Howard Wright Cutler

Howard Wright Cutler (1883 - 1948) was an American architect known primarily for his designs of churches, schools and public buildings in Washington, D.C. and adjacent Montgomery County, Maryland. Cutler is also credited with the design of the Kodak Tower in Rochester, New York. The Wright-designed Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ and Eldbrooke United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., are listed on the National Register of Historical Places, and several other buildings he designed have been designated as historic sites by the Maryland Historical Trust or other authorities.^[1][2]

Cutler was born in Ouray, Colorado on February 19, 1883. He studied engineering and architecture at the Rochester Athenium and Mechanics Institute in Rochester, New York, graduating with a B. Arch. Cutler worked at the firm of Gordon & Madden, Rochester, until he established his own firm in 1907.^[3] During World War I, Cutler served as a major for the Surgeon General’s staff, in charge of designing hospitals in the United States. His buildings included the Otten Tuberculosis Hospital at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and the General Hospital in Denver, Colorado. Following the war, he relocated to Washington, D.C., where he established himself as the principal architect of Montgomery County’s academic architecture from the mid-1920s to the mid-1940s.^[4] During this time, his architectural designs evolved from Art Deco to Classical Revival to streamline Art Moderne.

Cutler’s daughter Katherine was the first licensed female architect in the State of Maryland, and collaborated with Cutler on a variety of projects.^[5] Cutler continued the practice of architecture until his death in 1948.

Partial list of works

The following is a partial list of buildings designed by Cutler during his career:^[3][5][6]

• Kodak Tower, Rochester, N.Y., 1912
• Takoma Park-Silver Spring High School (Silver Spring Intermediate School), 1925 (demolished)
• Eldbrooke United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C.,1926
• Masonic Temple and Library Association, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1927
• Silver Spring Intermediate School Auditorium, 1928
• Garrett Park School, Garrett Park, Maryland, 1927-8 ^[7] *
• Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ, Washington, D.C., 1928
• Clara Barton School (now Clara Barton Community Center), Cabin John, Maryland, 1928 ^[8] *
• Colesville Elementary School, Colesville, Maryland, 1929
• Chevy Chase Elementary School, Chevy Chase, Maryland, 1930, 1936 ^[9] *
• Park Street Elementary School, Rockville, Maryland, 1934-5
• Damascus Elementary School, Damascus, Maryland, 1935
• Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Bethesda, Maryland,1935
• (original) Montgomery Blair High School, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1935 (now housing Silver Spring International Middle School) ^[10] *
• Montgomery Hills Junior High School, Silver Spring, 1936-7
• Westbrook Elementary School, Bethesda, Maryland, 1939
• Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Headquarters, Hyattsville, Maryland, 1939 ^[11] *
• Rock Creek Community Center, Chevy Chase, Maryland, c. 1940 (with Katherine Cutler) ^[5] *
• Lynnbrook Elementary School (East Bethesda), 1941 (with Katherine Cutler)
• Church of the Ascension, Silver Spring, Maryland
• St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, College Park, Maryland

(Properties marked with * have been designated as historical properties by the Maryland Historical Trust).

Gallery

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  Kodak Tower, Rochester, N.Y. (1912)

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  Eldbrooke United Methodist Church, Washington, D.C. (1926)

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  Garrett Park School, Garrett Park, Maryland (1927-28)

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  Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ, Washington, D.C. (1928)

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  Chevy Chase Elementary School, west wing, Chevy Chase, Maryland (1936)

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  Rock Creek Community Center (now Rock Creek or Meadowbrook Park Activity Building), Chevy Chase, Maryland (c. 1940)

References

1. ↑ Registration Form, Lincoln Temple, National Register of Historical Places
2. ↑ Announcement, Eldbrooke United Methodist Church, National Park Service
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Architects and Builders, Montgomery County, Places from the Past: The Tradition of Gardez Bien in Montgomery County
4. ↑ Determination of Eligibility Form, Fairfield School, Maryland Historical Trust
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Inventory of Historical Properties, Rock Creek Recreational Center, Maryland Historical Trust
6. ↑ Mark Walston, Montgomery County, Then & Now
7. ↑ Inventory of Historical Places, Maryland Historical Trust
8. ↑ Inventory of Historical Places, Maryland Historical Trust
9. ↑ Inventory of Historic Properties, Maryland Historical Trust
10. ↑ Inventory of Historical Properties, Maryland Historical Trust
11. ↑ Inventory of Historic Properties Form, Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission Headquarters, Maryland Historic Trust