William Appleton Potter (December 10, 1842 – February 19, 1909) 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 ...

who designed numerous buildings for

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

, as well as municipal offices and churches. He served as a Supervising Architect of the Treasury from 1874 to 1877.

Biography

Born in 1842 in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

, Potter grew up in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, where he attended

Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12 based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to 2008, the main campus was located in Merion Station and the satellite campus was located in ...

. He then returned to his birthplace to matriculate at

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 ...

as a member of the Class of 1864. Potter was the son of Bishop Alonzo Potter and had eight brothers, including: * Clarkson Nott Potter (1825–1882), Democratic member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

after the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

* Howard Potter (1826–1897) Banker, Senior Partner in Brown Shipley * Robert Brown Potter (1829–1887), United States General in the Civil War * Henry Codman Potter (1835–1908), succeeded Horatio Potter as Bishop of New York in 1887 * Eliphalet Nott Potter (1836–1901), professor and president of Union College and Hobart College * Potter's half-brother Edward Tuckerman Potter (1831–1904), architect who designed the Nott Memorial at

He became an assistant professor at Columbia College, where he taught

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

for a year, after which he spent another year touring

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. His collegiate background distinguished him from most architects of the first half of the 19th century, who received their training through apprenticeship in the building trades and sometimes in the offices of practicing architects. The apprenticeship tradition was still strong, however, and Potter received his professional training first in the New York office of

George B. Post George Browne Post (December15, 1837November28, 1913) was an American architect trained in the Beaux-Arts tradition. Active from 1869 almost until his death, he was recognized as a master of several contemporary American architectural genres, an ...

, and then in his half-brother's office at Schenectady. Potter died February 19, 1909. Among his apprentices was the architect James Brown Lord.

Career

Chancellor Green Library (1871–1873) for

was Potter's first major commission. In it, he took the High

Victorian Gothic 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 ...

vocabulary and octagonal form used by his half-brother for the Nott Memorial at

, and elaborated it into a complex interplay of

octagon In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...

s of various sizes and shapes. For Princeton, retaining Potter represented a shift from dependence on

architects to a New York practitioner. He would receive from the college an honorary

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

degree in 1872, and go on to design several other buildings on campus. From 1874 to 1877, Potter served as supervising architect of the

United States Treasury The Department of the Treasury (USDT) is the national treasury and finance department of the federal government of the United States. It is one of 15 current U.S. government departments. The department oversees the Bureau of Engraving and ...

. Under his supervision, designs were produced for customhouses, courthouses, and post offices in

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, and

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

. Concurrent with his years at the U.S. Treasury, Potter formed a partnership with Robert Henderson Robertson. From 1875 to 1881, along with major public projects, the firm produced summer vacation cottages in

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 ...

, and the

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

, as well as the Adam-Derby House at

Oyster Bay, New York The Town of Oyster Bay is the easternmost of the three Administrative divisions of New York#Town, towns that make up Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, United States. Part of the New York metropolitan area, it is ...

Commissions

* South Congregational Church,

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

(1871–1875) * Chancellor Green Library,

(1871–1873) * John C. Green School of Science, Princeton (1873–1875) (razed) * Berkshire Athenaeum,

Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the most populous city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfi ...

(1874–1876) * Belleville Avenue Congregational Church,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

(1874) * Witherspoon Hall, Princeton (1875–1877) * Stuart Hall at

Princeton Theological Seminary Princeton Theological Seminary (PTSem), officially The Theological Seminary of the Presbyterian Church, is a Private university, private seminary, school of theology in Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Establish ...

(1875–1877) * The University Hotel, Princeton (1875–1877, with partner Robert Henderson Robertson) (razed) * Charles H. Baldwin House, Newport, Rhode Island (1877–78, with partner Robert Henderson Robertson) * St. James Protestant Episcopal Chapel; known as the Church of the Presidents, Elberon, New Jersey (1879, with partner Robert Henderson Robertson)
Trinity Episcopal Church
Shelburne, Vermont (1886-1898) * Christ Church,

Poughkeepsie, New York Poughkeepsie ( ) is a city within the Poughkeepsie (town), New York, Town of Poughkeepsie, New York (state), New York. It is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, Dutchess County, with a 2020 census population of 31,577. Poughkeepsie i ...

(1887–1889) * St. Martin's Church, 230 Lenox Avenue (1888)AIA Guide to New York City, MacMillan, 1967, page 452 ( NYCL) * St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo Episcopal Church, Tuxedo Park, New York (1888) * St. Agnes Chapel, New York City (1890–1892; razed 1944) *

Alexander Hall Alexander Hall (January 11, 1894 – July 30, 1968) was an American film director, film editor and theatre actor. Biography Hall acted in the theatre from the age of 4 through 1914, when he began to work in silent movies. Following his military ...

, Princeton (1891–1894)
Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew
236 West 86th Street (1895) * First Reformed Dutch church,

Somerville, New Jersey Somerville is a Borough (New Jersey), borough in and the county seat of Somerset County, New Jersey, Somerset County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Church of the Divine Paternity (Fourth Universalist Society in the City of New York), 160 Central Park West (1898) * Advent Lutheran Church (New York City) (1900) * Townhouse, 33 East 67th Street, New York, New York (1903) *St. John's Episcopal Church,

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...

(1891) *Massena House, Barrytown, New York (1886)

Greenwich Point

Potter was the uncle of Mrs. J. Kennedy Tod (Maria Howard Potter) daughter of Howard Potter, and in 1887 Potter designed Innis Arden House and several other buildings for Mr. and Mrs. Tod's

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

estate, known as Innis Arden. Today the estate is a public park in Greenwich, known as Greenwich Point. Several original buildings designed by Potter remain on the property, including the Old Barn (circa 1887), which is the oldest extant building at Greenwich Point and was fully restored by the Greenwich Point Conservancy 2016. In addition, the Innis Arden Cottage, which was designed by an associate of Potter, Katherine C. Budd, an early and prominent woman and architect, remains on the property as well. The 1903 Innis Arden Cottage was completely restored by the Greenwich Point Conservancy between 2005 - 2011. Both the Old Barn and the Innis Arden Cottage are open to the public.

Gallery

File:Berkshire Athenaeum (original building, facade) - Pittsfield, Massachusetts.JPG, Berkshire Athenaeum,

(1874–76). File:Witherspoon Hall.JPG, Witherspoon Hall,

(1875–77). File:CharlesHBaldwinHouse.jpg, Charles H. Baldwin House,

(1877–78), Potter & Robertson. File:Churchofthepresidents.jpg, Church of the Presidents, Elberon, New Jersey (1879), Potter & Robertson. File:St. Mary's front view cropped.jpg, St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo Episcopal Church, Tuxedo Park, New York (1888). File:Alexander Hall auditorium Princeton.jpg, Alexander Hall, auditorium,

(1891–94). File:East Pyne Hall, Princeton University, NJ - tower view.jpg, East Pyne Hall,

(1896–97). File:Fourth Universalist Church jeh.JPG, Church of the Divine Paternity (Fourth Universalist Society),

New York, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

(1898).

Notes

References

* Sarah Bradford Landau, ''Edward T. and William A. Potter: American Victorian Architects''; Garland Publishing; New York and London 1979 {{DEFAULTSORT:Potter, William Appleton 19th-century American architects People from Schenectady, New York 1842 births 1909 deaths Union College (New York) alumni * Architects from New York (state)