William Resor Stokes (September 30, 1854 – January 18, 1935) was an American architect and contractor, who garnered significant recognition for designing residential and educational structures in the Portland, Oregon, area. His son, Francis Marion Stokes, later went on to continue making significant contributions to the architecture of the Portland Area.
William Resor Stokes | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 30, 1854 Cincinnati, Ohio, US |
| Died | January 18, 1935 (aged 80) Portland, Oregon, US |
| Children | 5 |
Career
editWilliam Stokes learned the profession from his father, who was a brick mason,[1] and trained under John Ashar, a homebuilder in Cincinnati. In 1882, he boarded the transcontinental railroad to San Francisco, then sailed north to Portland[2] where he made the majority of his career while working with Richard L. Zeller. During this time, he also occasionally designed projects to be executed by local architects elsewhere as evidenced by work executed in Seattle.[3] He was especially known for his public school buildings constructed across the state of Oregon.[4] His career continued until retirement in 1920.[5][1]
Portland High School
editPortland High school was "Transition or Semi-Norman" in style, and measured 200 feet deep by 140 feet wide, featuring a four-story atrium with a skylight.[6] The architect was instructed that there was no money to be spent on ornaments which were non-essential to construction, and that beauty would instead have to be sought in lines of form framed in bricks and mortar.[7] The building was initially projected to cost $40,000, final cost exceeding $123,385.85.[8] The building required repairs within its first decade, and the roof around the skylight had begun to sag. Stokes responded that the School Board had been overzealous and that green lumber used in construction had suffered shrinkage.[9] The Girls' Polytechnic School later used the building until 1928.[9]
Forbes Residence
editSallie and Charles Forbes' house was commissioned in 1891 and completed in early 1892.[10] It was constructed on high ground with an unobstructed silhouette. The style was described as "Modern English Gothic", and the interior featured Spanish majogany and native cedar, while the foyer had a tile floor, mahogany double doors featuring art glass, and a "double-Newell mahogany staircase of unique design". The attic held a social hall, and an elevator ran from basement to attic.[11] The house sold to Henry W. Goode in 1897, who sold it to Laura and Graham Glass in 1902. The Glass family lived in the house until 1929.[10]
Personal life
editWilliam was born in 1854 in Cincinnati to Edward and Mary Stokes. He married Mollie Lucinda Mathena Stokes in 1879, with which he had four sons, including William Roy Stokes (1880–1973) and Francis Marion Stokes (1883–1975), and one daughter.[5][2]
Known works
edit- C. M. Forbes Residence, Portland,[11] 1892, (razed 1929)
- Goodnough Building, SW 5th & Yamhill, Portland[9]
- Williams Avenue Schoolhouse,[2] Albina, Portland, 1884,[12] expanded 1889[13]
- Ladd Residence, Laurelhurst[2]
- Soldiers' Home, Roseburg[2]
- Portland Central High School, 1883–1885[6][14][15][16] (razed 1928)[9]
- Medical College, C & 14th St, Portland, 1886-87[17] (streets renamed Couch & 15th)
- 1st Methodist Episcopal Church, Seattle, 1887–1889 (razed 1907–1909)[3][18]
- Frank C. Barnes House, 1913, Stokes & Zeller[19]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b "Francis Marion Stokes Fourplex National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). January 1996. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Gaston, Joseph (1911). Portland, Oregon, its history and builders : in connection with the antecedent explorations, discoveries, and movements of the pioneers that selected the site for the great city of the Pacific. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. pp. 285–286.
- ^ a b "PCAD - 1st Methodist Episcopal Church #2, Downtown, Seattle, WA". pcad.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ Orloff, Chet. A VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF PORTLAND PUBLIC SCHOOLS (PDF). p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 30, 2023.
- ^ a b "PCAD - William R. Stokes Sr". pcad.lib.washington.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ a b History of Education in Portland. 1937. p. 85.
- ^ "MR. JOHN WILSON AGAIN". Morning Oregonian. March 22, 1884. p. 3.
- ^ "The total amount expended". Morning Oregonian. September 11, 1886. p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Ballestrem, Val C. (2018). Lost Portland Oregon. Charleston, SC: The History Press. p. 45. ISBN 9781467139533.
- ^ a b Ballenstrem, Val C. (2018). Lost Portland Oregon. Charleston, SC: The History Press. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9781467139533.
- ^ a b "CITY NEWS IN BRIEF - An Attractive Residence Section". The Oregonian. March 21, 1892.
- ^ "The East Side". Morning Oregonian. October 27, 1883. p. 4.
- ^ "Education". THE VOLGA GERMANS IN PORTLAND. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ Association, LHS Alumni (2022-06-20). "Where in the world is Lincoln High School?". PortlandTribune.com. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
- ^ "Portland Public Schools: Historic Building Assessment" (PDF). October 2009. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2017.
- ^ Crawford, T.H. "HISTORICAL SKETCH of the PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF PORTLAND, OR. 1847—1888" (PDF).
- ^ "NEW BUILDINGS. What Portland and her Suburbs did in the Past Year". Morning Oregonian. January 1, 1887. p. 4.
- ^ Gordon, Karen (June 18, 2009). "First United Methodist Church 811 Fifth Avenue, Landmarks Designation Report" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 30, 2023.
- ^ Zondervan, Jean (2012-06-21). "The Barnes Residence: A History Revised - Architectural Heritage Center". Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved 2023-11-30.
External links
edit- Works of Stokes & Zeller from 1906-1910 can be accessed through the 1992 Michael Shellenbarger Index to The Portland Daily Abstract, Index/Summary 3: Morgan-Wren, pg. 77-93