Richard Upjohn

Richard Upjohn (1802 to 1878) was a British-American architect who immigrated to the United States and became most famous for his Gothic Revival churches. He was born in Shaftesbury, England, apprenticed to a builder and cabinet-maker, and emigrated with his family in 1829, settling first in New Bedford and then Boston before moving to New York City by 1839. There he worked on alterations to Trinity Church on Wall Street, and when those were abandoned he was commissioned to design a new church, completed in 1846. His 1852 book on rural architecture gave designs and specifications for a wooden church and other rural structures and was widely used by builders across the country. He also helped to popularize the Italianate style. In 1857 he co-founded the American Institute of Architects with thirteen other architects and served as its first president until 1876. His son Richard Michell Upjohn continued the New York firm. He died in 1878 at his home in Garrison, New York.