# Charles Edward Parker

Charles Edward Parker (1826-1890) was an American architect from Boston, Massachusetts.

## Life and career

After growing up in Keene, New Hampshire, Parker moved to Boston in the 1840s, where he worked for architect Gridley J. F. Bryant. Around 1846, at the young age of 20, he established his own office. After several years of private practice, he joined the office of prominent architect Richard Bond as junior partner. The firm, Bond & Parker, existed from 1850 until 1853. He practiced alone for the rest of his career. He retired from active practice soon before his death in late 1890.
Parker was the father of the noted composer Horatio Parker, born in Auburndale in 1863. Parker's Hora Novissima, written in 1893 after his father's death, was dedicated to him. Of the influence of the father on the son, it was said that from him, "[Horatio] inherited an artistic nature and creative faculty", though his primary artistic inspiration came from his mother.

## Legacy

Parker designed the Easthampton Town Hall and the Chicopee City Hall, as well as at least nine churches. Several of these, plus the City Hall in Chicopee, have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their architectural significance.

## Architectural works

| Year | Building | Address | City | State | Notes |
| 1847 | Brookline Reservoir Gatehouse | 7 Warren St | Brookline | Massachusetts | |
| 1848 | Keene Town (City) Hall | 11 Washington St | Keene | New Hampshire | Has been highly altered. |
| 1848 | Gideon F. T. Reed House | 35 Elm St | Canton | Massachusetts | |
| 1850 | Bank of Commerce Building | 83 State St | Boston | Massachusetts | With Richard Bond. Demolished. |
| 1851 | Concord Town House | 22 Monument Sq | Concord | Massachusetts | With Richard Bond. |
| 1851 | Isaac Davis Monument | Town Green | Acton | Massachusetts | |
| 1851 | Tremont Bank Building | 41-43 State St | Boston | Massachusetts | With Richard Bond. Demolished. |
| 1853 | J. B. Bradlee Building | 50-52 Broad St | Boston | Massachusetts | Later known as the Architects' Building. |
| 1857 | Auburndale Congregational Church | 64 Hancock St | Auburndale | Massachusetts | |
| 1857 | Williston Hall | Amherst College | Amherst | Massachusetts | Radically rebuilt in 1951 to plans by McKim, Mead & White. |
| 1859 | Barrett Hall | Amherst College | Amherst | Massachusetts | |
| 1859 | South Congregational Church | 27 Pleasant St | Concord | New Hampshire | |
| 1860 | Eliot Church | 474 Centre St | Newton | Massachusetts | Burned in 1887. |
| 1863 | First Congregational Church | 134 Main St | North Adams | Massachusetts | |
| 1863 | St. James Episcopal Church | 44 West St | Keene | New Hampshire | |
| 1864 | Shawmut Congregational Church | 143 W Brookline St | Boston | Massachusetts | Largely demolished, but parts of the building survive as part of the Taino Tower Condominiums. |
| 1867 | Soldier's Monument | Old North Cemetery | Weymouth | Massachusetts | |
| 1868 | Bethany Congregational Church | 115 Main St | Montpelier | Vermont | Due to structural deficiences, the sanctuary was replaced in 1959 to designs by Freeman French Freeman of Burlington. |
| 1869 | Easthampton Town Hall | 43 Main St | Easthampton | Massachusetts | |
| 1868 | Third Congregational Church | 103 Springfield St | Chicopee | Massachusetts | Now Christ's Community Church. |
| 1871 | Chicopee City Hall | 17 Springfield St | Chicopee | Massachusetts | |
| 1873 | Evangelical Baptist Church | 23 Chapel St | Nonantum | Massachusetts | |
| 1875 | Central Fire Station | 44 Warren St | Concord | New Hampshire | Presently a facility of the local YMCA. |
| 1877 | John Kimball House | 10 N State St | Concord | New Hampshire | Highly altered. |
| 1881 | Episcopal Church of the Messiah | 1900 Commonwealth Ave | Auburndale | Massachusetts | Has been significantly rebuilt. |