Newhall & Blevins

Newhall & Blevins

Company type	Private
Industry	Architecture
Founded	1903
Founder	Louis C. Newhall, Albert H. Blevins
Defunct	1933
Fate	Closed due to financial difficulties
Headquarters	Boston, Massachusetts , United States
Key people	Louis C. Newhall, Albert H. Blevins, John W. Reth (president and treasurer after 1925)

Newhall & Blevins was a Boston-based American architectural firm active from 1903 until 1933. The company was established by architects Louis C. Newhall (1869–1925) and Albert H. Blevins (1874–1946). Initially, Newhall operated independently starting in 1901 before joining forces with Blevins two years later. Their collaboration lasted until 1919, although the partnership remained connected until Newhall’s passing in 1925. Afterward, the firm restructured as Newhall & Blevins Inc., with John W. Reth (1888–1940), an engineer and construction overseer, taking on the roles of president and treasurer. Financial challenges led to the company’s closure in 1933.

Louis C. Newhall

Louis Chapell Newhall (born April 17, 1869, in Malden, Massachusetts) was a distinguished architect and co-founder of the firm. He received his education at Tufts College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Early in his career, he gained valuable experience working with notable Boston architectural firms such as those led by J. Merrill Brown, J. Williams Beal, and Arthur H. Bowditch. In 1898, Newhall earned the esteemed Rotch Travelling Scholarship, which allowed him to study abroad for three years before launching his own practice in Boston in 1901. His alliance with Blevins in 1903 was pivotal for the firm’s expansion.

Newhall played significant roles within the professional community, serving as president (1905–1915) and treasurer of the Boston Architectural Club, highlighting his industry prominence. He was also affiliated with the Society of Arts and Crafts of Boston. In 1914, he authored The Minor Chateaux and Manor Houses of France of the XV and XVI Century, a publication that underscored his design expertise and contributed to the firm’s scholarly reputation. Newhall passed away on December 26, 1925, in Boston.

Albert H. Blevins

Albert Henry Blevins (born May 26, 1874, in Cambridge, Massachusetts) was an architect educated at Harvard and a key business figure within the firm. Following initial engineering work on Massachusetts state highways, he pursued advanced architectural studies at Harvard University before partnering with Louis C. Newhall in 1903 to create a firm recognized for its broad real estate ventures. Although their partnership ended in 1919, Blevins maintained management over their shared property holdings. He married Beatrice Magee in 1914 and died in 1946.

Legacy

Newhall & Blevins earned a reputation for designing substantial apartment complexes and churches inspired by English architecture primarily around Boston, with some projects extending into Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Their architectural approach frequently drew inspiration from Ralph Adams Cram’s Richmond Court (1898). Among their celebrated works is Burton Hall (1909) located in Cambridge, noted for its English Tudor style and architectural importance, which helped establish their competitive edge regionally. Several buildings designed by the firm have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, enhancing their standing within the architectural community.

Architectural works

• Black Rock House, Cohasset, MA (1904; demolished 1968)
• Former Faulkner Methodist Church, Malden, MA (1907)
• Odd Fellows Building, Malden, MA (1907–1908; NRHP-listed)
• "Questenmere" residence for Frederick McQuesten, Marblehead, MA (1908–1909; demolished)
• Wadsworth Chambers, Cambridge, MA (1908)
• Burton Hall, Cambridge, MA (1909)
• Faith Lutheran Church, Cambridge, MA (1909; extensively damaged by fire in 2023)
• Paris Street Gymnasium, East Boston, MA (1909–1910)
• Second Congregational Church, Lynn, MA (1909–1910; collaboration with Nelson & van Wagenen)
• William Lloyd Garrison School, Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, MA (1910–1922; NRHP-listed)
• Remington Gables apartment complex, Cambridge, MA (1910)
• Y.M.C.A. Building, Marblehead, MA (1910–1911; demolished 2011)
• Y.W.C.A. Building, Cambridge, MA (1910)
• Former Third Congregational Church building, Cambridge, MA (1911; mostly demolished except for tower)
• "The Chalet" residence for F. Holland Day, Georgetown, ME (1912)
• Inman Square Fire Station, Cambridge, MA (1912)
• Tavern Inn hotel, Laconia, NH (1912)
• Boston City Club building, Boston, MA (1913)
• Lambda Iota fraternity house in Burlington, VT (1913)
• Payson Park Congregational Church in Belmont, MA (1915)
• Extension to Converse Memorial Library in Malden, MA (1916; NRHP-listed)
• Dickinson House at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, MA (1916)
• Mather Court and Cambridge Savings Bank building projects in Cambridge, MA (constructed 1916 and 1923 respectively)
• Overseers of Public Welfare Building and Temporary Home for Women in Boston, MA (1924)
• Concordia Lutheran Church in Worcester, MA (1925)
• Phineas Bates School located in Roslindale neighborhood of Boston, MA (1929)

This extensive body of work demonstrates a robust business strategy centered on institutional and residential architecture that broadened their influence across New England while solidifying their legacy through historic preservation recognition.

Additional Resources

• The Minor Chateaux and Manor Houses of France of the XV and XVI Century