Willard Kent
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Willard C. Kent | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 27, 1851 |
| Died | 1924 |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Buildings | Woonsocket Opera House |
Willard Kent (1851–1924) was an architect and engineer of Woonsocket, Rhode Island.
He was born on October 27, 1851, in Marshfield, Massachusetts. His parents were Warren Kent, a builder, and Eliza Weston Kent.[1]
As a young man in 1875, Kent took a job with John W. Ellis, a Woonsocket engineer who was also the chief engineer of the Providence & Worcester Railroad. In that capacity, Ellis was responsible for the design and construction of the local train station (1882), and Kent may have thus had a hand in the design. He remained with Ellis until 1884, when he opened an office in Woonsocket for the practice of engineering. Later in the 1880s he expanded his practice to include architecture.[2] Later he opened an office in Narragansett Pier, where he would eventually also live on a permanent basis.
Kent is also notable as the teacher of Walter F. Fontaine. Kent also trained Roland A. Thayer, an important member of Lockwood, Greene & Co., from 1891 to 1896.[3]
