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Desmond & Lord was an American architectural firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, active from 1907 to 1979. Desmond & Lord became known early on for their public work, which comprised most of its practice. After over fifty years of success, the firm stumbled in 1978 when its then-president became embroiled in a political scandal, and was sold the following year.

PartnersG. Henri Desmond; Israel P. Lord; David R. Thissen Jr.
FoundersG. Henri Desmond
Founded1907
Dissolved1990
Quick facts Desmond & Lord, Practice information ...
Desmond & Lord
G. Henri Desmond, c.1916
Practice information
PartnersG. Henri Desmond; Israel P. Lord; David R. Thissen Jr.
FoundersG. Henri Desmond
Founded1907
Dissolved1990
LocationBoston, Massachusetts
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Firm history

The firm eventually known as Desmond & Lord was founded in 1907 by G. Henri Desmond (1876-1965).[1] He was a sole practitioner until 1916, when he was joined by Israel P. Lord (1881-1973).[2] After independently designing a number of prominent buildings in New England, they served as coordinating architects for Paul Rudolph on some of his major projects. These were the campus of what is now known as the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and the Government Service Center in Boston. REVISE THIS

The firm was incorporated in 1960, the shareholders being Desmond, Lord and D. Richard "Dick" Thissen Jr. (1920-1995). Thissen was a salesman who had joined the firm in 1953, and had a talent for bringing work into the office. [3] Lord retired from active practice in 1961,[4] and Desmond died in 1965. Thissen eventually purchased Lord's share of the company later in the 1960s, and assumed full control.[3] After political scandal damaged the firm's reputation and prospects, it was sold in 1979 to the nationally-active, San Francisco-based firm of John Carl Warnecke & Associates.[5] This arrangement intended that Desmond & Lord would remain semi-independent, with its ownership shares held by Warnecke & Associates. However, contracts and business were soon transferred to Warnecke & Associates. The Desmond & Lord name was phased out of active use in 1980.[6]

The Boston office of Warnecke & Associates was acquired by Cannon Design in 1983. The office then practiced as Warnecke Cannon until 1985, when the Warnecke name was dropped. Since this time, CannonDesign has maintained a Boston presence.[7]

As a corporation, Desmond & Lord Inc. technically existed until 1990, when it was involuntarily dissolved.[8]

Political scandal

Shoddy design and construction techniques had been noticed in some of the firm's major projects beginning in the late 1960s. Thissen was known in political circles but his influence only became known in 1978, when he was photographed behind Edward J. King at a party celebrating King's win in the Democratic gubernatorial primary.[9] It was revealed that Thissen was a major donor to King, and inquiries into projects awarded to Desmond & Lord by the Massachusetts Port Authority while it was under the direction of King began. It was found that Desmond & Lord recieved almost all design contracts awarded during King's directorship, from 1963 to 1974, in addition to receving an outsized proportion of all design contracts awarded by the Commonwealth.

Severe structural problems then emerged at the Cape Cod Community College, designed by the firm some years before, prompting lawsuits. In 1979 investigations into the firm were brought under the umbrella of the Special Commission Concerning State and County Buildings, then investigating the MBM scandal.[10]

Although it was found that Thissen illegally funnelled corporate money to political campaigns by laundering it through members of his staff. It was believed that he did this with the aim of then recieving additional design contracts. However, investigations into Thissen's activities were dropped in 1981 and he was not convicted of any wrongdoing.[11] Lawsuits relating to design and construction defects were eventually settled.[12]

Principal biographies

George Henri Desmond was born February 22, 1874 in Watertown, Massachusetts.[13] He attended the public schools of Watertown[1] and received his architectural training in the office of Winslow & Bigelow.[14] In 1907 he initiated his own practice, associating with Lord in 1916.

In 1903 Desmond married Maud Vasti Hollis of New York. They had one son.[1] She died in 1938. Desmond later retired to Marblehead, Massachusetts, where he died July 3, 1965.[13]

Israel Pierre Lord was born December 12, 1881 in Somerville, Massachusetts to Israel P. and Catherine (Fee) Lord.[15] He attended public schools and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 1903. In 1908, after five years of professional work, he was awarded the Rotch Travelling Scholarship, which enabled two years of study and travel abroad.[16] When he returned to Boston in 1910, he entered the office of Codman & Despradelle. Upon the death of Constant-Désiré Despradelle in 1912, he and three other associates of the firm were made principals.[a] He remained with Codman & Despradelle until joining Desmond in 1916. In addition to his practice, Lord taught in the Department of Architecture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1914 to 1917.

Lord was married to Mary Isabella Duncan, and they had three children. He died at home in Chestnut Hill, April 28, 1973.[15]

David Richard Thissen Jr. was born in Chicago in 1920. He was a graduate of Worcester Academy and the University of Miami. During World War II he worked for Pratt & Whitney and the Lockheed Corporation.[18] He was later employed by the Bay State York Company until 1953, when he joined Desmond & Lord.[3] After the political scandal and his sale of Desmond & Lord Inc. to Warnecke, he was appointed vice-president in the Boston office. He continued in the role of vice-president through the firm's later iterations, Warnecke Cannon and Cannon Boston. He died in Arlington, August 28, 1995.[18]

Legacy

In the early years of his practice, Desmond employed Hugo Kuehne, who would become a noted architect and educator in Texas. Kuehne was in the office from 1908 to 1910, when he moved to Austin to develop an architectural school at the University of Texas.[19]

worksold

Harlan Paine
Courthouse
Roosevelt
Burton Cross
Furcolo
Carney
Weed Lowell











In 1962 Desmond & Lord was one of three firms selected to design buildings for the Boston Government Service Center. Thissen retained prominent architect Paul Rudolph as a consultant with complete control over design, believing the resulting project would raise the firm's profile. Rudolph was principally responsible for the firm's Erich Lindemann Building (1971) and exerted considerable influence over the remainder of the complex as coordinating architect in agreement with the two other firms.[22]: 114–128 

In 1963 the firm was also hired to plan the new campus of what is know the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and Rudolph was again retained. He was principally responsible for the master plan and the first building, the Liberal Arts Building (1966), which was intended as a model for future construction. After the completion of the initial work allegations of extravagance and political pressure caused the firm to formally fire Rudolph from the project, though he continued as coordinating architect of the Government Service Center. Desmond & Lord held onto the project and its architects continued to consult with Rudolph informally on the project. Rudolph's biographer, Timothy M. Rohan, identifies the Claire T. Carney Library (1972), designed principally by Desmond & Lord's Grattan Gill and Jan Heespelink, as a powerful example of Rudolph's personal style designed by others.[22]: 128–140 

The firm drew negative attention in the 1970s with the failures of several public projects: Weed Hall (1972) of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, the Library (1974) of Salem State University.

Bryant F. Tolles Jr., an architectural historian who had become director of the Essex Institute shortly after the Library (1974) at Salem State University was completed, described the building as a "bold, forthright work of architecture" in which an "exposed structural support system .. [brings] cohesiveness to the whole composition."[23]: 248  But in January 1972, with the building nearly complete, state building officials ordered construction be stopped after dangerous structural cracks appeared.[24] The building was partly deconstructed and rebuilt but structural problems which were never fully rectified meant that the building was closed in 2007 and demolished in 2009.[25][26]

At roughly the same time, a state investigation found major design and construction flaws in the firm's Weed Hall (1972) for the University of Massachusetts Lowell, though these problems were corrected and the building completed.[27]

Just as allegations were coming to light the firm won its last major commission, the now-former Federal Building and United States Courthouse (1983) in Springfield in joint venture with CannonDesign of Springfield and Grand Island, New York, and The Ehrenkrantz Group of New York City.


According to Thissen, the probe cost the firm "millions of dollars in work," and in 1979 sold the firm to John Carl Warnecke & Associates, a frequent collaborator.[28]


Under the Ward Commission.

Federal corruption charges against Thissen were dropped in 1981 and state charges were never brought.[29] Suits by the state against the firm moved forward but any results were not publicly reported.

In 1983 Warnecke sold the Boston office to CannonDesign, a partner with Desmond & Lord on the Springfield courthouse. Thissen continued to be affiliated with Cannon until his death in 1995; Cannon maintains a Boston office.


Architectural works

Notes

  1. [a]
    In addition to Lord, these associates were William Atkinson, Ralph D. Emerson and W. S. Wells.[17]

References

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