Alfred B. Mullett (ca. 1834-1890), Architect
Alfred B. Mullett was born in Taunton, England, April 7, 1834. He was an assistant supervising architect for the U. S. Treasury from 1866-1874. Mullett was married and had two children. He died October 20, 1890.[1][2][5][6]
This page is a contribution to the publication, Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. See the format and contents page for more information on the compilation and page organization.
Contents
[hide]Compiled Nebraska Directory Listings
Educational & Professional Associations
1860-1865: architect with Isaiah Rogers, Cincinnati, Ohio.[5]
1866-1874: architect, U.S. Treasury, Washington, D. C.[2][6]
1875-1890: architect, Washington, D. C.[6]
Buildings & Projects
U.S. Post Office & Courthouse (1869-1874), Omaha, Nebraska.[3][6][7][8][a]
U.S. Post Office & Courthouse (1874-1879), 920 O, 121 N. 10th, Lincoln, Nebraska.[3][4][9][b] (LC13:C09-001)
Notes
a. In his Annual Report for 1869, Mullett reported "An excellent site has been donated for the proposed court-house and post office at Omaha, Nebraska, and arrangements made for an immediate commencement of work." His Annual Report of 1871 detailed that the first story was nearly completed but he felt it necessary "to call attention to the impossibility of completing the building within the amount of appropriation, according to the original plans [as]...a three-story building, with an attic..." Instead, the appropriation "...will compel the completion ...as a two-story structure. This will not furnish sufficient room for the proper transaction of the public business, and will necessitate an extension at no distant day..."
In 1873, Mullett provided a fine perspective view of the Omaha Custom House/Post Office and commented "The public building at Omaha, Nebr. is now inclosed [sic] and will be ready for occupancy at an early day. The work has been performed in a substantial manner, and at fair prices. The building is elegant and convenient, but perhaps open to the criticism that it is too good for the locality. I am of the opinion,however, that is it not desirable to erect inferior buildings in cities of the prospective importance of Omaha, and feel confident that the future of the town will justify the action of the Department."
Mullett's successor William Appleton Potter reported in 1875 that the "Omaha, Neb., Court-House and Post-Office...Within the past fiscal year...has been completed and furnished, and is now occupied."[7][8][9]
b. Mullett did the initial design for the building but resigned from the Treasury position not long after commencement of construction. His successor W. A. Potter detailed in his 1875 Annual Report that the excavation and masonry walls for the basement were completed, but "During the winter's suspension of the work, it was found that the plans prepared by the late Supervising Architect involved the necessity of an expenditure in excess of the amount to which the cost of the building was limited; and...I was directed to prepare new plans...[which] were prepared and approved..." Construction resumed under Appleton through 1876. In the 1877 Annual Report, his successor James G. Hill noted "After considerable difficulty and delay, suitable building material was obtained for the superstructure of this building, and during the past year...the extrior and interior walls carried above the attic-floor joists." Hill supervised completion of construction by 1879.[3][4][10][11]
References
1. AIA Historical Directory of American Architects: A Resource Guide to Finding Information About Past Architects, accessed May 25, 2010, http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd3000702.aspx
2. 1870 United States Census, s.v. “Alfred Mullett,” Georgetown, Washington, District of Columbia, accessed through HeritageQuestOnline.com.
3. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 119, 120. [725.1.P771n]
4. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
5. Henry F. Withey and Elsie Rathburn Withey. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased). Los Angeles: Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970, 432.
6. "Architectural drawing for a government building ("U.S. Court House & Post Office"), Omaha, Nebraska," Library of Congress; Photos, Prints, Drawings. Accessed July 15, 2016. https://www.loc.gov/item/95861109/
7. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1869 (Washington: Government Printing Office), 1869, 6.
8. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1871 (Washington: Government Print Office), 1871, 8.
9. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1873 (Washington: Government Print Office), 1873, 8 (with perspective between pp. 8 & 9).
10. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1875. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1875, 5. Accessed July 15, 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=pCArAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA6&lpg=PA6&dq=supervising+architect+of+the+treasury+omaha&source=bl&ots=spCnI5S4VY&sig=jCDD8h5u9mXsvd7gCFg_lFpeGkw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwif-fOt6fXNAhVMOCYKHQduCd4Q6AEIJzAC#v=onepage&q=supervising%20architect%20of%20the%20treasury%20omaha&f=false
11. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1877 (Washington: Government Print Office), 1877, 6.
Other Sources
Entry in Macmillan, Encyclopedia of Architects (New York: Macmillan, 1982).
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “Alfred B. Mullett (ca. 1834-1890), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, April 16, 2015; updated July 1, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, April 4, 2025.
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