guide to the preservation and restoration of old buildings'' (1966,

Norwalk, Connecticut Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The city, part of the New York metropolitan area, New York Metropolitan Area, is the List of municipalities of Connecticut by population, sixth-most populous city in Connecticut ...

, Silvermine Publishers Inc.) * An archival collection of Bullock's papers, drawings, journals, and photographs entitled the ''Orin M. Bullock, Jr. papers, 1920-1986'' are held by the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

Filmography

* Bullock portrayed

in '' Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot (1957)''

References

External links

The Restoration Manual
published online by

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, Orin Harvard Graduate School of Design alumni Preservationist architects Architectural conservation Colonial Williamsburg University of Maryland, College Park faculty 1905 births 1994 deaths 20th-century American architects People from Oakland, California Architects from the San Francisco Bay Area Fellows of the American Institute of Architects