J. Pickering Putnam (April 3, 1847 – February 23, 1917), also known as J. P. Putnam or John Pickering Putnam, was an American architect and designer who "pioneered the concept of the modern apartment building."[1] He designed several buildings in the Back Bay area of Boston, Massachusetts. He earned a number of design patents related to plumbing, ventilation, and the like, such as US Patent No.563,064 (1896), a design for a washbasin.[2]
J. Pickering Putnam | |
---|---|
Born | John Amory Putnam April 3, 1847 Boston, Massachusetts |
Died | February 23, 1917 Boston, Massachusetts | (aged 69)
Education | Harvard College |
Occupation | Architect |
Spouse |
Grace Cornelia Stevens
(m. 1885) |
Children | 2 |
Putnam was born as "John Amory Putnam" in Boston in 1847, to John Pickering Putnam (1813-1867) and Harriet Upham (1820-1905).[3] He was one of four children; his siblings were Mary Upham Putnam (1843-1920); Harriet Putnam (b. 1845); and Sarah Gooll Putnam (1851-1912), a painter.[1][4]
Putnam graduated from the Boston Latin School, and from Harvard College in 1868. He then trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, in 1869, and the Royal Academy of Architecture, Berlin, 1870-1872.[5][6] "The war interrupted his studies. Leaving Paris for Berlin, he was twice arrested as a Prussian spy, while sketching in the streets."[7]
On returning to the US in 1872 he began practicing architecture and was associated professionally with George Thomas Tilden. In 1885 Putnam married Grace Cornelia Stevens; they had 2 children: Grace Elizabeth Putnam (b. 1887) and John Pickering Putnam Jr. (b. 1892).[7] He was a member of the Boston Society of Architects; St. Botolph Club; Portfolio Club of Boston; and The Cold Cut Club of Boston.[7]
He died at the Charlesgate Hotel in Boston on February 23, 1917.[8]