William Appleton Potter (1842-1909), Architect
William Appleton Potter was born on December 8, 1842, in Schenectady, New York, to Bishop Alonzo and Sarah (nee Benedict) Potter. He designed numerous major academic and ecclesiastic buildings through his career. He was briefly the Supervising Architect of the U. S. Treasury from 1875-1876, building several post offices across the country in variations of the High Victorian Gothic style. [1][5][9][13][c] Potter argued in his only annual report (1875) that the demands upon the Treasury Department architect were so varied and urgent that they precluded thoughtful artistic design work by the Supervising Architect. He urged that "The vital point of any system which may be adopted must be to remove from the Supervising Architect the power to make designs, and restrict his duties to those of a supervisory nature."[1][5] Potter died in Rome, Italy on February 19, 1909 and was interred in Rome.[1][2][3][7]
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]Educational & Professional Associations
1864, graduated from Union College, Schenectady, New York, "specializing in engineering."[1][8]
1865, assistant professor of chemistry, Columbia University, New York City.[1]
1866-1868, traveled to Europe for further study in chemistry [1]; or "Mr. Potter studied for some years at the Beaux Arts in Paris."[8][11]
Joined the architectural office of George B. Post, New York City.[10]
Joined his half-brother Edward Tuckerman Potter (1831-1904) in architectural practice in Schenectady, New York.[1]
1873, elected to American Institute of Architects.[12]
1875-1876: Supervising Architect of United States Treasury.[2]
Early Buildings & Projects
Chancellor Green Library (1872-1873), Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.[1]
College of Sciences (1873), Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey.[1]
Nott-Potter Memorial Hall (1852, 1872-76), Union College, Schenectady, New York.[9][a]
Nebraska Buildings & Projects
U.S. Post Office & Court House (1874-1879), Lincoln, Nebraska.[b] (LC13:C09-001)
Notes
a. The 16-sided Nott Memorial Hall was begun In 1852 by Union College president Eliphalet Nott, accomplishing only the foundation. The building was completed in 1872-76 under Edward Tuckerman Potter and William Appleton Potter, who also donated $35,000 towards the cost. Their father had been a Union College professor and de-facto chief administrator; another brother was president when the Memorial Hall was completed.[9]
b. A. B. Mullett did the initial design for the Lincoln, Nebraska U. S. Post Office and Courthouse but resigned from the Treasury position not long after commencement of construction. W. A. Potter, who succeeded Mullett as Supervising Architect, 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, Potter's 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 exterior and interior walls carried above the attic-floor joists." Hill supervised completion of construction by 1879.[4][5][6]
c. Potter's brief term as Supervising Architect is often cited as 1874-1877. However, his term started January 2, 1875. His only Annual Report to the Treasury Secretary was for the year 1875. James G. Hill submitted the next report in October 1876.[13][14]
References
1. Montgomery Schuyler, “The Work of William Appleton Potter,” Architectural Record XXVI (September 1909), 176-196.
2. Oliver B. Pollak, Nebraska Courthouses: Contention, Compromise, and Community [Images of America Series] (Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002), 120. [725.1.P771n]
3. AIA Historical Directory of American Architects: A Resource Guide to Finding Information About Past Architects, accessed June 15, 2010, http://communities.aia.org/sites/hdoaa/wiki/Wiki%20Pages/ahd1035731.aspx
4. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
5. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1875 (Washington: Government Printing Office, 1875), 14-16; accessed on-line July 4, 2024 at https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101067565786&seq=7
6. Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1877 (Washington: Government Print Office), 1877, 6.
7. Ancestry.com. Italy, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current, s.v. "William Appleton Potter," [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012.
8. "William Appleton Potter" (obituary), New York Times (February 22, 1909), 9.
9. Carolyn Pitts, "Nott Memorial Hall," nomination to National Register of Historic Places, 1985; accessed on-line July 4, 2024 at https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NHLS/72000912_text
10. "William Appleton Potter," Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia, on-line database accessed July 4, 2024.
11. Arrivals, "Aug. 17--steamship New-York, from Premen...W. A. Potter," New York Times (August 18, 1886), 8.
12. "A meeting of the American Institute of architects was held...[in New York City]," New-York Tribune (May 28, 1873), 8.
13. "The New Supervising Architect--Appointment of Mr. William A. Potter to Succeed Mr. Mullett," New York Daily Herald (December 30, 1874), 5.
14. Submitted October 1876 by James G. Hill, Annual Report of the Supervising Architect to the Secretary of the Treasury for the Year 1876, (Washington: Government Printing Office), 1876.
Other Sources
Henry F. Withey, and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956. Facsimile edition, Hennessey & Ingalls, Inc., 1970).
Entry in Macmillan Encyclopedia of Architects (New York: Macmillan, 1982).
Page Citation
D. Murphy & E. F. Zimmer, “William Appleton Potter (1842-1909), Architect,” in David Murphy, Edward F. Zimmer, and Lynn Meyer, comps. Place Makers of Nebraska: The Architects. Lincoln: Nebraska State Historical Society, March 3, 2015, updated July 4, 2024. http://www.e-nebraskahistory.org/index.php?title=Place_Makers_of_Nebraska:_The_Architects Accessed, March 28, 2025.
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