Cull, Robinson & Green

Edwin E. Cull
Edwin E. Cull
Born	Template:Birth date; Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.
Died	March 19, 1956 (aged 64); Cranston, Rhode Island, U.S.
Occupation	Architect
Years active	1921–1956
Known for	Co-founding the firm that evolved into The Robinson Green Beretta Corporation

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Cull, Robinson & Green, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 30 November 2025

Edwin E. Cull (October 8, 1891 – March 19, 1956) was an American architect who practiced in Providence, Rhode Island from 1921 until his passing. In 1946, he co-established the firm that evolved into The Robinson Green Beretta Corporation, which stands as one of the largest architectural firms in Rhode Island.

Life and career

Edwin E. Cull was born in Providence to James A. Cull, a manufacturer, and Mary Ella Cull. He pursued his education locally at the Rhode Island School of Design and furthered his studies at Cornell University. During World War I, he served in the United States Army Signal Corps stationed in Houston. After the war, he remained there working with a contracting company before returning to Providence in 1920. The following year, Cull took over the architectural practice of T. Clarence Herrmann, focusing primarily on residential projects and earning acclaim for both new construction and careful renovations of historic homes.

Cull directed restoration efforts on several significant historic residences such as the Wilson–Winslow House (1936) located in Coventry, the Carpenter Homestead (1940) in Seekonk, Massachusetts, and partnered with Norman M. Isham on the Clement Weaver–Daniel Howland House (1940) in East Greenwich. These buildings are recognized on the United States National Register of Historic Places. During World War II, Cull suspended his practice to serve as a consultant for the state War Production Board. After the war concluded, he assumed the role of chief architectural engineer at Arnold, Hoffman & Company.

In 1946, Cull joined forces with Knight D. Robinson to purchase Eugene B. Whipple’s firm, establishing Cull & Robinson. Robinson, a Providence native educated at Brown University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and trained under Walter Gropius at Harvard GSD, contributed modernist design expertise to the partnership. In 1953, Conrad E. Green became a third partner; Green was a GSD alumnus alongside Robinson and had prior experience with Skidmore, Owings & Merrill as well as Albert Harkness.

The firm adopted modernist design philosophies and broadened its scope from residential to institutional architecture, exemplified by projects like the Vartan Gregorian Elementary School (1954), which was Providence’s inaugural modern school building. Cull served as senior partner until his death in 1956. Following this, Robinson and Green brought Joseph A. Beretta into the partnership and renamed the firm Robinson, Green & Beretta. In 1970, they incorporated as The Robinson Green Beretta Corporation (RGB Architects), which continues operations as of 2024.

Personal life

Cull was affiliated with the American Institute of Architects, the Rhode Island Historical Society, and the Providence Art Club. In 1923, he married Natalie Elizabeth Holm, with whom he had two children. The family lived in Providence. Cull passed away on March 19, 1956, in Cranston, Rhode Island at age 64.

Edwin E. Cull, 1921–1942

1925 – Rhode Island Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals building, 372 W Fountain St, Providence, Rhode Island
1928 – Daniel Drake-Smith residence, 23 Taylors Ln S, Little Compton, Rhode Island
1928 – Henry C. Jackson residence, 50 Alfred Stone Rd, Providence, Rhode Island
1928 – J. Benjamin Nevin residence, 144 Woodbury St, Providence, Rhode Island
1929 – John J. Banigan residence, 21 Harwich Rd, Providence, Rhode Island
1929 – Charles H. Lawton residence, 57 Dryden Ave, Pawtucket, Rhode Island
1932 – Edmund J. Sullivan residence, 45 Balton Rd, Providence, Rhode Island
1932 – Phi Gamma Delta fraternity house, 90 W Alumni Ave, Kingston, Rhode Island
1935 – Animal Husbandry Building, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island
1935 – Alice H. Moran residence, 460 Blackstone Blvd, Providence, Rhode Island
1936 – Administration Building, Eleanor Slater Hospital, Howard, Rhode Island
1938 – Howard R. Merriman residence, 41 Taylors Ln, Little Compton, Rhode Island

Cull & Robinson, 1947–1954

1949 – Adolph Meyer Building located at Eleanor Slater Hospital, Howard, Rhode Island
1950 – Robert S. Davis house at 11 Abbottsford Ct, Providence, Rhode Island; included within the Freeman Plat Historic District, listed on the NRHP in 1995