WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.000 Have you ever been just, you know, walking down 00:00:03.000 --> 00:00:04.719 the street in your own neighborhood? Right, like 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.019 just on a regular Tuesday. Yeah, exactly. You 00:00:07.019 --> 00:00:09.619 pass by the local elementary school or maybe 00:00:09.619 --> 00:00:12.179 the fire station. Or even the cemetery. Right, 00:00:12.240 --> 00:00:15.099 the iron gates at the entrance to the town cemetery. 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:18.000 And it hits you that every single one of those 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.600 structures... has a hidden author. Oh, absolutely. 00:00:20.839 --> 00:00:22.760 Someone actually had to sit down and draw those. 00:00:23.019 --> 00:00:25.440 Yeah. We live our entire lives moving in and 00:00:25.440 --> 00:00:29.519 out of these spaces, but we rarely pause to actually 00:00:29.519 --> 00:00:31.679 consider the individual who sat at a drafting 00:00:31.679 --> 00:00:34.060 table and determined the physical parameters 00:00:34.060 --> 00:00:36.520 of our daily routines. It's just background noise 00:00:36.520 --> 00:00:39.920 to most of us. It is. But today, welcome to our 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:42.950 deep dive. Our mission today is to look at this 00:00:42.950 --> 00:00:47.189 single kind of dry chronological Wikipedia record 00:00:47.189 --> 00:00:50.049 of one man's architectural output. Just a list 00:00:50.049 --> 00:00:52.289 of buildings, really. Just a list. Yeah. But 00:00:52.289 --> 00:00:53.990 we're going to use it to reconstruct the story 00:00:53.990 --> 00:00:56.289 of how he literally shaped the physical world 00:00:56.289 --> 00:00:59.289 of 20th century New England. We're going to explore 00:00:59.289 --> 00:01:02.070 what a lifetime of surviving and demolished buildings 00:01:02.070 --> 00:01:04.750 can actually tell us about the passage of time. 00:01:04.909 --> 00:01:08.310 And urban evolution. Exactly. The legacy of the 00:01:08.310 --> 00:01:11.569 built environment. Okay, let's untag this. Who 00:01:11.569 --> 00:01:15.390 exactly was R .C. Monaghan? So, Robert Charles 00:01:15.390 --> 00:01:17.569 Nicholson Monaghan. He was born in Hamilton, 00:01:17.709 --> 00:01:21.689 Ontario in 1873. And the detail that really anchors 00:01:21.689 --> 00:01:23.709 his entire trajectory, the thing you have to 00:01:23.709 --> 00:01:26.000 keep in mind, is his background. His father was 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:28.019 a carpenter. A carpenter. So he grew up around 00:01:28.019 --> 00:01:29.980 the actual building process. Right. You have 00:01:29.980 --> 00:01:32.359 this young boy growing up in the late 18th century, 00:01:32.560 --> 00:01:35.519 just completely immersed in the tactile, physical 00:01:35.519 --> 00:01:38.659 reality of building things, piece by piece, raw 00:01:38.659 --> 00:01:40.599 materials. Doing a hammer, basically. Exactly. 00:01:41.219 --> 00:01:44.659 Then in 1892, at the age of 19, he crosses the 00:01:44.659 --> 00:01:47.120 border and moves to the United States. And this 00:01:47.120 --> 00:01:49.879 sets up a really fascinating professional evolution. 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:52.680 Because he doesn't stay a tradesman. No, he transitions 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:55.620 from being the son of a tradesman to mastering 00:01:55.620 --> 00:01:58.819 the highly technical formal discipline of architecture. 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:03.359 By 1925, he achieves the absolute pinnacle of 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:05.900 local professional recognition. Which was? He 00:02:05.900 --> 00:02:07.599 serves as the president of the Rhode Island chapter 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:10.060 of the American Institute of Architects, the 00:02:10.060 --> 00:02:14.020 AIA. Wow. Going from a carpenter's son in Ontario. 00:02:14.810 --> 00:02:18.069 to presiding over the entire architectural establishment 00:02:18.069 --> 00:02:21.590 of Rhode Island, that's a profound shift in status. 00:02:21.849 --> 00:02:23.949 It really is, especially back then. Right, because 00:02:23.949 --> 00:02:26.569 in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, architecture 00:02:26.569 --> 00:02:29.430 was rapidly formalizing as a rigorous profession. 00:02:30.099 --> 00:02:32.659 Achieving that AIA presidency meant he didn't 00:02:32.659 --> 00:02:35.280 just understand how to build a wall. He had mastered 00:02:35.280 --> 00:02:37.860 complex engineering principles. Yeah, new drafting 00:02:37.860 --> 00:02:40.360 standards and the bureaucratic navigation required 00:02:40.360 --> 00:02:43.219 to lead the industry. But to understand how he 00:02:43.219 --> 00:02:46.539 secured that 1925 presidency, we really have 00:02:46.539 --> 00:02:49.199 to examine the sheer grind of his early career. 00:02:49.419 --> 00:02:52.120 The hustle was real. It was. He opens his office 00:02:52.120 --> 00:02:54.879 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island around 1900 and works 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:58.590 entirely alone until 1926. Yeah, that 26 -year 00:02:58.590 --> 00:03:01.009 solo period is remarkable when you analyze the 00:03:01.009 --> 00:03:03.550 sheer volume of it and the specific municipal 00:03:03.550 --> 00:03:06.189 focus of his output. What's fascinating here 00:03:06.189 --> 00:03:08.889 is how he wasn't simply taking on singular, isolated 00:03:08.889 --> 00:03:10.969 commissions for private residences. Like just 00:03:10.969 --> 00:03:13.229 building houses for rich people? Right. He was 00:03:13.229 --> 00:03:15.650 effectively acting as the unofficial master planner 00:03:15.650 --> 00:03:18.430 for the region's civic infrastructure. Because 00:03:18.430 --> 00:03:21.030 looking at his first 15 years in practice, it 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:23.449 seems like he was almost exclusively focused 00:03:23.449 --> 00:03:25.930 on municipal education. A school building boom. 00:03:26.110 --> 00:03:29.310 Exactly. So I want you listening right now to 00:03:29.310 --> 00:03:33.580 just imagine being a solo architect. How did 00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:36.400 one guy manage to secure and execute that many 00:03:36.400 --> 00:03:38.479 public school contracts? It's hard to fathom. 00:03:38.479 --> 00:03:42.199 Between 1901 and 1916, he single -handedly drafted 00:03:42.199 --> 00:03:45.319 seven major educational facilities in the area. 00:03:45.500 --> 00:03:47.819 Seven. Seven. We're looking at the Washington 00:03:47.819 --> 00:03:51.020 School in 1901, then the Darlington and Westside 00:03:51.020 --> 00:03:53.889 schools, both in 1904. Two in one year. Yep. 00:03:53.949 --> 00:03:56.650 Then comes the Child Street School in 1908, the 00:03:56.650 --> 00:03:58.969 James C. Potter, often called Potterburn School 00:03:58.969 --> 00:04:02.449 in 1911, the Samuel Slater School in 1915, and 00:04:02.449 --> 00:04:05.110 the Nathaniel Green School in 1916. Drafting 00:04:05.110 --> 00:04:07.650 seven municipal buildings of that scale in 15 00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:10.189 years. And without a junior partner to share 00:04:10.189 --> 00:04:13.110 the load, that is a punishing workload. It requires 00:04:13.110 --> 00:04:15.169 an incredible degree of operational efficiency 00:04:15.169 --> 00:04:18.250 and, honestly, a profound level of trust from 00:04:18.250 --> 00:04:20.290 the local government. They must have really relied 00:04:20.290 --> 00:04:22.699 on him. They did. At the turn of the century, 00:04:22.860 --> 00:04:25.279 areas like Pawtucket were experiencing rapid 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:28.860 industrial and population growth. They desperately 00:04:28.860 --> 00:04:32.339 needed public education infrastructure to accommodate 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:34.620 this boom. And Monaghan just positioned himself 00:04:34.620 --> 00:04:37.600 as the reliable, solitary engine for that municipal 00:04:37.600 --> 00:04:40.339 expansion. He did. He was essentially building 00:04:40.339 --> 00:04:43.120 the foundational spaces for an entire generation 00:04:43.120 --> 00:04:46.600 of residents. And it extended far beyond the 00:04:46.600 --> 00:04:49.199 classroom, too. Oh, absolutely. He was drafting 00:04:49.199 --> 00:04:51.970 blueprints that encompassed the... complete spectrum 00:04:51.970 --> 00:04:54.569 of the human experience in that town. Like, think 00:04:54.569 --> 00:04:58.670 about this. In 1912 alone, he designed both the 00:04:58.670 --> 00:05:01.189 South Woodlawn Fire Station and the gates for 00:05:01.189 --> 00:05:03.350 the Oak Grove Cemetery. Yeah, he's covering everything. 00:05:03.689 --> 00:05:06.009 You have a resident in Pawtucket who attends 00:05:06.009 --> 00:05:09.089 a Monaghan Design School as a child. Right. Then 00:05:09.089 --> 00:05:11.730 they rely on the structural integrity of a Monaghan 00:05:11.730 --> 00:05:14.009 Design Fire Station for their community's safety 00:05:14.009 --> 00:05:16.410 as an adult. And then, ultimately, they make 00:05:16.410 --> 00:05:18.310 their final journey through the Monaghan Design 00:05:18.310 --> 00:05:21.680 Cemetery gates. It is a rare comprehensive level 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.379 of local influence. He wasn't just designing 00:05:24.379 --> 00:05:26.839 individual structures. He was shaping the civic 00:05:26.839 --> 00:05:30.240 fabric of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Warren, 00:05:30.379 --> 00:05:32.779 Rhode Island. That level of ubiquitous local 00:05:32.779 --> 00:05:35.579 influence clearly laid the groundwork for the 00:05:35.579 --> 00:05:38.000 next phase of his career. The Roaring Twenties. 00:05:38.160 --> 00:05:41.720 Yes. As we move into the mid -1920s, that solo 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:44.639 era finally concludes. After hitting that peak 00:05:44.639 --> 00:05:48.160 prestige with the AIA presidency in 1925, he 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:50.579 brings on Robert R. Michael to form the firm 00:05:50.579 --> 00:05:53.829 Monaghan & Michael in 1926. It's a necessary 00:05:53.829 --> 00:05:55.910 evolution, really. There is a physical limit 00:05:55.910 --> 00:05:57.910 to how many schools and municipal facilities 00:05:57.910 --> 00:06:00.529 one person can draft. You'd just burn out. Exactly. 00:06:00.930 --> 00:06:03.370 By bringing on a partner, the firm was able to 00:06:03.370 --> 00:06:05.829 diversify its portfolio. You also start to see 00:06:05.829 --> 00:06:07.569 the firm designing the personal environments 00:06:07.569 --> 00:06:09.529 of its own principals, which is neat. Oh, right, 00:06:09.629 --> 00:06:12.470 their own houses. Early in his career, in 1903, 00:06:12.829 --> 00:06:14.670 Monaghan designed his own residence on Denver 00:06:14.670 --> 00:06:17.629 Street in Pawtucket. Then later, in 1932, the 00:06:17.629 --> 00:06:19.850 newly established firm designs Robert Michael's 00:06:19.850 --> 00:06:23.170 home on Sales Avenue. really highlights how deeply 00:06:23.170 --> 00:06:25.670 embedded they were in the very neighborhoods 00:06:25.670 --> 00:06:27.670 they were helping to construct. They weren't 00:06:27.670 --> 00:06:30.009 commuting in from afar. They lived in the Monaghan 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:32.970 design town. Exactly. And that deep community 00:06:32.970 --> 00:06:36.870 integration generated an intense degree of client 00:06:36.870 --> 00:06:39.430 loyalty. Okay, here's where it gets really interesting. 00:06:39.790 --> 00:06:42.769 There's a specific client named T. Stuart Little. 00:06:43.209 --> 00:06:46.170 I love this detail. It's so good. So during Monaghan's 00:06:46.170 --> 00:06:49.170 solo years in 1915, he designs a residential 00:06:49.170 --> 00:06:52.350 home for Little on Armistice Boulevard in Pawtucket. 00:06:52.350 --> 00:06:55.490 A nice house. Fourteen years later, in 1929, 00:06:55.829 --> 00:06:58.990 the architectural landscape is shifted. Monaghan 00:06:58.990 --> 00:07:01.750 is a partner now, but T. Stuart Little returns 00:07:01.750 --> 00:07:04.290 to the firm to commission another house. Another 00:07:04.290 --> 00:07:06.589 one. And the location for this new project is 00:07:06.589 --> 00:07:08.629 just down the street on that exact same boulevard. 00:07:08.939 --> 00:07:11.040 That kind of localized repeat business speaks 00:07:11.040 --> 00:07:13.980 volumes about the firm's reputation. To commission 00:07:13.980 --> 00:07:16.339 the same architect for a new build on the same 00:07:16.339 --> 00:07:19.660 street over a decade later, it suggests a deep 00:07:19.660 --> 00:07:21.980 alignment between the client's vision and the 00:07:21.980 --> 00:07:24.579 firm's execution. Right. They trusted them entirely. 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:27.819 And it's exactly that foundation of residential 00:07:27.819 --> 00:07:30.300 and municipal trust that funded their ability 00:07:30.300 --> 00:07:33.220 to take risks on broader, more complex civic 00:07:33.220 --> 00:07:36.199 projects throughout the 1920s and 30s. Yeah, 00:07:36.259 --> 00:07:39.100 the scope of their bids definitely expands. They 00:07:39.100 --> 00:07:41.699 transition from purely functional civic necessity, 00:07:41.860 --> 00:07:43.779 you know, like the fire stations and primary 00:07:43.779 --> 00:07:46.439 schools, into civic leisure and higher education. 00:07:46.680 --> 00:07:48.720 The big step up. They take on the J .C. Potter 00:07:48.720 --> 00:07:51.879 Casino and Bandstand at Slater Park in 1917. 00:07:52.759 --> 00:07:55.660 And by 1923, they're designing the clubhouse 00:07:55.660 --> 00:07:58.360 for the Pawtucket Country Club. Very roaring 00:07:58.360 --> 00:08:01.519 20s. Very. They move to secondary education with 00:08:01.519 --> 00:08:04.100 Pawtucket High School in 1925 and eventually 00:08:04.100 --> 00:08:06.839 secure university level commissions like Quinn 00:08:06.839 --> 00:08:08.980 Hall at the University of Rhode Island in 1935. 00:08:09.500 --> 00:08:11.740 And as the firm's prestige and project scope 00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:14.500 expanded, the internal dynamics of the partnership 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:16.800 had to evolve as well. They needed more help. 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:19.779 Right. By 1943, they bring on Carl F. Johnson 00:08:19.779 --> 00:08:22.500 as a full partner. However, navigating the politics 00:08:22.500 --> 00:08:25.060 of architectural firm naming conventions is often 00:08:25.060 --> 00:08:28.610 a slow process. Glacial sometimes. Yeah. Johnson 00:08:28.610 --> 00:08:31.589 became a partner in 1943, but the firm didn't 00:08:31.589 --> 00:08:33.730 officially update its name to Monaghan, Macle, 00:08:33.789 --> 00:08:37.210 and Johnson until 1951. Waiting eight years as 00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:39.289 a full partner just to get your name on the door. 00:08:39.450 --> 00:08:41.370 I mean, that must have required quite a bit of 00:08:41.370 --> 00:08:43.809 professional patience. Just a bit. But once that 00:08:43.809 --> 00:08:47.009 transition is complete in the early 1950s, the 00:08:47.009 --> 00:08:49.490 firm enters a radically different era of design. 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:52.600 Because think about it. Monaghan is now in his 00:08:52.600 --> 00:08:54.899 late 70s. Entering his 80s, actually. Right. 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:57.980 And yet the firm executes a massive post -war 00:08:57.980 --> 00:09:01.399 pivot. It is highly unusual to see a firm completely 00:09:01.399 --> 00:09:04.139 pivot its specialty and geographic footprint 00:09:04.139 --> 00:09:07.559 that late in a founder's life. What drove them 00:09:07.559 --> 00:09:09.600 to suddenly shift their focus so heavily toward 00:09:09.600 --> 00:09:12.659 religious and institutional architecture? Well, 00:09:12.700 --> 00:09:14.460 if we connect this to the bigger picture, the 00:09:14.460 --> 00:09:16.919 American architectural landscape in the 1950s 00:09:16.919 --> 00:09:19.259 was defined by the post -war boom. The suburbs. 00:09:19.539 --> 00:09:21.779 Exactly. You had massive suburban expansion, 00:09:22.100 --> 00:09:24.620 shifting demographics and a subsequent explosion 00:09:24.620 --> 00:09:27.259 in institutional building. As populations moved 00:09:27.259 --> 00:09:29.679 outward from urban centers, there was a desperate 00:09:29.679 --> 00:09:32.279 need for new community anchors. Meaning churches 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:34.879 and colleges. Particularly churches and expanded 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:38.100 college campuses, yes. Monaghan, Makel, and Johnson 00:09:38.100 --> 00:09:40.980 astutely adapted to this macroeconomic shift. 00:09:41.200 --> 00:09:43.620 They transitioned from being a regionally confined 00:09:43.620 --> 00:09:46.500 Rhode Island firm to a specialized institutional 00:09:46.500 --> 00:09:49.580 powerhouse operating across Massachusetts, Connecticut, 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:53.019 and New Hampshire. The volume of religious architecture 00:09:53.019 --> 00:09:56.250 they produced in this period is extensive. And 00:09:56.250 --> 00:09:58.470 it spans a really wide variety of denominations, 00:09:58.470 --> 00:10:01.809 too. It does. In 1955, they complete the Barrington 00:10:01.809 --> 00:10:03.929 Baptist Church in Rhode Island and the Hillside 00:10:03.929 --> 00:10:06.129 Covenant Church in Connecticut. Then by 1958, 00:10:06.490 --> 00:10:08.129 they're designing the First Church of Christ, 00:10:08.350 --> 00:10:10.990 Scientist in Bridgeport, Connecticut. followed 00:10:10.990 --> 00:10:13.149 by the Central Congregational Church in Massachusetts 00:10:13.149 --> 00:10:16.470 in 1959 and the Olney Street Baptist Church in 00:10:16.470 --> 00:10:18.669 Providence in 1962. And at the same time, they're 00:10:18.669 --> 00:10:21.529 handling major college campus expansions, like 00:10:21.529 --> 00:10:24.169 the Wynn Library and Wood Hall at Gordon College 00:10:24.169 --> 00:10:27.750 in Massachusetts, both in 1954. Their ability 00:10:27.750 --> 00:10:30.250 to adapt their design language to suit the liturgical 00:10:30.250 --> 00:10:33.070 needs of Baptists, Congregationalists, and Christian 00:10:33.070 --> 00:10:35.750 scientists alike, it really demonstrates a high 00:10:35.750 --> 00:10:38.139 level of versatility. They weren't just stamping 00:10:38.139 --> 00:10:40.919 out a standardized post -war building. They were 00:10:40.919 --> 00:10:43.779 tailoring their institutional designs to the 00:10:43.779 --> 00:10:47.000 specific cultural requirements of each congregation 00:10:47.000 --> 00:10:50.500 across New England. But, you know, tracing this 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:53.519 extensive history of construction also forces 00:10:53.519 --> 00:10:56.039 us to confront a harsher reality about the built 00:10:56.039 --> 00:10:58.960 environment. As you look at the timeline of these 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:01.460 monumental municipal and institutional achievements, 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:05.220 you are constantly met with the word demolished. 00:11:05.299 --> 00:11:08.909 Yeah. demolished it is the great looming vulnerability 00:11:08.909 --> 00:11:11.490 of the architectural profession an architect's 00:11:11.490 --> 00:11:14.090 legacy is physically manifested in brick stone 00:11:14.090 --> 00:11:17.090 and steel it is inherently designed to outlast 00:11:17.090 --> 00:11:19.590 its creator right but because buildings occupy 00:11:19.590 --> 00:11:22.509 valuable physical space they are entirely at 00:11:22.509 --> 00:11:24.370 the mercy of urban development changing municipal 00:11:24.370 --> 00:11:26.889 budgets and shifting population densities so 00:11:26.889 --> 00:11:28.730 what does this all mean i mean when you spend 00:11:28.730 --> 00:11:31.289 your entire life meticulously planning the physical 00:11:31.289 --> 00:11:34.009 world And a generation later, the city simply 00:11:34.009 --> 00:11:36.110 decides to erase it. It's tough pill to swallow. 00:11:36.350 --> 00:11:39.509 The early solo work we discussed, those foundational 00:11:39.509 --> 00:11:42.690 schools that built his reputation, the Washington 00:11:42.690 --> 00:11:44.730 School, the Darlington School, the Westside School, 00:11:44.830 --> 00:11:48.450 they've all been demolished. Gone. The YWCA annex 00:11:48.450 --> 00:11:51.990 they built in 1915 was torn down in 1992. They 00:11:51.990 --> 00:11:53.970 even did an addition for the osteopathic hospital 00:11:53.970 --> 00:11:56.710 that's gone. Even Woodhall at Gordon College, 00:11:56.889 --> 00:11:58.929 representing their later post -war expansion 00:11:58.929 --> 00:12:02.659 era. was demolished in 2006. It underscores the 00:12:02.659 --> 00:12:04.879 impermanence of even our most solid structures. 00:12:05.139 --> 00:12:07.480 When a building no longer serves the immediate 00:12:07.480 --> 00:12:09.820 economic or functional needs of its location, 00:12:10.100 --> 00:12:12.759 its historical pedigree rarely saves it from 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:15.340 the wrecking ball. No, it really doesn't. However, 00:12:15.519 --> 00:12:18.279 demolition isn't the only fate for aging architecture. 00:12:19.080 --> 00:12:21.440 Some of Monaghan's work survived through adaptive 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:23.659 reuse. Oh, like the Child Street School. Yes. 00:12:23.700 --> 00:12:26.019 Originally built in 1908, it's a perfect example. 00:12:26.259 --> 00:12:28.679 It no longer functions as a school. It currently 00:12:28.679 --> 00:12:30.500 serves as the headquarters for the Bristol County 00:12:30.500 --> 00:12:33.240 Water Authority. Adaptive reuse seems like the 00:12:33.240 --> 00:12:35.740 best possible outcome for a historical structure. 00:12:35.919 --> 00:12:39.200 I mean, it maintains the physical legacy of the 00:12:39.200 --> 00:12:42.629 architect. while keeping the building functionally 00:12:42.629 --> 00:12:44.909 relevant to the modern community. Absolutely. 00:12:45.110 --> 00:12:47.429 But we should be clear about what adaptive reuse 00:12:47.429 --> 00:12:50.809 actually entails. It is a highly complex architectural 00:12:50.809 --> 00:12:53.090 and engineering challenge. It's not just moving 00:12:53.090 --> 00:12:55.789 in new furniture. No, it's not simply a matter 00:12:55.789 --> 00:12:58.909 of moving new desks into an old classroom. It 00:12:58.909 --> 00:13:01.149 requires gutting a structure built for early 00:13:01.149 --> 00:13:03.889 20th century schoolchildren and retrofitting 00:13:03.889 --> 00:13:07.649 it with modern plumbing, HVAC systems, and office 00:13:07.649 --> 00:13:10.519 infrastructure. all while legally preserving 00:13:10.519 --> 00:13:13.100 the historical integrity of the exterior facade. 00:13:13.500 --> 00:13:16.419 Which sounds incredibly expensive. It is expensive 00:13:16.419 --> 00:13:18.620 and technically demanding, which is why it's 00:13:18.620 --> 00:13:20.940 relatively rare compared to outright demolition. 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:22.980 And then there's a third category of survival, 00:13:23.220 --> 00:13:25.799 which almost feels more complicated than demolition. 00:13:25.899 --> 00:13:28.789 The alterations. Yeah. The timeline notes that 00:13:28.789 --> 00:13:30.549 the Trinity Baptist Church they built in New 00:13:30.549 --> 00:13:33.809 Hampshire in 1960 has been altered beyond recognition. 00:13:34.129 --> 00:13:36.429 Yeah, that phrase. That phrase carries a lot 00:13:36.429 --> 00:13:38.789 of weight. The bones of the firm's design are 00:13:38.789 --> 00:13:41.129 technically still standing, but they're trapped 00:13:41.129 --> 00:13:43.370 inside a completely different aesthetic vision. 00:13:43.830 --> 00:13:46.250 Altered beyond recognition is often a difficult 00:13:46.250 --> 00:13:49.649 reality for preservationists to accept. It represents 00:13:49.649 --> 00:13:52.190 a total loss of the architect's original design 00:13:52.190 --> 00:13:54.789 intent, even if the structural shell remains. 00:13:55.070 --> 00:13:57.889 It's like a ghost ship. Interestingly, Monaghan's 00:13:57.889 --> 00:14:00.009 firm actually participated in the preservation 00:14:00.009 --> 00:14:02.190 side of this dynamic late in their run. They 00:14:02.190 --> 00:14:05.730 did? Yeah. In 1966, rather than executing a new 00:14:05.730 --> 00:14:08.049 build, the firm handled the formal restoration 00:14:08.049 --> 00:14:10.330 of the first Unitarian church in Providence. 00:14:10.730 --> 00:14:13.570 They were actively engaged in preserving historical 00:14:13.570 --> 00:14:16.750 architectural integrity, just as their own historical 00:14:16.750 --> 00:14:19.370 works were beginning to face the threat of modernization. 00:14:19.789 --> 00:14:23.289 Wow. But by the time that 1966 restoration occurred, 00:14:23.490 --> 00:14:25.789 the firm itself was reaching the end of its timeline. 00:14:26.299 --> 00:14:29.500 Arsene Monaghan retired in 1962, closing out 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:31.539 an active career that spanned over six decades. 00:14:31.720 --> 00:14:33.759 Over 60 years. And he passed away the following 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:37.820 year in 1963. It is a staggering tenure. Following 00:14:37.820 --> 00:14:40.279 his retirement, Carl Johnson, the partner who 00:14:40.279 --> 00:14:42.580 waited a decade for his name on the letterhead, 00:14:42.679 --> 00:14:45.620 takes over the leadership. Right. The firm restructures 00:14:45.620 --> 00:14:48.320 as Johnson and Haynes, bringing in Irving B. 00:14:48.360 --> 00:14:51.159 Haynes as a new partner. But this final iteration 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:55.039 is remarkably short -lived. By 1968, the firm 00:14:55.039 --> 00:14:58.039 officially dissolves. The finality of that is 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:01.340 striking. A firm that began at the dawn of the 00:15:01.340 --> 00:15:03.960 20th century with a single man drafting primary 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:06.919 schools. A firm that evolved to build the municipal 00:15:06.919 --> 00:15:09.940 fire stations, the roaring 20s country clubs, 00:15:10.100 --> 00:15:12.559 and the massive post -war churches across four 00:15:12.559 --> 00:15:15.600 states simply closes its doors and ceases to 00:15:15.600 --> 00:15:18.379 exist in 1968. It serves as a stark reminder 00:15:18.379 --> 00:15:20.679 that the corporate entities responsible for building 00:15:20.679 --> 00:15:22.960 our permanent structures are often as fragile 00:15:22.960 --> 00:15:24.659 and impermanent as the buildings themselves. 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.220 The business of architecture is subject to the 00:15:27.220 --> 00:15:29.509 same life cycle. as the brick and mortar it produces? 00:15:29.809 --> 00:15:32.549 It truly is. When you step back and look at the 00:15:32.549 --> 00:15:35.350 entirety of this journey, the scale of one person's 00:15:35.350 --> 00:15:37.830 impact on the physical environment is awe -inspiring. 00:15:38.309 --> 00:15:41.389 We've tracked the trajectory of an 1873 Canadian 00:15:41.389 --> 00:15:45.029 carpenter's son who crossed the border, mastered 00:15:45.029 --> 00:15:47.190 a formal profession, and became the defining 00:15:47.190 --> 00:15:50.149 civic architect for a massive swath of New England. 00:15:50.309 --> 00:15:52.789 It's an incredible American story. He literally 00:15:52.789 --> 00:15:55.309 designed the environments where thousands of 00:15:55.309 --> 00:15:58.529 people learned, worked. lived, worshipped, and 00:15:58.529 --> 00:16:01.490 were ultimately laid to rest. Adapting his craft 00:16:01.490 --> 00:16:04.330 through world wars, economic depressions, and 00:16:04.330 --> 00:16:07.169 massive suburban shifts, right up until his firm 00:16:07.169 --> 00:16:10.210 dissolved in the late 60s. Leaving behind a physical 00:16:10.210 --> 00:16:12.870 landscape that, whether standing, repurposed, 00:16:12.870 --> 00:16:15.250 or demolished, was fundamentally altered by his 00:16:15.250 --> 00:16:17.389 specific vision. Which brings us to a challenge 00:16:17.389 --> 00:16:19.909 for you, the listener. Tomorrow, when you walk 00:16:19.909 --> 00:16:21.730 out your front door or drive through your neighborhood, 00:16:21.929 --> 00:16:23.690 I want you to look past the mere function of 00:16:23.690 --> 00:16:25.470 the buildings you pass every day. Look at the 00:16:25.470 --> 00:16:29.220 form. Yes. Look at the form. Who drafted the 00:16:29.220 --> 00:16:32.379 blueprint for your local library? Who decided 00:16:32.379 --> 00:16:36.279 the exact angle of the roof on the oldest school 00:16:36.279 --> 00:16:39.600 in your district? Every archway, every brick 00:16:39.600 --> 00:16:42.440 facade, every window placement was a deliberate 00:16:42.440 --> 00:16:45.019 choice made by a specific person at a drafting 00:16:45.019 --> 00:16:47.419 table. Take a moment to wonder who that hidden 00:16:47.419 --> 00:16:49.500 author was and what their own story might be. 00:16:49.740 --> 00:16:51.620 And this raises an important question to leave 00:16:51.620 --> 00:16:53.720 you with, drawing on the very last detail of 00:16:53.720 --> 00:16:56.419 this architectural timeline. After the firm officially 00:16:56.419 --> 00:16:59.720 dissolved in 1968, the final partner, Irving 00:16:59.720 --> 00:17:02.940 B. Haynes, went on to open his own solo architectural 00:17:02.940 --> 00:17:06.119 office in Providence. It makes you wonder, when 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:08.460 a namesake founder passes away and the original 00:17:08.460 --> 00:17:11.099 firm is completely dissolved, does their architectural 00:17:11.099 --> 00:17:13.700 DNA and design philosophy carry over into the 00:17:13.700 --> 00:17:16.759 new solo ventures of those surviving junior partners? 00:17:17.059 --> 00:17:20.220 Or does the specific... localized design lineage 00:17:20.220 --> 00:17:22.839 of that Canadian carpenter's son officially end 00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:25.059 the moment the firm's doors are closed for good. 00:17:25.200 --> 00:17:27.319 That is a fascinating thought to chew on. Thank 00:17:27.319 --> 00:17:28.880 you so much for joining us on this exploration 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:31.259 today. Keep looking closely at the built environment 00:17:31.259 --> 00:17:33.259 around you and we'll catch you on the next deep 00:17:33.259 --> 00:17:34.880 dive. Until next time.