Royal Barry Wills
Encyclopedia
Royal Barry Wills was a preeminent Boston
architect
and author. He was an award-winning master of the Cape Cod
style house, particularly its 1930s-1950s Colonial Revival
incarnation. Houses built to his designs continue to fetch a premium.
, Massachusetts
, and in 1918 graduated from M.I.T
as an architectural engineer. From 1919 until 1925, he worked as a design engineer for the Turner Construction Company of Boston, while engaging in his own architectural practice on the side. To advance his business, he regularly published sketch plans and elevations in the Boston Transcript. He also answered questions from readers about architecture. Commissions followed; he became a registered architect in 1925, opening his own Boston office on lower Beacon Street
the same year. With success, his firm
moved to Beacon Hill. In 1954, he was elected a fellow
of the American Institute of Architects
.
The Cape house is ubiquitous in New England
and elsewhere, due in part to its simplicity, which sometimes simply means inexpensive, but also allows for versions that achieve a pure elegance due to their restraint and proportion
s. Will's artistry brought refinement to every level of planning
, engineering
and detail of the Cape model. They were low to the ground, with eaves just above the windows, and surmounted by an outsized central chimney
(a Wills hallmark). The roof pitch
ranged from 8-inches to 10-inches, vertically, in a 12-inch run. The sash was made up from 24 to 36 individual lights
, and clapboard
s graduated from a 2-inch exposure at the foundation, to a typical 4-inch exposure from the top of the window sill to the eave. But most of all, Wills emphasized what he termed "scale
" -- the relationship of parts to one another that gives a design perfection and charm. And unlike many architects, he offered "partial services", adding to contractor
designs without credit.
In 1938, Life Magazine selected four modern architects
and four traditional architects, asking them to prepare home designs for families in four income categories. In the category for people with $5,000 to $6,000 incomes, the modern design was by Frank Lloyd Wright
and the traditional one by Royal Barry Wills. The family chose the Wills house over the Wright design, and the home was built in Edina
, Minnesota
. With the motto "no stock plans", Wills designed buildings not only in New England, but from Canada
to Florida
, including Capes, garrison
s, saltbox
es, churches, and, in 1941, a 300-unit housing complex for defense
workers.
Author of eight books on architecture offering designs and advice, he died in Boston. In 1957, his firm became Royal Barry Wills Associates, and remains active today.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
and author. He was an award-winning master of the Cape Cod
Cape Cod (house)
A Cape Cod cottage is a style of house originating in New England in the 17th century. It is traditionally characterized by a low, broad frame building, generally a story and a half high, with a steep, pitched roof with end gables, a large central chimney and very little ornamentation...
style house, particularly its 1930s-1950s Colonial Revival
Colonial Revival architecture
The Colonial Revival was a nationalistic architectural style, garden design, and interior design movement in the United States which sought to revive elements of Georgian architecture, part of a broader Colonial Revival Movement in the arts. In the early 1890s Americans began to value their own...
incarnation. Houses built to his designs continue to fetch a premium.
Life and work
Wills was born in MelroseMelrose, Massachusetts
-Government:Robert J. Dolan is the mayor. Melrose is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by Paul Brodeur . Katherine Clark is the state senator for wards 1 through 5 and Thomas McGee is the state senator for wards 6 and 7. Melrose is part of the seventh Congressional...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and in 1918 graduated from M.I.T
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
as an architectural engineer. From 1919 until 1925, he worked as a design engineer for the Turner Construction Company of Boston, while engaging in his own architectural practice on the side. To advance his business, he regularly published sketch plans and elevations in the Boston Transcript. He also answered questions from readers about architecture. Commissions followed; he became a registered architect in 1925, opening his own Boston office on lower Beacon Street
Beacon Street
Beacon Street is a major thoroughfare in Boston, Massachusetts and several of its western suburbs. Beacon Street in Boston, Brookline, Brighton, and Newton is not to be confused with the Beacon Street in nearby Somerville, or others elsewhere.-Description:...
the same year. With success, his firm
Architectural firm
An architectural firm is a company which employs one or more licensed architects and practices the profession of architecture.- History :Architects have existed since early in recorded history. The earliest recorded architects include Imhotep and Senemut . No writings exist to describe how these...
moved to Beacon Hill. In 1954, he was elected a fellow
Fellow
A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...
of the American Institute of Architects
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to support the architecture profession and improve its public image...
.
The Cape house is ubiquitous in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
and elsewhere, due in part to its simplicity, which sometimes simply means inexpensive, but also allows for versions that achieve a pure elegance due to their restraint and proportion
Proportion (architecture)
Proportion is the relation between elements and a whole.-Architectural proportions:In architecture the whole is not just a building but the set and setting of the site. The things that make a building and its site "well shaped" include the orientation of the site and the buildings on it to the...
s. Will's artistry brought refinement to every level of planning
Architectural drawing
An architectural drawing or architect's drawing is a technical drawing of a building that falls within the definition of architecture...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and detail of the Cape model. They were low to the ground, with eaves just above the windows, and surmounted by an outsized central chimney
Chimney
A chimney is a structure for venting hot flue gases or smoke from a boiler, stove, furnace or fireplace to the outside atmosphere. Chimneys are typically vertical, or as near as possible to vertical, to ensure that the gases flow smoothly, drawing air into the combustion in what is known as the...
(a Wills hallmark). The roof pitch
Roof pitch
In building construction, roof pitch is a numerical measure of the steepness of a roof, and a pitched roof is a roof that is steep.The roof's pitch is the measured vertical rise divided by the measured horizontal span, the same thing as what is called "slope" in geometry. Roof pitch is typically...
ranged from 8-inches to 10-inches, vertically, in a 12-inch run. The sash was made up from 24 to 36 individual lights
Paned window
A paned window is a window that is divided into sections known as panes. Originally, the meaning pertained to sectioned glass windows in walls.Computer scientists have adopted the term "pane" to refer to parts of sectioned windows on a graphical display...
, and clapboard
Clapboard (architecture)
Clapboard, also known as bevel siding or lap siding or weather-board , is a board used typically for exterior horizontal siding that has one edge thicker than the other and where the board above laps over the one below...
s graduated from a 2-inch exposure at the foundation, to a typical 4-inch exposure from the top of the window sill to the eave. But most of all, Wills emphasized what he termed "scale
Scale (spatial)
Spatial scale provides a "shorthand" form for discussing relative lengths, areas, distances and sizes. A microclimate, for instance, is one which might occur in a mountain valley or near a lakeshore, whereas a megatrend is one which involves the whole planet....
" -- the relationship of parts to one another that gives a design perfection and charm. And unlike many architects, he offered "partial services", adding to contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
designs without credit.
In 1938, Life Magazine selected four modern architects
Modern architecture
Modern architecture is generally characterized by simplification of form and creation of ornament from the structure and theme of the building. It is a term applied to an overarching movement, with its exact definition and scope varying widely...
and four traditional architects, asking them to prepare home designs for families in four income categories. In the category for people with $5,000 to $6,000 incomes, the modern design was by Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
and the traditional one by Royal Barry Wills. The family chose the Wills house over the Wright design, and the home was built in Edina
Edina, Minnesota
Edina is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and a first-ring suburb situated immediately southwest of Minneapolis. Edina began as a small farming and milling community in the 1860s. The population was 47,941 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...
, Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
. With the motto "no stock plans", Wills designed buildings not only in New England, but from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, including Capes, garrison
Garrison (architecture)
A garrison is style of house, typically two stories with the second-story overhanging in the front. The traditional ornamentation is four carved drops below the overhang. Garrisons usually have an exterior chimney at the end. Older versions have casement windows with small panes of glass, while...
s, saltbox
Saltbox
A saltbox is a building with a long, pitched roof that slopes down to the back, generally a wooden frame house. A saltbox has just one story in the back and two stories in the front...
es, churches, and, in 1941, a 300-unit housing complex for defense
Defense (military)
Defense has several uses in the sphere of military application.Personal defense implies measures taken by individual soldiers in protecting themselves whether by use of protective materials such as armor, or field construction of trenches or a bunker, or by using weapons that prevent the enemy...
workers.
Author of eight books on architecture offering designs and advice, he died in Boston. In 1957, his firm became Royal Barry Wills Associates, and remains active today.
- "He wanted only to design the indigenous New England house supremely well, and succeeded beyond any other architect."
External links
- Royal Barry Wills Associates, architects
- Bob Vila -- Cape Cod-Style Architecture and Royal Barry Wills
- Retro Renovation -- The Royal Barry Wills Cape Cod
- Retro Renovation -- The first home that Royal Barry Wills built for his family, Melrose, Mass., 1920
- Essays on Royal Barry Wills' life and work by Richard Guy Wilson, Marjorie Henderson Floyd, and The Saturday Evening Post.