Enoch A. Curtis (1836–1907) was an American architect practicing in Fredonia, New York during the nineteenth century.
Life and career
Enoch Arnold Curtis was born July 19, 1836, in Busti, New York to Isaac Curtis, a farmer, and Susan (Hunter) Curtis. He was raised on the farm, educated in the academy at Jamestown, and trained as a carpenter. In 1862 he enlisted in the 112th New York Infantry Regiment of the Union Army and was commissioned a captain. He was heavily injured during the Battle of Cold Harbor in 1864, and was honorably discharged due to his wounds. He settled in Fredonia, and while recovering he ran a hardware business and took up the study of architecture.[1] In 1867 he opened an office as an architect.[2] Curtis practiced in Fredonia for a period of forty years. In 1888 he formed the firm of Curtis & Archer with William H. Archer, which was dissolved in 1890 when Archer moved to Buffalo. He later had a successful practice in Canada.[3] Curtis frequently drew from pattern books for his designs.[2]
Curtis was married in 1855 to Mary Jane Elizabeth Norton of Ashville, New York, and they had two daughters. Curtis died October 4, 1907, in Fredonia.[4]
Legacy
From his office in Fredonia, Curtis built extensively in western New York and Pennsylvania. At least four buildings designed by Curtis, alone and with Archer, have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places. Several others contribute to listed historic districts.
^ abcLu Donnelly, H. David Brumble IV and Franklin Toker, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2010)