George Houston Burr

George Houston Burr (20 or 29 May 1881 – 30 September 1958), also known as G. Houston Burr[1][2] or Houston Burr,[2] was an American architect primarily active in Boston, Massachusetts, and the surrounding area from at least 1910 into the 1950s. From 1920 onward Burr was partnered with fellow architect James E. McLaughlin, who had previously designed Fenway Park, the home stadium of the Boston Red Sox baseball team. Their architectural firm was called McLaughlin and Burr.

Early life

Burr was born on 20 May 1881[3] or 29 May 1881[1] in Maryland.[1][3] His father Shields Burr (1853–1883) was born in Washington, D.C., and died in Topolobampo, Mexico, of yellow fever and was buried at sea in that city's harbor.[3][4] Two cenotaphs for Shields Burr exist: one at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C., and another at Rome Cemetery in Rome, Maine. Burr's mother was Clara Nye Burr (1856–1907), who was born in Rome, Maine, and died in Natick, Massachusetts; she is buried alongside her husband's cenotaph in Oak Hill Cemetery.[3][5] George Houston Burr may have been born or spent his early life in Laurel, Maryland, as a memorial service for his father was held at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Laurel on 19 October 1883.[4] He had a younger brother also named Shields Burr (1883–1960).[3]

Burr married Regina Muriel Robinson (1885–1981) of New Jersey in 1908 or 1909.[1][3] Her parents were Harry and Regina Robinson.[1] George and Regina had three children together: Muriel Burr (1913–1998), Hugh Burr (1915–1997), and Margaret Robinson Burr (1918–1998).[3]

Professional career

Burr graduated from Cornell University College of Architecture in 1905 and was working as a draftsman by 1910.[1] In 1912 he became an architect and partnered with fellow architect Frank T. Lent; their office was located in Leominster, Massachusetts.[1] Burr moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, a year later in 1913 and began working in the office of architect James E. McLaughlin in 1914.[1] Apparently Burr was initially demoted back to draftsman in McLaughlin's office, although by 1915 he was again going by the title "architect."[1] In 1920 the two men formed a partnership under the name McLaughlin and Burr.[1][6] The architectural firm of McLaughlin and Burr remained active into the 1950s, designing multiple residential, commercial, and public buildings (including many schools) throughout Massachusetts.[1][6] Burr was a member of the American Institute of Architects from 1921 to 1942.[2]

Later life

Burr died on 30 September 1958 in Belmont, Massachusetts.[3] He is buried at Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts.[3]

Works

This is a partial list.

As McLaughlin and Burr

References
  1. "George Houston Burr". Back Bay Houses. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  2. Hadley, Nancy (18 December 2018). "G. Houston Burr". AIA Historical Directory of American Architects. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  3. "George Houston Burr". Find a Grave. 2 June 2020. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  4. "Shields Burr". Find a Grave. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  5. "Clara Nye Burr". Find a Grave. 14 July 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  6. "McLaughlin and Burr". Back Bay Houses. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  7. "65 Commonwealth". Back Bay Houses. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  8. Morgan, Keith N. (2013–2020). "Boston Latin School". SAH Archipedia. Society of Architectural Historians. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  9. Chesto, Jon (3 November 2015). "Restoring old Southie police station hasn't been easy". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.