Some of the buildings in the Providence, Rhode Island, area associated with Bucklins are
shown below. Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it for viewing.
James C. Bucklin (1801-1880) was a builder and architect with
300 projects to his name in Rhode Island. So there are many buildings and sites
associated with him. A few are noted below.
The building shown at the left above is known as the "Cabinet Building".
Designed by James C. Bucklin as the first headquarters building of the Rhode
Island Historical Society, it was a truly great space conception for the
Historical Society of the time. The Cabinet was the first American
building specifically designed for a historical society. It was built in the
style of a little Greek temple, fifty by thirty feet in size, with good
attention paid to the efficient use of space for the purposes of a historical
society. Expanded by the addition of wings in 1891, the Cabinet remained
the headquarters of the Rhode Island Historical Society until 1941, when it was
be sold to Brown University.
Through the years the uses of the building changed. In 2000 AD the Cabinet
Building served as the copying center and photo lab of Brown University.
In October of 2004, following a major renovation, the building became the home
of Brown University’s Population Studies & Training Center. {See: http://www.pstc.brown.edu/space.html
for details.} We are indebted to Anne K. Ilacqua, Information Specialist, Brown
University , Population Studies & Training Center for the present information.
James C. Bucklin designed Brown
University's Manning Chapel, as well as a number of the buildings of the
University.
On the left is the Beneficent Congregational Church on Weybosset
Street. Built in 1809 and remodeled in 1836 by James C. Bucklin with a
unique Round Top. James was enthusiastic about columns such as you see on
the front of this church, and which you will see if you visit the Bucklin Arcade
Building.
Have lunch at the Bucklin Arcade Building ---a
n 1828 building designed by James C. Bucklin and discussed in
many architectural history books as being the first indoor shopping mall in the
Americas. See the splendid photos and write ups in the May,
1981 issues of the Architectural Record [Robert Alexander, The Arcade in
Providence, Journal of the Society of Architectural Historians, Oct,
1953.] When the Arcade was built in 1828, its 22 foot granite columns that
still support its entrances were the largest in the country. The Metropolitan
Museum of Art has called it one of the finest examples of 19th century
commercial architecture in the nation. Both as a building project and as one of
the over 300 architectural projects of James Bucklin, it is impressive.
This really is not a
Bucklin building, but it was known for years as the Bucklin Street Junior High,
in Providence. It was on Bucklin Street, and
maybe still is, but renamed the Gilbert Stuart Junior High School.
Anyone going to Providence? Can you see if the house
shown here still exists, and get a street number for us? This photo is in
the Providence Library, labeled as "The Old Bucklin House, Richmond
Street." The date of the photo is unknown, as well as why it was
considered important enough to take a photo of it. Maybe the present
owners know who the "Old Bucklin" was?
