William Alfred Freret, Jr. (1833-1911), Architect
William Alfred Freret, Jr. (often called "Will") was born in New Orleans in 1833 to William and Frances (nee Salkeld) Freret. Will's father and uncles operated their father's "Freret Cotton Press Company," the first large industrial firm in New Orleans. William Sr. also served two terms as the city's mayor in the 1840s. Will had experience superintending construction of major public buildings in Louisiana, including university buildings and the rebuilding of the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, which was burned during the Civil War.[1][2] He had also served as an "Artificer" in the Confederate Army. Will married Caroline "Carrie" Lewis in 1865 and they had two daughters and a son, William Alfred Freret III, who also became an architect.[2] As early as 1886, there were rumors in Nebraska newspapers that Freret would be appointed as the U. S. Treasury's Supervising Architect to replace M. E. Bell. Freret's federal appointment did not occur until the summer of 1887 and he resigned in March of 1889, a tenure that was brief but not unusual in that demanding and politically fraught office.[1][3][4][13] During Freret's tenure, he and his staff of approximately four dozen draftsmen commenced numerous substantial post offices and other federal buildings from El Paso, Texas to Bridgeport, Connecticut, but no major projects were begun in Nebraska. In 1889, Freret returned to his architectural practice in New Orleans, where he died in 1911.[5]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the Format and contents of Nebraska architect entries page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
Education & Professional Associations
1849, graduated from University of Virginia.[5]
ca. 1850s, "...perfected himself in engineering and architecture by study abroad for several years."[6]
1861-5, "...attained the rank of Major of Engineers [Confederate Army]."[6]
1868, listed as "State Engineer" on "Board of Supervisors" of Louisiana State Seminary of Learning and Military Academy.[7]
Nebraska Buildings & Projects
Completion of Post Office and site (1885-1889), Nebraska City, Nebraska.[9][10][14][a]
Advertisements soliciting proposals for purchase of site for federal government building (1889), Omaha, Nebraska.[11][12]
Notes
a. The Nebraska City post office was begun in 1885 under M. E. Bell. The designs were approved and construction was well underway before Bell resigned in July 1887. As Bell's successor, Freret submitted the Annual Report for the year ending September 30, 1887. On the Nebraska City Post Office, Freret noted that an additional $31,000 had been had been appropriated and new "sketch plans and estimate of cost were approved May 7, 1887, for the enlargement of the building." He added "The extension is now at the height of the first-story sill course, and work is proceeding on the masonry of the second story of the older portion."[14]
References
1. Antoinette J. Lee, "Will. A. Freret" in Architects to the Nation: The Rise and Decline of the Supervising Architect's Office (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 142-147.
2. Ancestry.com. U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current, s.v. "William Alfred Freret," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
3. "Bell's Days Numbered," Nebraska (City) Daily News-Press (October 22, 1886), 1.
4. "William L. [sic] Freret, of New Orleans, has been appointed Supervising Architect of the Government vice M. H. [sic] Bell," Daily Democrat (Beatrice, Nebraska) (July 23, 1887), 3.
5. "Col. Wm. A. Freeret [sic] Dead," Atlanta (Georgia) Journal (December 6, 1911), 9.
6. "Washington Letter. William A. Freret, the New Orleans Creole Appointed to Succeed Architect Bell," Daily Gazette-Journal (Hastings, Nebraska) (Aug. 16, 1887), 2.
7. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Catalogs, 1765-1935, s.v. "Major Wm A Freret," [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
8. "The new supervising architect, Mr. Freret, is gradually shaping the work of his office..." Omaha (Nebraska) Daily World-Herald (December 12, 1887), 1.
9. "The Work Will be Done," Nebraska City (Nebraska) News (September 21, 1888), 3.
10. "Hendricks Gets It" (bid for completion of approaches), Nebraska City (Nebraska) News (October 12, 1888), 11.
11. "Washington special..." [Freret pledges to] "favor $300,000 for grounds and $900,000 for a [Omaha federal] building...," Gothenburg (Nebraska) Independent (January 25, 1888), 2.
12. "Omaha's Postoffice Site...A Corner Lot is Preferred," Omaha (Nebraska) Daily Bee (February 15, 1889), 1.
13. "Windrim Honored. Secretary Windom has appointed James H. Windrim, of Phiadelphia, Supervising Architect of the Treasury, vice Will A Freret, resigned by request." Nebraska Journal-Leader (Ponca, Nebraska) (April 4, 1889), 3.
14. W. A. Freret, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the year ending September 30, 1887 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1887), 40.
Other Sources
Page Citation
E. F. Zimmer, “William Alfred Freret, Jr. (1833-1911), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, July 11, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, October 29, 2024.
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