Rufus Sargent (1812-1886) was an American

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 ...

practicing in

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes p ...

during the nineteenth century.

Life and career

Rufus Sargent was born January 7, 1812, in

Amesbury, Massachusetts Amesbury is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the left bank of the Merrimack River near its mouth, upstream from Salisbury and across the river from Newburyport and West Newbury. The population was 17,366 at the ...

to Nicholas Sargent and Sally (Currier) Sargent.Edwin Everett Sargent,
Sargent Record: William Sargent of Ipswich, Newbury, Hampton, Salisbury and Amesbury, New England, U. S., With His Descendants and Their Intermarriages, and other Sargent Branches
' (St. Johnsbury: Caledonian Company, 1899) In 1840 he moved to

Newburyport Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with a vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The m ...

, where he first worked as a carpenter. By 1843 he had formed a partnership with Henry Morse which lasted only briefly. By 1848 he was calling himself an architect rather than carpenter, and would also advertise services as a civil engineer in later years. Sargent was the most prominent architect practicing in Newburyport and Essex County during his lifetime, and after the Civil War also built extensively in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

.Betsy H. Woodman, "Rufus Sargent: A Newburyport Architect Rediscovered" in ''Essex Institute Historical Collections'' 122, no. 4 (October 1986) In the Spring of 1886 he moved south to

Palatka, Florida Palatka () is a city in and the county seat of Putnam County, Florida, Putnam County, Florida, United States. Palatka is the principal city of the Palatka Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 72,893 residents. The Palatka micropolitan ...

, possibly for his health. While there he worked as an architect for the

Henry B. Plant Henry Bradley Plant (October 27, 1819 – June 23, 1899), was a businessman, entrepreneur, and investor involved with many transportation interests and projects, mostly railroads, in the southeastern United States. He was founder of the Plant Sy ...

-affiliated

Florida Southern Railway The Florida Southern Railway was a railway that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railways when it was built along with the South Florida Railway and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida ...

, and died there in 1886.''Palatka Daily News'', November 2, 1886. Sargent was consulting engineer for the Newburyport City Railroad, completed in 1872. His major buildings include the

First Baptist Church First Baptist Church may refer to: Canada *First Baptist Church (Toronto), Ontario *First Baptist Church (Ottawa), Ontario * First Baptist Church (Halifax), Nova Scotia, involved in the founding of Acadia University United States Alabama *First ...

of Methuen (1869,

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

), the bank for the

Institution for Savings Institution for Savings in Newburyport and Its Vicinity is a bank based in Newburyport, Massachusetts. It has 15 branches, all of which are in Essex County, Massachusetts. It is a mutual organization A mutual organization, also mutual society o ...

(1871,

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

) and the

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

of Peabody (1882–83, Second Empire).

Personal life

Sargent was a descendant of William Sargent, an early settler of Amesbury in the 1630s. In 1835, while still living in Amesbury, Sargent married Abigail Buswell of

Northfield, New Hampshire Northfield is a town in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 4,872 at the 2020 census. History European settlers first arrived in Northfield in the early 1700s. Initially, Northfield was incorporated as part of ...

. They had two daughters. After living in various houses around Newburyport for most of his life, including 3 Fruit Street, in 1877 Sargent purchased land at 8 Harris Street, where he built his own house in the

style. His family continued to live there after his death. Sargent died November 1, 1886, in Palatka. He was buried in Newburyport.

Legacy

Sargent's buildings were designed in the popular styles of the Victorian era, especially the

and Second Empire styles. They contrast with the earlier architecture of Newburyport, a city best known for its

Federal architecture Federal-style architecture is the name for the classical architecture built in the United States following the American Revolution between 1780 and 1830, and particularly from 1785 to 1815, which was influenced heavily by the works of And ...

. At least three of Sargent's works 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 ...

, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

* House for Nathan Poor,

(1843) * First Presbyterian Church remodeling,

(1848) * House for Charles H. Coffin,

(1851, burned 1894) * House for Ebenezer Sutton,

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...

(1854, altered) * St. Anna's Chapel of St. Paul's Episcopal Church,

(1862–63) * Ocean House,

Rye Beach, New Hampshire Rye Beach is an unincorporated community along the Atlantic Ocean in Rye, New Hampshire, United States. It is located along New Hampshire Route 1A near the southern border of the town of Rye, directly south of Jenness State Beach and north of L ...

(1863–65, burned 1873) * House for Ebenezer Sutton,

Center Harbor, New Hampshire Center Harbor is a town in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town had a population of 1,040. It is situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and Squam Lake. History Center Harbor separated from the town of ...

(1865) * North Andover Town Hall,

North Andover, Massachusetts North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 30,915. History Native Americans inhabited what is now northeastern Massachusetts for thousands of years prior to European colonizati ...

(1867, demolished 1954)Betsy H. Woodman, "Architect Rufus Sargent: Beyond Newburyport" in ''Essex Institute Historical Collections'' 123, no. 1 (January 1987) * Eben Dale Sutton addition to the

Peabody Institute Library The George Peabody Library is a library connected to the Johns Hopkins University, focused on research into the 19th century. It was formerly the Library of the Peabody Institute of music in the City of Baltimore, and is located on the Peabody c ...

(1867–69, NRHP 1973) * House for Henry C. Moses,

Exeter, New Hampshire Exeter is a New England town, town in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. Its population was 16,049 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 14,306 at the 2010 census. Exeter was the county seat until 1997, when county ...

(1868, NRHP 1985) * Robinson Female Seminary,

(1868, burned 1961) *

Methuen, Massachusetts Methuen () is a 23-square-mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Midd ...

(1869, NRHP 1984) * West School,

(1869, demolished 1955) *

Building,

(1871) * Center School,

(1872, demolished 1952) * Kelley School (former),

(1872) * Merrill Block,

(1873–74) * Newburyport Five Cents Savings Bank Building,

(1874) * Immaculate Conception R. C. School,

(1879, demolished) * Simpson addition to the

Newburyport Public Library Newburyport Public Library, in Newburyport, Massachusetts, was founded in September, 1854, by Josiah Little. It opened its doors to the public on September 5, 1855, in Ward Room 4 of the new City Hall. On that day its collection amounted to about 5 ...

(1881–82) *

Peabody City Hall Peabody City Hall is the historic city hall of Peabody, Massachusetts. It is located at 24 Lowell Street, near Peabody Square. History and architecture City Hall was built in 1883 as Town Hall, becoming City Hall when Peabody reincorporated as ...

(1882–83, NRHP 1972) * Essex County Jail addition,

Salem, Massachusetts Salem ( ) is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore of Greater Boston. Continuous settlement by Europeans began in 1626 with English colonists. Salem was one ...

(1884–85) * House for Sherman Conant,

(1886)Grand Gables Inn
/ref>

Gallery of architectural works

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sargent, Rufus Architects from Massachusetts 19th-century American architects People from Amesbury, Massachusetts People from Newburyport, Massachusetts 1812 births 1886 deaths