Henry F. Starbuck
Encyclopedia
Henry F. Starbuck was an American
architect and a specialist in church architecture.
and died on August 21, 1935 at Decoto
, Alameda County, California
. He was the son of Henry Starbuck and Abigail Borden. His father came to America as a cabin boy on a whaling ship from the Azores and later became a whaling captain, skippering the ships Franklin and Daniel Webster.
as Starbuck & Vinal in 1877. Leaving Boston, he relocated to New Brunswick for a short while and from there he spent several years in Chicago, Illinois and was briefly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. By 1894 he had established a practice in San Diego, California
where he earned a reputation as a specialist in church architecture.
After working on a church building in Fresno in 1902, he relocated to Oakland, California
where he built a flourishing practice. While practicing in Oakland, Starbuck formed a brief partnership with William Wilde which ended after a couple of years. After his well-publicized divorce he resettled in Fresno, California
to rebuild his career and life in 1910. He retired at Decoto, now Union City, California
.
the daughter of Lewis Ellingwood Noyes and Lucy A. Briggs. She was an 1870 graduate of Mount Holyoke College
and was a school teacher before her marriage in 1872. She was a descendant of Dr. Samuel Fuller
, a passenger on the Mayflower
and one of the Separatist settlers of the Plymouth Colony
in Massachusetts
. They were the parents of a son, Henry Walker Starbuck (1874–1948). This couple later divorced.
He married, in 1901 in Los Angeles, California, as his second wife, Mrs. Margaret (Lee) Lee, age 36, born June 4, 1865 in Michigan of Canadian parentage, and a wealthy widow whose first husband was from Virginia. She died on December 4, 1948 in San Francisco, California. She was implicated but was never charged in a murder case for obstruction of justice. A triple murder occurred on their property, The Margaret Starbuck Ranch, now known as Lions Head Ranch in Cazadero, California
. This led to their separation and divorce in 1910. They were the parents of one daughter, Mildred E. Starbuck (1905–1962).
He married as his third wife, after 1910, Katherine Sophia Graham, born February 27, 1871 at San Francisco, California
and died on September 18, 1940 at Decoto, Alameda County, California. She was the daughter of John Richard Graham and Elizabeth Gardner. There were no children from this marriage.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect and a specialist in church architecture.
Early life and ancestors
Henry Fletcher Starbuck was born on March 1, 1850, in Nantucket, MassachusettsNantucket, Massachusetts
Nantucket is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in the United States. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the town of Nantucket, Massachusetts, and the coterminous Nantucket County, which are consolidated. Part of the town is designated the Nantucket...
and died on August 21, 1935 at Decoto
Decoto, California
Decoto is a former settlement in Alameda County, California, now annexed to Union City. It was located north-northwest of downtown Newark.In 1867, Ezra Decoto, a local landowner sold land to the railroad. A settlement grew up around the place...
, Alameda County, California
Alameda County, California
Alameda County is a county in the U.S. state of California. It occupies most of the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,510,271, making it the 7th most populous county in the state...
. He was the son of Henry Starbuck and Abigail Borden. His father came to America as a cabin boy on a whaling ship from the Azores and later became a whaling captain, skippering the ships Franklin and Daniel Webster.
Education
He completed his education in Boston and fulfilled his apprenticeship there under Harvard-educated architect Abel C. Martin (1831–1879). Following his apprenticeship, he formed a partnership in Boston with George A. Moore as Moore & Starbuck Architects in 1873, followed by a partnership with Arthur H. VinalArthur H. Vinal
Arthur H. Vinal was an American architect who lived and worked in Boston, Massachusetts. Vinal started a partnership with Henry F. Starbuck in 1877; the firm broke up when Starbuck moved away. Vinal was City Architect of Boston from 1884 to 1887. He is principally known for his Richardsonian...
as Starbuck & Vinal in 1877. Leaving Boston, he relocated to New Brunswick for a short while and from there he spent several years in Chicago, Illinois and was briefly in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. By 1894 he had established a practice in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
where he earned a reputation as a specialist in church architecture.
After working on a church building in Fresno in 1902, he relocated to Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
where he built a flourishing practice. While practicing in Oakland, Starbuck formed a brief partnership with William Wilde which ended after a couple of years. After his well-publicized divorce he resettled in Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
to rebuild his career and life in 1910. He retired at Decoto, now Union City, California
Union City, California
Union City is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It was incorporated in 1959, combining the communities of Alvarado and Decoto. Alvarado was the original county seat of Alameda County, and the site of the first county courthouse is a California Historical Landmark . The city...
.
Marriage and family
He married as his first wife, on August 10, 1872, at Abington, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Charlotte Elizabeth Noyes, born on August 10, 1850 at Abington, MassachusettsAbington, Massachusetts
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,605 people, 5,263 households, and 3,747 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,469.1 people per square mile . There were 5,348 housing units at an average density of 538.0 per square mile...
the daughter of Lewis Ellingwood Noyes and Lucy A. Briggs. She was an 1870 graduate of Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Holyoke College is a liberal arts college for women in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It was the first member of the Seven Sisters colleges, and served as a model for some of the others...
and was a school teacher before her marriage in 1872. She was a descendant of Dr. Samuel Fuller
Samuel Fuller (Mayflower physician)
Samuel Fuller was an English doctor and church deacon. He is remembered as one of the Separatist Pilgrims who together formed the colony in North America at Plymouth, Massachusetts.-Early life:...
, a passenger on the Mayflower
Mayflower
The Mayflower was the ship that transported the English Separatists, better known as the Pilgrims, from a site near the Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, England, to Plymouth, Massachusetts, , in 1620...
and one of the Separatist settlers of the Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony
Plymouth Colony was an English colonial venture in North America from 1620 to 1691. The first settlement of the Plymouth Colony was at New Plymouth, a location previously surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement, which served as the capital of the colony, is today the modern town...
in 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...
. They were the parents of a son, Henry Walker Starbuck (1874–1948). This couple later divorced.
He married, in 1901 in Los Angeles, California, as his second wife, Mrs. Margaret (Lee) Lee, age 36, born June 4, 1865 in Michigan of Canadian parentage, and a wealthy widow whose first husband was from Virginia. She died on December 4, 1948 in San Francisco, California. She was implicated but was never charged in a murder case for obstruction of justice. A triple murder occurred on their property, The Margaret Starbuck Ranch, now known as Lions Head Ranch in Cazadero, California
Cazadero, California
Cazadero is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in western Sonoma County, California, United States with a population of 354 as of the 2010 Census. Nearby towns include Jenner, Annapolis, Stewart's Point, Duncans Mills, Villa Grande, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio, and The Sea Ranch...
. This led to their separation and divorce in 1910. They were the parents of one daughter, Mildred E. Starbuck (1905–1962).
He married as his third wife, after 1910, Katherine Sophia Graham, born February 27, 1871 at San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and died on September 18, 1940 at Decoto, Alameda County, California. She was the daughter of John Richard Graham and Elizabeth Gardner. There were no children from this marriage.
Works
- Trinity Episcopal Parish Church (Seattle)Trinity Episcopal Parish Church (Seattle)Trinity Episcopal Church is an historic church located in the First Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington and is an Episcopal congregation in the Diocese of Olympia.-History of Trinity Episcopal Church:...
- Quinn Chapel AME Church (Chicago, Illinois)Quinn Chapel AME Church (Chicago, Illinois)Quinn Chapel AME Church, also known as Quinn Chapel of the A.M.E. Church, houses Chicago's oldest African-American congregation, formed by seven individuals as a nondenominational prayer group that met in the house of a member in 1844. In 1847, the group organized as a congregation of the African...
- Knox Presbyterian Church, Berkeley, California
- Bank of New BrunswickBank of New BrunswickThe Bank of New Brunswick was established on March 25, 1820 in the pre-Confederation Province of New Brunswick, Canada as the first Canadian bank to operate under a charter. Headquartered in a new building on Prince William Street in Saint John in 1826, the neoclassical bank façade consisted of an...
- Methodist Church at Farmington, Maine
- St. John's Episcopal Church, Decatur, Illinois
- Olivet Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, Olivet, Michigan
- Long Beach, California Sanitarium
- First Congregational Church, Fresno, California
- 1st Baptist Church, Oxnard, CA - 1928
- 1st Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles #1, Downtown, Los Angeles, CA
- Boston Ranch Church, El Cajon, CA
- Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church, Fresno - 1914
- Fresno Church - 1912
- Giffen House
- Fresno County Almshouse Project, Fresno - 1906
- Masonic Lodge Project , Palo Alto, CA - c. 1905
- Masonic Lodge Project , Santa Rosa, CA - 1905
Publications
- Boston Ranch Church, Builder & Contractor, 1, col 5, 1/16/1895.
- First Methodist Episcopal Church, Los Angeles, notice, Builder & Contractor, 1, col 4, 3/23/1898.
- Knox Presbyterian Church plans, Builder & Contractor, 1, col 3, 3/30/1898.
- Plans for the First Baptist Church, Oxnard notice, Southwest Builder & Contractor, 53, col 2, 4/13/1928.
- Fresno church alterations, Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, 23, col 2, 5/11/1912.
- Free Evangelical Lutheran Cross Church notice, Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer, 25, col 1, 5/23/1914.
- Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl, and Andersen, Dennis A., Distant Corner: Seattle Architects and the Legacy of H. H. Richardson (University of Washington Press, 2003), pp. 239, 240 (Trinity Church, Seattle; identifies Henry Starbuck as a "Chicago architect")