William Russell Walker (April 14, 1830 – March 11, 1905) was an American architect in practice in Providence, Rhode Island, from 1864 until his retirement in 1903. From 1881 he was the senior partner of William R. Walker & Son, and during his lifetime was the most prolific architect of public buildings in Rhode Island.

Early life Major-General William Russell Walker was born April 14, 1830, in a part of Seekonk, Massachusetts, that is now East Providence, Rhode Island, to Alfred Walker and Huldah Burdeen Walker, née Perry. Walker was a descendant of the "Widow Walker," one of the original purchasers and proprietors of Rehoboth in 1643. He was educated in the Seekonk public schools and graduated from the Seekonk Classical Seminary, a private school, in 1846. For the next three years he was apprenticed to a Providence carpenter and studied architectural drawing at Scholfield's Commercial College. During the winter of 1850–51 he lived in Augusta, Georgia, but the next summer he returned to Rhode Island and settled in Pawtucket, where he would live for the rest of his life."Walker, Gen. William R." in An Illustrated History of Pawtucket, Central Falls and Vicinity (Pawtucket: Pawtucket Gazette and Chronicle, 1897): 464-466.

In 1857 Walker joined both the Freemasons and the Pawtucket Light Guard of the Rhode Island state militia, two organizations would have a dominant role in his later architectural career. Walker was a member of the committee which built the guard's Armory Hall (1859) on High Street in Pawtucket, the first building with which he is associated.Acts and Resolves of the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Passed at the May Session, 1858 (Providence: Knowles, Anthony & Company, state printers, 1858) In April 1861, shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War, the Pawtucket Light Guard was designated Company E of the 1st Rhode Island Infantry, which was raised by Ambrose Burnside.Massena Goodrich, Historical Sketch of the Town of Pawtucket (Pawtucket: Nickerson, Sibley & Company, printers, 1876): 150-151. Walker was commissioned a first lieutenant of the company, which mustered out three months later in August.

Architectural career In February 1864 Walker established himself as an architect in the Merchants Bank Building in Providence. During his lifetime, he moved his offices first to the Reynolds Building and second to the Vaughan Building, neither of which are extant. During the next decade he was joined by several draftsmen: in 1868 by Thomas J. Gould,"A group of American architects" in American Architect and Building News (February 16, 1884): 75-76. in 1872 by Frank W. Angell and in 1874 by his son, W. Howard Walker. He was a sole practitioner until January 1876, when he and Gould formed the partnership of Walker & Gould. This continued for five years until January 1881, when Gould and Angell withdrew to form their own firm and Walker and his son formed the new partnership of William R. Walker & Son.Robert Greive and John P. Fernald. The Cotton Centennial, 1790-1890 (Providence: J. A. & R. A. Reid, 1891): 149-150.

Walker was closely associated with the Rhode Island state militia, Republican Party and masonic establishment. Through these connections, he designed most of the public buildings built in Rhode Island during his career, including town and city halls, state armories and public schools. His career culminated in the Cranston Street Armory (1907), begun in 1902 but not completed until two years after his death. Walker had retired from the firm in 1903 due to his declining health."Gen. William R. Walker dead," Providence Journal, March 12, 1905. This firm survived nearly forty years after his death: it was led successively by his son W. Howard Walker and grandson William R. Walker until their deaths in 1922 and 1936, respectively, and by his grandson's associates, George H. Rice and Roy F. Arnold, until its dissolution sometime during World War II.William H. Jordy and Christopher P. Monkhouse, Buildings on Paper: Rhode Island Architectural Drawings, 1825-1945 (1982): 237-238.

Personal life Walker was a member of the Republican party. He was member of the North Providence town council as well as of that of Pawtucket when it separated from North Providence in 1874. He served two terms in the Rhode Island General Assembly and was a delegate to the 1888 Republican National Convention in Chicago, which nominated Benjamin Harrison for president. In the 1890s he served on the board of park commissioners of Pawtucket. It was substantially through his many political connections that Walker obtained so many public commissions throughout the state.

Walker was active in the state militia for over twenty years, retiring in 1879 with the rank of Major General. He was a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and the Grand Army of the Republic. He was the architect of the state armories in Pawtucket (1895), Westerly (1901) and Providence (1907). His son was also prominent in the militia before his retirement in 1912. The construction of these armories in Rhode Island at the turn of the century followed a national trend, in which the rapidly expanding state National Guards were used increasingly as a disciplinary tool against organized labor.Nancy L. Todd, New York's Historic Armories: An Illustrated History (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2006): 30-32. He filled at one time or another nearly all of the offices in the Rhode Island Freemasons. He was the architect of the Masonic Temples in Providence (1886)"The Masonic Temple," Providence Journal, June 7, 1884. and Pawtucket (1898),Brickbuilder (February 1897): 41. neither of which are extant.

Walker was married in 1852 to Eliza Billings Hall of Providence. They had two children, George Clinton Walker and William Howard Walker. The first Mrs. Walker died in 1895 and Walker married second in 1897 to Mrs. Hannah Maria Gerald. Walker died March 11, 1905, at home in Pawtucket at the age of 74. He is buried in Swan Point Cemetery.

Selected works William R. Walker, 1864-1875 1864 - Pawtucket Hair Cloth Mill, 501 Roosevelt Ave, Central Falls, Rhode IslandHistoric Resources of Central Falls, Rhode Island. n.d. 1865 - John A. Mitchell House, 190 Hope St, Providence, Rhode IslandWoodward, Wm. McKenzie. Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historic Resources. 1986. 1866 - Ogden Mills House (Ocean View), 662 Bellevue Ave, Newport, Rhode IslandYarnall, James L. Newport Through its Architecture. 2005. 1868 - Frederic C. Sayles House (Bryn Mawr), East Ave, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandNew England Families: Genealogical and Memorial. Ed. William R. Cutter. Vol. 4. 1915.Representative Men and Old Families of Rhode Island. Vol. 1. 1908. Demolished 1868 - Benjamin B. Knight House, 155 Broad St, Providence, Rhode IslandSouth Providence, Providence: Statewide Historical Preservation Report P-P-2. 1978. Demolished 1870 - Amasa Sprague Jr. House, Valentine Circle, Warwick, Rhode IslandWarwick, Rhode Island: Statewide Preservation Report K-W-1. 1981. Burned in 1930 1870 - Isaac Davis House, 59 Elm St, Worcester, Massachusetts"Davis, Isaac House". mhc-macris.net. n.d. 1871 - Benedict House, 301 Main St, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandPawtucket, Rhode Island: Statewide Preservation Report P-PA-1. 1978. Demolished in 1979 1871 - Pawtucket City Hall (Old), 35 High St, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandHistory of the State of Rhode Island with Illustrations. 1878.New England Families: Genealogical and Memorial. Ed. William R. Cutter. Vol. 2. 1913.Johnson, Elizabeth J., James L. Wheaton, and Susan L. Reed. Images of America: Pawtucket. Vol. 2. 1996. Demolished in 1968 1871 - Wamsutta House, Elm & N Washington, North Attleborough, MassachusettsLanpher, Bob, Dorothea Donnelly, and George Cunningham. Images of America: North Attleborough. 1998. Demolished 1872 - Equitable Building, 1 Custom House St, Providence, Rhode Island 1872 - Northbridge Memorial Town Hall, 7 Main St, Whitinsville, Massachusetts"Northbridge Town Hall". mhc-macris.net. n.d. 1872 - Alfred A. Reed, Jr. House (Cedar Hill), 4157 Post Rd, Warwick, Rhode Island 1872 - John C. Whitin House, 60 Main St, Whitinsville, Massachusetts Demolished in 1941 1873 - William Sprague House (Canonchet), Hoxsie Ln, Narragansett Pier, Rhode IslandHistoric and Architectural Resources of Narragansett, Rhode Island. 1991. Burned in 1909 1873 - Oakland Beach Hotel, Oakland Beach Ave, Oakland Beach, Rhode IslandTolles, Bryant F., Jr. Summer by the Seaside: The Architecture of New England Coastal Resort Hotels 1820-1950. 2008. Burned in 1903 1873 - Boston Store, 239 Westminster St, Providence, Rhode Island Demolished 1875 - Bell Street Chapel, 5 Bell St, Providence, Rhode Island.

Walker & Gould, 1876-1880 1876 - Central Falls Baptist Church, 481 Broad St, Central Falls, Rhode IslandBuilder and Wood-Worker Dec. 1880: 1880. Demolished 1876 - John E. Troup House, 478 Broadway, Providence, Rhode Island 1876 - Music Hall Block (Town Hall), 172 Main St, Danielson, ConnecticutAmerican Architect and Building News 21 Oct. 1876. 1876 - Rhode Island Building, Centennial Exposition, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Demolished 1876 - Robinson Hall, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island (dedicated February 16, 1878).Boston Post, February 18, 1878, page 2. 1876 - Woonsocket High School (Old), 60 High School St, Woonsocket, Rhode IslandRichardson, Erastus. History of Woonsocket. 1876. Demolished in 2001 1877 - Aldrich Building, Delta St, Providence, Rhode Island. DemolishedAmerican Architect and Building News 6 April 1878. Demolished 1877 - Daniels Building, 26 Custom House St, Providence, Rhode IslandNew England Families: Genealogical and Memorial. Ed. William R. Cutter. Vol. 3. 1914.Greene, Welcome Arnold. The Providence Plantations for 250 Years. 1886. Demolished 1877 - Charles R. Chapman House, 61 Woodland St, Hartford, ConnecticutAmerican Architect and Building News 13 Oct. 1877. Demolished 1877 - Horatio N. Campbell House, 141 Waterman St, Providence, Rhode Island 1877 - Providence High School (Old), Pond & Summer, Providence, Rhode IslandAmerican Architect and Building News 20 Jan. 1877: 21. Demolished 1877 - Union Congregational Church, Broad St, Providence, Rhode IslandCady, John Hutchins. The Civic and Architectural Development of Providence, 1636-1950. 1957. Demolished 1878 - Henry B. Metcalf House, 145 Broadway, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandHistoric Resources of Pawtucket, Rhode Island. n.d. Demolished 1878 - Sanford C. Hovey House, 173 Congdon St, Providence, Rhode IslandAmerican Architect and Building News 14 Dec. 1878. 1878 - Narragansett Hotel, 93 Dorrance St, Providence, Rhode Island Demolished in 1959 1878 - Vaughan Building, 17 Custom House St, Providence, Rhode Island Demolished 1879 - District 4 School, 132 Roger Williams Ave, Phillipsdale, Rhode IslandPhillipsdale Historic District NRHP Nomination. 2011. 1879 - First Baptist Church, 1400 Pawtucket Ave, East Providence, Rhode IslandEast Providence, Rhode Island: Statewide Preservation Report P-EP-1. 1976. 1880 - Charles P. Young House, 107 N Washington St, North Attleborough, Massachusetts"Young, Charles P. House". mhc-macris.net. n.d. 1880 - Everett P. Carpenter House, 72 Summit St, Pawtucket, Rhode IslandAmerican Architect and Building News 28 March 1880: 124. 1880 - Nicholson File Office Building, 23 Acorn St, Providence, Rhode IslandAmerican Architect and Building News 28 Feb. 1880: 88. 1880 - Turner Avenue School, Turner & Smith, Riverside, Rhode Island Demolished

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