Frank Wills (architect)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Frank Wills | |
 Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton, New Brunswick. |
|
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Name | Frank Wills |
| Birth date | December 1822 |
| Birth place | Exeter, England |
| Date of death | 22 April 1857 |
| Place of death | Montreal, Quebec |
| Work | |
| Significant buildings | -Christ Church Cathedral -Episcopal Church of the Nativity -Christ Church Cathedral |
Frank Wills was a British-born architect who is associated with the design of early Gothic Revival churches in North America.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
Frank Wills was born in Exeter, England in 1822. He was a member of the Exeter Architectural Society and his first known work is a canopied tomb in Gothic style beside the high altar in St. Thomas’ Church in Exeter. In 1842 Wills exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in London.[1] He emigrated to New Brunswick in 1845 to work on Christ Church Cathedral in Fredericton. He modeled it on St. Mary's Church in Snettisham, Norfolk. He moved to New York City and began an architectural firm in late 1847 and married Emily Coster in 1848.[2] He became associated with the New York Ecclesiology Society and soon was the official architect for that group. In 1850 he published Ancient Ecclesiastical Architecture and Its Principles, Applied to the Wants of the Church at the Present Day.[3] Emily died in that same year. In 1851 he took a partner into his firm, Henry Dudley. He remarried to Almy Warne Casey in November 1853, she was the daughter of the Philadelphia iron merchant James Casey. They had one son, Charles James Wills. Frank Wills died suddenly in Montreal in 1857, where he was working on Christ Church Cathedral.[2]
[edit] Projects
Some works by him or his firm:[3]
- Christ Church Cathedral (1845-53) in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
- St. Anne's Chapel (1846-47) in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
- The House of Prayer (1849-53) in Newark, New Jersey.
- Anglican Church (1850) in Burton, New Brunswick.
- St. Peter's Church (1850-51) in Milford, Connecticut.
- St. Mary's Church (1851) in Abingdon, Maryland.
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (1852-53) in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Trinity Episcopal Church (1853-57) in Mobile, Alabama.
- Christ Church (1853) in Napoleonville, Louisiana.
- Holy Trinity Church (1853) in Claremont, New Hampshire.
- St. George's Church (1853-54) in Flushing, New York.
- St. John's Church (1853-58) in Troy, New York.
- Chapel of the Cross (1854) in Madison, Mississippi.
- St. John's Episcopal Church (1854-55) in Montgomery, Alabama.
- Christ Church (1855-59) in Oberlin, Ohio
- Episcopal Church of the Nativity (1857-59) in Huntsville, Alabama.
- Christ Church Cathedral (1857-59) in Montreal, Quebec.
Also, based on similarities, two other churches are believed to be from his firm:[3]
- Church of the Nativity (1856-59) in Union, South Carolina.
- Trinity Church (1857-60) in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
[edit] References
- ^ "Wills, Frank". "Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online". Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- ^ a b "Wills, Frank (1822 - 1856)". "Philidelphia Architects and Buildings". Retrieved on 2008-03-02.
- ^ a b c R. Gamble, Harvie Jones, and Frances Roberts (July 21, 1989), National Landmark Nomination: Episcopal Church of the NativityPDF (910 KiB), National Park Service and Accompanying 7 photos, exterior and interior, from 1989.PDF (899 KiB)
