Martin & Hall was an American architectural firm based in Providence, Rhode Island. It was established in 1893 as the partnership of architects Frank H. Martin and George Frederic Hall. After Martin's death in 1917 Hall practiced alone until his own death in 1928.
History The firm was founded February 1, 1893, when the two men, who were senior employees of the leading local firm, Stone, Carpenter & Willson, opened their own practice. They took several clients with them, resulting in a rift with their former employers. Likely as a result of this, both were denied membership in the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) until after the deaths of Alfred Stone and Edmund R. Willson. Martin & Hall developed a successful general practice and did not specialize in any one type of building. Their work was concentrated in Rhode Island with a small number of projects in other New England states and one in Texas.William H. Jordy and Christopher P. Monkhouse, Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Architectural Drawings, 1825-1945, ed. William McKenzie Woodward (Providence: 1982): 222.
The firm's first office was located on Custom House Street. In 1894 they moved into the just-completed Industrial Trust Building, now demolished."Industrial Trust Company Building," Providence News, May 3, 1894. In 1901 they again moved to the new Union Trust Company Building, where they would remain. Both of these buildings were designed by their former employers, Stone, Carpenter & Willson.
Martin died unexpectedly in 1917. Hall continued the firm as a sole proprietorship until his own death in 1928.
Partner biographies Frank H. Martin Frank Howard Martin (March 9, 1863 – February 2, 1917) was born in Seekonk, Massachusetts, to Sylvester G. Martin and Susan B. Martin, née Padelford. He was educated in the Providence public schools and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He then worked in New York City for architects including Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell. In 1888 he returned to Providence and joined the office of Stone, Carpenter & Willson."Martin, Frank Howard" in Who's Who in New England, ed. Albert Nelson Marquis (Chicago: A. N. Marquis & Company, 1909): 635.
Martin was married in 1887 to Annie W. Burgess of Lynn, Massachusetts."Martin-Burgess," Daily Item, June 3, 1887. They had one child, Maude Potter Martin. In 1915 she married William Low Studley, son of J. Edward Studley of the William H. Low Estate Company, a repeat client of the firm."Alumni notes" in Yale Alumni Weekly 24, no. 22 (February 19, 1915): 605. Martin was a member of the AIA, the Architectural League of New York and the Providence Art Club. He also served as senior warden of the vestry of S. Stephen's Church. He died at home in Providence after a brief illness at the age of 53."Frank H. Martin, architect, is dead," Providence Journal, February 3, 1917.
George Frederic Hall George Frederic Hall (June 11, 1866 – September 6, 1928) was born in Providence to Alvin E. Hall and Martha Louise Hall, née Andrews. He was educuated in the Providence public schools before joining Stone, Carpenter & Willson. While employed by the firm he independently designed a building on the Seekonk River for the Narragansett Boat Club (1891), of which he was a member.Engineering Record (April 25, 1891): 352.
Hall was married in 1897 to Mary Woodbury Polleys of Providence. They had no children. Hall was a member of the AIA, the Narragansett Boat Club, the Wannamoisett Country Club and the Providence Art Club, of which he was president for six consecutive terms. In 1928 he was appointed secretary of the commission responsible for erecting a statue of Oliver Hazard Perry at the Rhode Island State House; it was dedicated about two weeks after his death. While superintending construction of the Industrial Trust Building he became ill, and died several weeks later at the age of 62."George F. Hall, architect, dead," Providence Journal, September 6, 1928.
Legacy Martin & Hall followed the architectural approach established by their former employer, Stone, Carpenter & Willson. Most of their buildings were designed in contemporary revival styles, typically the Colonial Revival, Gothic Revival and Neoclassical styles. A small group of early projects, such as their first major completed work, the Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History (1895), are Châteauesque. They differed from Stone, Carpenter & Willson chiefly in their exaggerated approach to detail and proportion. A later group of buildings, including the Edwin A. Smith Building (1912) and their two public toilets, feature elaborate wrought-iron detail which is evocative of the Art Nouveau architecture of the 1900 Paris Exposition. The Smith building is also Rhode Island's exemplary example of the Commercial Style as it was then being developed in Chicago.
Three notable Rhode Island architects, Wallis Eastburn Howe, Norman M. Isham and Ambrose J. Murphy, worked for Martin & Hall. John Forbes Hogan also worked for Hall during the latter part of his career.
At least five buildings designed by Martin & Hall have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others by the firm and by Hall alone contribute to listed historic districts.
Architectural works All dates are date of completion. Buildings built after 1917 are attributed to Hall alone.
1893 – St. Maria's Home (former), 125 Governor St, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 184. 1895 – Roger Williams Park Museum of Natural History, Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 146. Martin & Hall completed a large north wing in 1916.American Contractor 35, no. 50 (December 12, 1914): 40."The New Park Museum" in Park Museum Bulletin 7, no. 6 (January–February, 1916): 30-32. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Roger Williams Park Historic District. 1896 – Clark Dalrymple Boathouse, Roger Williams Park, Providence, Rhode Island A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Roger Williams Park Historic District. 1896 – St. Francis Xavier Academy (former), 60 Broad St, Providence, Rhode Island"The new convent," Providence News, September 24, 1894. Now Xavier Hall of Johnson & Wales University. 1897 – Broad Street Grammar School (former), 1450 Broad St, Providence, Rhode IslandAmerican Architect and Building News 52, no. 1064 (May 16, 1896): xx. 1897 – Classical High School, 124 Pond St, Providence, Rhode IslandJohn Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192. Demolished. 1897 – William H. Low Building, 229 Westminster St, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 239. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Downtown Providence Historic District. 1897 – St. John's Episcopal Church (former), 80 Lexington Ave, East Boston, Boston"The Illustrations" in American Architect and Building News 57, no. 1135 (September 25, 1897): 107. Wallis Eastburn Howe, principal designer. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Eagle Hill Historic District. 1897 – St. Vincent de Paul Infant Asylum, Regent Ave and Wolcott St, Providence, Rhode Island"New orphanage," Fall River Daily Herald, August 28, 1896. Demolished. 1898 – Alice Building, 236 Westminster St, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 239-240. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Downtown Providence Historic District. 1898 – Hope High School, 331 Hope St, Providence, Rhode Island Demolished. 1898 – Rhode Island Normal School, 199 Promenade St, Providence, Rhode IslandJohn Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192.: 194. After Rhode Island College moved to Mount Pleasant in 1958, this building was used for state offices and courts. Demolished to build Providence Place; some ornament was salvaged and reused in the John Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts on the present college campus. 1900 – Squantum Association, 947 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Riverside, Rhode IslandWilliam H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 444-445. NRHP-listed. 1901 – American Textile Mill, 250 Esten Ave, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandWilliam H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 140. Wallis Eastburn Howe, principal designer. 1901 – St. Michael's Catholic Church, 251 Oxford St, Providence, Rhode IslandPaul F. Norton, Rhode Island Stained Glass: An Historical Guide (Dublin: William L. Bauhan, 2001): 119.William McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 227-228. Martin & Hall were responsible for the basement church only. Ambrose J. Murphy, probable principal designer. Murphy, Hindle & Wright completed the church proper in 1915. NRHP-listed. 1901 – Webster Memorial Guild House of S. Stephen's Church, 114 George St, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 73. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed College Hill Historic District. 1903 – Central Fire Station, Exchange and Washington Sts, Providence, Rhode IslandJohn Hutchins Cady, The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636–1950 (Providence: The Book Shop, 1957): 192.: 200. Demolished to build the John O. Pastore Federal Building. 1903 – Receiving tomb, North Burial Ground, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward and Edward F. Sanderson, Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources, ed. David Chase (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1986): 150. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed North Burial Ground historic district. 1903 – Shepard Company Building, 225 Westminster St, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 88. NRHP-listed, also a contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Downtown Providence Historic District. 1904 – Irons & Russell Building, 95 Chestnut St, Providence, Rhode IslandWilliam McKenzie Woodward, PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture (Providence: Providence Preservation Society and AIA Rhode Island, 2003): 127.William H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 56. A contributing resource to the NRHP-listed Providence Jewelry Manufacturing Historic District. 1906 – Frederick S. Peck house, Belton Court, 33 Middle Hwy, Barrington, Rhode IslandWilliam H. Jordy, Buildings of Rhode Island, ed. Ronald J. Onorato and William McKenzie Woodward (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 449-450. Hall completed major additions, more than tripling the size of the mansion, in 1928. NRHP-listed.Domestic Engineering 120, no. 4 (July 23, 1927): 95. 1909 – Esmond School (former), 50 Esmond St, Esmond, Rhode IslandAnnual Report of the State Board of Education, January, 1910 (Providence: State of Rhode Island, 1910) Now home to the East Smithfield Public Library.