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==Life and career==
==Life and career==
William Herbert McLean was born in [[Newton, Massachusetts]] in 1871<ref name="Obit"/> to Henry and Elizabeth McLean, who had immigrated from [[Nova Scotia]] that year. His father was a carpenter and built a number of houses in the Newton area. McLean attended the Massachusetts Normal Art School, the present [[Massachusetts College of Art and Design]],<ref name="Obit">"William H. McLean," ''Boston Globe'', January 11, 1943, 7.</ref> graduating in 1888.<ref>''Massachusetts Normal Art School: Circular and Catalogue for the Thirty-first Year'' (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, printers, 1903)</ref> He was also a member of the [[Boston Architectural Club]].<ref>''Catalogue of the Architectural Exhibition of the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Architectural Club'' (Boston: Rockwell & Churchill, printers, 1891)</ref>
William Herbert McLean was born in [[Newton, Massachusetts]], in 1871<ref name="Obit"/> to Henry and Elizabeth McLean, who had immigrated from [[Nova Scotia]] that year. His father was a carpenter and built a number of houses in the Newton area. McLean attended the Massachusetts Normal Art School, the present [[Massachusetts College of Art and Design]],<ref name="Obit">"William H. McLean," ''Boston Globe'', January 11, 1943, 7.</ref> graduating in 1888.<ref>''Massachusetts Normal Art School: Circular and Catalogue for the Thirty-first Year'' (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, printers, 1903)</ref> He was also a member of the [[Boston Architectural Club]].<ref>''Catalogue of the Architectural Exhibition of the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Architectural Club'' (Boston: Rockwell & Churchill, printers, 1891)</ref>


McLean worked for the Providence and Boston firm of Gould, Angell & Swift and contributed to the design of the Richards Memorial Library, completed in 1894, in [[North Attleborough, Massachusetts]].<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=NAL.A NAL.A]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref> After Gould, Angell & Swift was dissolved in 1897, McLean worked for the firm of [[Winslow & Wetherell]]. By 1899 McLean was practicing on his own account.<ref name="CD">City directories</ref> In 1901 he formed a partnership with Albert Hoffman Wright (1871–1919), known as McLean & Wright.<ref>{{Cite web|title=McLean, William H. {{!}} Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada|url=http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/2242|access-date=2021-03-30|website=dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org}}</ref> McLean and Wright worked in partnership until 1912.<ref name="CD"/>
McLean worked for the Providence and Boston firm of Gould, Angell & Swift and contributed to the design of the Richards Memorial Library, completed in 1894, in [[North Attleborough, Massachusetts]].<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=nal.a NAL.A]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref> After Gould, Angell & Swift was dissolved in 1897, McLean worked for the firm of [[Winslow & Wetherell]]. By 1899 McLean was practicing on his own account.<ref name="CD">City directories</ref> In 1901 he formed a partnership with Albert Hoffman Wright (1871–1919), known as McLean & Wright.<ref>{{Cite web|title=McLean, William H. {{!}} Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada|url=http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/2242|access-date=2021-03-30|website=dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org}}</ref> McLean and Wright worked in partnership until 1912.<ref name="CD"/>


McLean's father had begun to practice as an architect in Newton beginning in the 1890s, and for ten years before 1912 worked in the McLean & Wright office.<ref name="CD"/> After McLean and Wright dissolved their partnership, McLean and his father formed a new partnership, known as W. H. & Henry McLean. Henry McLean retired in 1917, and William H. continued to practice alone.<ref name="CD"/> He retired in 1938.<ref name="Rockland"/>
McLean's father had begun to practice as an architect in Newton beginning in the 1890s, and for ten years before 1912 worked in the McLean & Wright office.<ref name="CD"/> After McLean and Wright dissolved their partnership, McLean and his father formed a new partnership, known as W. H. & Henry McLean. Henry McLean retired in 1917, and William H. continued to practice alone.<ref name="CD"/> He retired in 1938.<ref name="Rockland"/>


==Personal life==
==Personal life==
McLean married in 1907 to Fannie F. Ingram of [[Malden, Massachusetts]]. They lived in Cambridge.<ref>"Surprise Party," ''Cambridge Chronicle'', July 6, 1907, 6.</ref> She died in 1935.<ref>"Mrs. F. F. McLean," ''Cambridge Chronicle'', January 3, 1936, 6.</ref> After McLean retired in 1938 he moved to [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]] where he lived with his daughter and her husband.
McLean married in 1907 to Fannie F. Ingram of [[Malden, Massachusetts]]. They lived in Cambridge.<ref>"Surprise Party," ''Cambridge Chronicle'', July 6, 1907, 6.</ref> She died in 1935.<ref>"Mrs. F. F. McLean," ''Cambridge Chronicle'', January 3, 1936, 6.</ref> After McLean retired in 1938 he moved to [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]], where he lived with his daughter and her husband.


McLean died January 10, 1943 in Middleborough at the age of 72.<ref name="Obit"/>
McLean died January 10, 1943, in Middleborough at the age of 72.<ref name="Obit"/>


==Legacy==
==Legacy==
Line 41: Line 41:
==Selected works==
==Selected works==
===Libraries===
===Libraries===
* [[Rockland Memorial Library]],{{efn|name=Carnegie|Building funded by [[Andrew Carnegie]].}} [[Rockland, Massachusetts]] (1903, NRHP 1989)<ref name="Rockland">"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=RCK.144 RCK.144]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Rockland Memorial Library]],{{efn|name=Carnegie|Building funded by [[Andrew Carnegie]].}} [[Rockland, Massachusetts]] (1903, NRHP 1989)<ref name="Rockland">"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=rck.144 RCK.144]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Rockport Public Library (former),{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Rockport, Massachusetts]] (1904–07)<ref>''Fifteenth Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts'' (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, printers, 1905)</ref>
* Rockport Public Library (former),{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Rockport, Massachusetts]] (1904–07)<ref>''Fifteenth Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts'' (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, printers, 1905)</ref>
* Carnegie Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Turners Falls, Massachusetts]] (1905)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=MNT.76 MNT.76]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Carnegie Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Turners Falls, Massachusetts]] (1905)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=mnt.76 MNT.76]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library]], [[Wilton, New Hampshire]] (1905–07, NRHP 1982)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/82001687 Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library NRHP Registration Form] (1982)</ref>
* [[Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library]], [[Wilton, New Hampshire]] (1905–07, NRHP 1982)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/82001687 Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library NRHP Registration Form] (1982)</ref>
* Attleboro Public Library, [[Attleboro, Massachusetts]] (1906–07)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=ATT.15 ATT.15]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Attleboro Public Library, [[Attleboro, Massachusetts]] (1906–07)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=att.15 ATT.15]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Brainerd Memorial Library, [[Haddam, Connecticut]] (1906–08)<ref>Daniel Sterner, "[http://historicbuildingsct.com/brainerd-memorial-library-1908/ Brainerd Memorial Library (1908)]," historicbuildingsct.com, Historic Buildings of Connecticut, June 7, 2009. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Brainerd Memorial Library, [[Haddam, Connecticut]] (1906–08)<ref>Daniel Sterner, "[http://historicbuildingsct.com/brainerd-memorial-library-1908/ Brainerd Memorial Library (1908)]," historicbuildingsct.com, Historic Buildings of Connecticut, June 7, 2009. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Fair Haven Free Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Fair Haven, Vermont]] (1906)<ref name="Vermont"/>
* Fair Haven Free Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Fair Haven, Vermont]] (1906)<ref name="Vermont"/>
* [[Ramsdell Public Library]], [[Housatonic, Massachusetts]] (1906–08, NRHP 2014)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=GBR.267 GBR.267]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Ramsdell Public Library]], [[Housatonic, Massachusetts]] (1906–08, NRHP 2014)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=gbr.267 GBR.267]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[William D. Weeks Memorial Library]], [[Lancaster, New Hampshire]] (1906–08, NRHP 2000)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/00001464 William D. Weeks Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form] (2010)</ref>
* [[William D. Weeks Memorial Library]], [[Lancaster, New Hampshire]] (1906–08, NRHP 2000)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/00001464 William D. Weeks Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form] (2010)</ref>
* Franklin Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Franklin, New Hampshire]] (1907)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/82001691 Franklin Falls Historic District NRHP Registration Form] (1982)</ref>
* Franklin Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Franklin, New Hampshire]] (1907)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/82001691 Franklin Falls Historic District NRHP Registration Form] (1982)</ref>
* Griswold Memorial Library,{{efn|name=Colrain|A contributing property to the [[Colrain Center Historic District]], listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.}} [[Colrain, Massachusetts]] (1908)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=COL.11 COL.11]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Griswold Memorial Library,{{efn|name=Colrain|A contributing property to the [[Colrain Center Historic District]], listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.}} [[Colrain, Massachusetts]] (1908)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=col.11 COL.11]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Hungerford Memorial Library,{{efn|name=Harwinton|A contributing property to the [[Litchfield–South Roads Historic District]].}} [[Harwinton, Connecticut]] (1908–10)<ref>"Buildings," ''Engineering News'' 60, no. 2 (July 2, 1908): 3.</ref>
* Hungerford Memorial Library,{{efn|name=Harwinton|A contributing property to the [[Litchfield–South Roads Historic District]].}} [[Harwinton, Connecticut]] (1908–10)<ref>"Buildings," ''Engineering News'' 60, no. 2 (July 2, 1908): 3.</ref>
* [[Rockingham Free Public Library]],{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Bellows Falls, Vermont]] (1908)<ref>"Public Buildings," ''Engineering Record'' 58, no. 2 (July 11, 1908): 42a.</ref>
* [[Rockingham Free Public Library]],{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Bellows Falls, Vermont]] (1908)<ref>"Public Buildings," ''Engineering Record'' 58, no. 2 (July 11, 1908): 42a.</ref>
* West Haven Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[West Haven, Connecticut]] (1908)<ref>"Libraries," ''Real Estate Record and Builders Guide'' 82, no. 2120 (October 31, 1908): 834.</ref>
* West Haven Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[West Haven, Connecticut]] (1908)<ref>"Libraries," ''Real Estate Record and Builders Guide'' 82, no. 2120 (October 31, 1908): 834.</ref>
* [[West Somerville Branch Library]],{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Somerville, Massachusetts]] (1908–09, NRHP 1989)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=SMV.65 SMV.65]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[West Somerville Branch Library]],{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Somerville, Massachusetts]] (1908–09, NRHP 1989)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=smv.65 SMV.65]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Lebanon Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Lebanon, New Hampshire]] (1909)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/86000782 Colburn Park Historic District NRHP Registration Form] (1986)</ref>
* Lebanon Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Lebanon, New Hampshire]] (1909)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/86000782 Colburn Park Historic District NRHP Registration Form] (1986)</ref>
* [[Shedd-Porter Memorial Library]], [[Alstead, New Hampshire]] (1909–10, NRHP 2010)<ref name="Shedd">[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/10001086 Shedd-Porter Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form] (2010)</ref>
* [[Shedd-Porter Memorial Library]], [[Alstead, New Hampshire]] (1909–10, NRHP 2010)<ref name="Shedd">[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/10001086 Shedd-Porter Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form] (2010)</ref>
Line 68: Line 68:
* Enfield Public Library (former),{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Thompsonville, Connecticut]] (1912–14)<ref>"Library Committee Plans," ''Thompsonville'' (CT) ''Press'', February 8, 1912, 1.</ref>
* Enfield Public Library (former),{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Thompsonville, Connecticut]] (1912–14)<ref>"Library Committee Plans," ''Thompsonville'' (CT) ''Press'', February 8, 1912, 1.</ref>
* [[Abbie Greenleaf Library]], [[Franconia, New Hampshire]] (1912, NRHP 2003)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/03000526 Abbie Greenleaf Library NRHP Registration Form] (2003)</ref>
* [[Abbie Greenleaf Library]], [[Franconia, New Hampshire]] (1912, NRHP 2003)<ref>[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/03000526 Abbie Greenleaf Library NRHP Registration Form] (2003)</ref>
* Arms Library, [[Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts]] (1913–14)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=SHL.27 SHL.27]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Arms Library, [[Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts]] (1913–14)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=shl.27 SHL.27]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Millbury Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Millbury, Massachusetts]] (1915)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=MLB.164 MLB.164]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Millbury Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Millbury, Massachusetts]] (1915)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=mlb.164 MLB.164]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Athol Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Athol, Massachusetts]] (1917–18)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=ATH.174 ATH.174]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Athol Public Library,{{efn|name=Carnegie}} [[Athol, Massachusetts]] (1917–18)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=ath.174 ATH.174]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>


===Schools===
===Schools===
* [[Tourtellotte Memorial High School]], [[North Grosvenor Dale, Connecticut]] (1907)<ref>"Buildings," ''Engineering News'' 58, no. 15 (October 10, 1907): 120.</ref>
* [[Tourtellotte Memorial High School]], [[North Grosvenordale, Connecticut]] (1907)<ref>"Buildings," ''Engineering News'' 58, no. 15 (October 10, 1907): 120.</ref>
* [[Newton Street School]], [[Greenfield, Massachusetts]] (1915, NRHP 1988)<ref name="Greenfield">"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=GRE.132 GRE.132]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Newton Street School]], [[Greenfield, Massachusetts]] (1915, NRHP 1988)<ref name="Greenfield">"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=gre.132 GRE.132]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Harvey Wheeler School (former), [[Concord, Massachusetts]] (1917–19)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=CON.458 CON.458]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Harvey Wheeler School (former), [[Concord, Massachusetts]] (1917–19)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=con.458 CON.458]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Bourne Grammar School (former),{{efn|name=Bourne|Presently the [[Jonathan Bourne Public Library]].}} [[Bourne, Massachusetts]] (1925)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=BOU.14 BOU.14]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Bourne Grammar School (former),{{efn|name=Bourne|Presently the [[Jonathan Bourne Public Library]].}} [[Bourne, Massachusetts]] (1925)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=bou.14 BOU.14]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Middleborough High School|Middleborough Memorial High School]] (former),{{efn|name=Middleboro|A contributing property to the [[Middleborough Center Historic District]], listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.}} [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]] (1926)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=MID.272 MID.272]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Middleborough High School|Middleborough Memorial High School]] (former),{{efn|name=Middleboro|A contributing property to the [[Middleborough Center Historic District]], listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.}} [[Middleborough, Massachusetts]] (1926)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=mid.272 MID.272]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* [[Peoples Academy]], [[Morrisville, Vermont]] (1927–28, NRHP 1996)<ref name="Vermont">Glenn M. Andres and Curtis B. Johnson, ''Buildings of Vermont'' (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013)</ref>
* [[Peoples Academy]], [[Morrisville, Vermont]] (1927–28, NRHP 1996)<ref name="Vermont">Glenn M. Andres and Curtis B. Johnson, ''Buildings of Vermont'' (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013)</ref>
* [[Bellows Free Academy, St. Albans|Bellows Free Academy]], [[St. Albans (city), Vermont|St. Albans, Vermont]] (1930)<ref name="Vermont"/>
* [[Bellows Free Academy, St. Albans|Bellows Free Academy]], [[St. Albans (city), Vermont|St. Albans, Vermont]] (1930)<ref name="Vermont"/>
Line 83: Line 83:


===Other buildings===
===Other buildings===
* [[Larcom Theatre]], [[Beverly, Massachusetts]] (1912)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=BEV.138 BEV.138]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts</ref>
* [[Larcom Theatre]], [[Beverly, Massachusetts]] (1912)<ref>"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=bev.138 BEV.138]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts</ref>
* Vermont Building, [[Eastern States Exposition]], [[West Springfield, Massachusetts]] (1929)<ref name="BigE">"[https://mhc-macris.net/Details.aspx?MhcId=WSG.M WSG.M]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* Vermont Building, [[Eastern States Exposition]], [[West Springfield, Massachusetts]] (1929)<ref name="BigE">"[https://mhc-macris.net/details?mhcid=wsg.m WSG.M]", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.</ref>
* New Hampshire Building, [[Eastern States Exposition]], [[West Springfield, Massachusetts]] (1930)<ref name="BigE"/>
* New Hampshire Building, [[Eastern States Exposition]], [[West Springfield, Massachusetts]] (1930)<ref name="BigE"/>


Latest revision as of 18:27, 22 June 2024

William Herbert McLean
Born1871
Newton, Massachusetts
DiedJanuary 10, 1943(1943-01-10) (aged 71–72)
Middleborough, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
PracticeMcLean & Wright; W. H. & Henry McLean; William H. McLean
Shedd-Porter Memorial Library, Alstead, New Hampshire, 1909–10.

William H. McLean (1871 – January 10, 1943) was an American architect from Boston, Massachusetts. He is best known for the design of public libraries, many of which he designed as a member of the firm of McLean & Wright.[1]

Life and career

[edit]

William Herbert McLean was born in Newton, Massachusetts, in 1871[2] to Henry and Elizabeth McLean, who had immigrated from Nova Scotia that year. His father was a carpenter and built a number of houses in the Newton area. McLean attended the Massachusetts Normal Art School, the present Massachusetts College of Art and Design,[2] graduating in 1888.[3] He was also a member of the Boston Architectural Club.[4]

McLean worked for the Providence and Boston firm of Gould, Angell & Swift and contributed to the design of the Richards Memorial Library, completed in 1894, in North Attleborough, Massachusetts.[5] After Gould, Angell & Swift was dissolved in 1897, McLean worked for the firm of Winslow & Wetherell. By 1899 McLean was practicing on his own account.[6] In 1901 he formed a partnership with Albert Hoffman Wright (1871–1919), known as McLean & Wright.[7] McLean and Wright worked in partnership until 1912.[6]

McLean's father had begun to practice as an architect in Newton beginning in the 1890s, and for ten years before 1912 worked in the McLean & Wright office.[6] After McLean and Wright dissolved their partnership, McLean and his father formed a new partnership, known as W. H. & Henry McLean. Henry McLean retired in 1917, and William H. continued to practice alone.[6] He retired in 1938.[8]

Personal life

[edit]

McLean married in 1907 to Fannie F. Ingram of Malden, Massachusetts. They lived in Cambridge.[9] She died in 1935.[10] After McLean retired in 1938 he moved to Middleborough, Massachusetts, where he lived with his daughter and her husband.

McLean died January 10, 1943, in Middleborough at the age of 72.[2]

Legacy

[edit]

Many of the works of McLean and his associates were designed in an elaborate Beaux Arts style, though neither he nor them had much formal training.

McLean was an early adopter of the one-story plan for school buildings. Prior to the early twentieth century only very small schools were one-story. However, at this time the one-story plan was adopted as a safer, more economical option for schools outside of heavily urbanized areas.[11] His Newton Street School in Greenfield was the first school of this type in Western Massachusetts, and generated controversy over costs and aesthetics at the time.[12] Despite these controversies, this building type was supported by well-known school architects including Frank Irving Cooper[13] and Dwight Heald Perkins[14] on the grounds of economy and safety.

Many buildings designed by McLean and his associates have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts. Additionally, the McLean & Wright-designed Calgary library has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

McLean, in partnership with Albert H. Wright and Henry McLean, was codesigner of thirteen Carnegie libraries, in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Vermont.

Selected works

[edit]

Libraries

[edit]

Schools

[edit]

Other buildings

[edit]
[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Building funded by Andrew Carnegie.
  2. ^ A contributing property to the Colrain Center Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.
  3. ^ A contributing property to the Litchfield–South Roads Historic District.
  4. ^ Presently the Jonathan Bourne Public Library.
  5. ^ A contributing property to the Middleborough Center Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Ramsdell Public Library". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  2. ^ a b c "William H. McLean," Boston Globe, January 11, 1943, 7.
  3. ^ Massachusetts Normal Art School: Circular and Catalogue for the Thirty-first Year (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, printers, 1903)
  4. ^ Catalogue of the Architectural Exhibition of the Boston Society of Architects and the Boston Architectural Club (Boston: Rockwell & Churchill, printers, 1891)
  5. ^ "NAL.A", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d City directories
  7. ^ "McLean, William H. | Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada". dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org. Retrieved 2021-03-30.
  8. ^ a b "RCK.144", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  9. ^ "Surprise Party," Cambridge Chronicle, July 6, 1907, 6.
  10. ^ "Mrs. F. F. McLean," Cambridge Chronicle, January 3, 1936, 6.
  11. ^ Wallace B. Conant, "One Story School Buildings Discussed," Building Age (November 1917): 621–622.
  12. ^ a b "GRE.132", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  13. ^ Frank Irving Cooper, "The One-Story Schoolhouse." American Architect 117, no. 2310 (March 31, 1920): 451.
  14. ^ Dwight Heald Perkins, "One Story School Buildings," American School Board Journal 56, no. 4 (April 1918): 17–20; 77–78.
  15. ^ Fifteenth Report of the Free Public Library Commission of Massachusetts (Boston: Wright & Potter Printing Company, printers, 1905)
  16. ^ "MNT.76", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  17. ^ Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library NRHP Registration Form (1982)
  18. ^ "ATT.15", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Daniel Sterner, "Brainerd Memorial Library (1908)," historicbuildingsct.com, Historic Buildings of Connecticut, June 7, 2009. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  20. ^ a b c Glenn M. Andres and Curtis B. Johnson, Buildings of Vermont (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2013)
  21. ^ "GBR.267", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  22. ^ William D. Weeks Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form (2010)
  23. ^ Franklin Falls Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1982)
  24. ^ "COL.11", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "Buildings," Engineering News 60, no. 2 (July 2, 1908): 3.
  26. ^ "Public Buildings," Engineering Record 58, no. 2 (July 11, 1908): 42a.
  27. ^ "Libraries," Real Estate Record and Builders Guide 82, no. 2120 (October 31, 1908): 834.
  28. ^ "SMV.65", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  29. ^ Colburn Park Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1986)
  30. ^ a b Shedd-Porter Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form (2010)
  31. ^ Sentinel Staff, "Fort at No. 4, Stephenson Memorial Library added to historic places register," sentinelsource.com, Keene Sentinel, July 30, 2020. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  32. ^ Central Falls, Rhode Island: Statewide Historical Preservation Report P-CF-1 (Providence: Rhode Island Historical Preservation Commission, 1978)
  33. ^ Boston Daily Globe, September 12, 1910, 14.
  34. ^ "McLean, William H.," dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org, Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada, n. d. Accessed March 29, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Carver Memorial Library NRHP Registration Form (1993)
  36. ^ "Norwalk Public Library System, South Norwalk Branch," necarnegies.com, New England Carnegies, 2005. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  37. ^ "Library Committee Plans," Thompsonville (CT) Press, February 8, 1912, 1.
  38. ^ Abbie Greenleaf Library NRHP Registration Form (2003)
  39. ^ "SHL.27", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  40. ^ "MLB.164", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  41. ^ "ATH.174", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  42. ^ "Buildings," Engineering News 58, no. 15 (October 10, 1907): 120.
  43. ^ "CON.458", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  44. ^ "BOU.14", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  45. ^ "MID.272", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
  46. ^ "Provincetown Will Today Dedicate New $162,000 High School Building," Boston Globe, September 4, 1931, 3.
  47. ^ "BEV.138", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts
  48. ^ a b "WSG.M", mhc-macris.net, Massachusetts Historical Commission, n. d. Accessed March 26, 2021.
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