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→Biography: <ref>{{cite news |author= |agency=Associated Press |title=Architect and Educator, William E. Parsons, Dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20246311/william_edward_parsons_the_architect/ |quote= |newspaper=Detroit Free Press |date=December 18, 1939 |accessdate=2018-05-21 }}</ref>
 
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{{short description|American architect and designer of the Gabaldon school buildings}}
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{{Infobox person
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'''William Edward Parsons''' (June 19, 1872 -– December 17, 1939) was an [[architect]] and [[city planner]] known for his works work in the [[Philippines]] during the early period of [[History of the Philippines (1898-19461898–1946)|American colonizationcolonial period]]. inHe was a consulting architect to the country[[Insular Government of the Philippine Islands]] from 1905 to 1914, and designed various structures, most notably the [[Gabaldon school buildings]].
 
==Biography==
[[File:Municipal market, Paco, Manila, 1911 LCCN2006686202.tif|thumb|Paco Market]]
He was born on June 19, 1872 in [[Akron, Ohio]].<ref>His tombstone uses June 19, 1872, perhaps that is the baptismal date. June 17, 1872 comes from the transcription of Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821-1962, perhaps that has been mistranscribed.</ref> He was educated at [[Yale University]], and [[École des Beaux-Arts]] in [[Paris]]
 
Parsons was born in June 1872 in [[Akron, Ohio]].{{NoteTag|name=tomb}} He was educated at [[Yale University]] and [[École des Beaux-Arts]] in [[Paris]].
During the early years of American reconstruction in the Philippines, at the height of the [[City Beautiful movement]], the former [[Governor-General of the Philippines]] (and future U.S. president), [[Howard Taft]], initiated a comprehensive building construction and city planning in the country.<ref>Rea, Bronson (1907-03). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cH1CAQAAIAAJ "The Far Eastern Review Vols. 3-4 - Details and description of the Burnham plans for the reconstruction of Manila"], pg.322. Far Eastern, Manila.</ref> He was the [[United States Secretary of War]] when he instructed [[William Cameron Forbes]], then a member of the [[Philippine Commission]], to engage competent advice on this subject. He induced architect [[Daniel H. Burnham]], the leading spirit in the architectural design and construction of the 1893 [[World's Fair in Chicago]], to visit the islands, which he did together with his designer, Pierce Anderson, making general preliminary plans for the cities of [[Manila]] and [[Baguio]]. This was followed by the recommendation that an architect of suitable training and experience be appointed as consulting architect for the Government.<ref name="AR41">A.N. Rebori (1917-04). ([https://books.google.com/books?id=DUtTAAAAMAAJ "Architectural Record, Vol. 41 - The Work of William Parsons in the Philippine Islands"]. pp. 305-309. Architectural Record, Ltd, New York.</ref>
 
During the early years of the American colonial era, Governor-General of the Philippines [[Howard Taft]] favored a comprehensive building construction and city planning in the country.{{r|Bronson}} [[William Cameron Forbes]], having recently appointed as commissioner to the Philippines, sought out [[Daniel Burnham]] to create plans for the cities of [[Baguio]] and [[Manila]].{{r|notes}} Burnham and architect Pierce Anderson drew up preliminary plans based from site surveys in 1904 and 1905, free of charge on Burnham's end. The plans were followed by a recommendation of a well-trained architect for the government's plan, as Burnham ended his involvement on the plans in the Philippines.{{r|dreams}}{{r|hines}}
Parsons was recommended by Burnham and appointed for the job. At the time of his selection he was practicing [[architecture]] in [[New York City]], having recently graduated from [[École des Beaux-Arts]], Paris. With enthusiastic ambition, the best heritage of a thorough French training, he went to Manila in November, 1905. Under the terms of his appointment as a consulting architect created by the Philippine Commission [[List of Philippine laws|Act No.]] 1495 (enacted May 26, 1906), he was given general architectural supervision over the design of all public buildings and parks throughout the islands, including provincial and municipal work as well as [[Insular area|insular]]. Consequently, he was charged with interpretation of the preliminary plans prepared by Messrs. Burnham and Anderson for Manila and Baguio. It remained for the American architect to establish city plans and buildings of a permanent nature suited to the needs and requirements of a tropical country.<ref name="AR41"/><ref>Bureau of insular Affairs (1907). [https://books.google.com/books?id=kV4SAAAAYAAJ "Acts of the Philippine Commission, Nos. 1408-1538"], pg. 248. Government Printing Office, Washington.</ref>
 
[[File:BurnhamPlanOf-Manila.jpg|thumb|Burnham's preliminary plan for Manila, which was partially applied in the city.]]
He received a salary from the Government which paid the cost of plans, etc. Also, he was allowed to engage in private practice, and maintained a separate office during most of his years in Manila. He served until February, 1914, resigning because "there seemed to be no further progress to be made under the scuttle policy of the present administration." He was replaced by his assistant, George Corner Fenhagen, as the Consulting Architect of the Philippine government.<ref name="AR41"/>▼
 
Parsons was recommended by Burnham for the position, who at that time was practicing [[architecture]] in [[New York City]], having recently graduated from [[École des Beaux-Arts]], Paris. Parsons arrived at Manila in November 1905, tasked to "interpret" the preliminary plans prepared by Burnham and Anderson for Manila and Baguio, and modify these as needed. Parsons also prepared his own preliminary city plans for [[Cebu City]] in 1912, in line with the [[City Beautiful movement]]. In this plan the [[Cebu Provincial Capitol]] was conceptualized to be positioned at the northern end of Jones Avenue (now [[Osmeña Boulevard]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=mcosep |date=2018-11-11 |title=History through the walls |url=https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/203126/history-through-the-walls |access-date=2024-06-26 |website=Cebu Daily News |language=en}}</ref> Parsons would also supervise plans for building projects for the Bureau of Public Works.{{r|govgenpi}} Several public buildings and parks designed by Parsons are a hybrid of colonial architecture and that of the Philippines, which is a tropical country. Such designs also adopted the use of local material, such as hardwoods and [[capiz shell]]s for [[window sash]] in place of glass to reduce sunlight glare (see [[Capiz shell window|Capiz-shell window]]).{{r|Rebori}}
One of the features of local architecture he adopted generally on his design, even at the high-end [[Manila Hotel]], was the use of [[Capiz shell]]s for [[window sash]] in place of glass. The Capiz shell is a flat sea shell about {{convert|4|in}} in diameter. It is trimmed down to squares, which are set in thin strips of wood. They give a soft pearly light, where clear glass would be intolerable on account of the glare.
 
OneParsons ofalso prepared the moststandardized widespread designsplans of Parsons is the [[Gabaldon schoolhouseschool buildings]], which were designed akin to templates with the intent of promoting efficiency in the planning process.{{r|govgen}} These are school buildings constructed in the Philippines between 1907 and 1946 and named after the late assemblyman [[Isauro Gabaldon]] of Nueva Ecija, who authored the Gabaldon Act which appropriated P1 &nbsp;million for the construction of modern public schools nationwide<ref>http://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/65255/restoring-gabaldon-schoolhouses</ref>.{{r|cebu}}
 
▲<!-------He received a salary from the Government which paid the cost of plans, etc. Also,He hewas wasalso allowed to engage in private practice, and maintainedmaintain a separate office during most of his years in Manila. He served until February, 1914, resigning because "there seemed to be no further progress to be made under the scuttle policy of the present administration." He was replacedsucceeded by his assistant, George Corner Fenhagen, as the Consulting Architect of the Philippine government.<ref name="AR41"/-------->Parsons resigned in 1914, and he was succeeded by George Corner Fenhagen as the consulting architect of the Philippine government. He died on December 17, 1939, at his home in [[New Haven, Connecticut]], survived by his wife and two children.{{r|ded}}{{r|grave}}
He died on December 17, 1939 at his home in [[New Haven, Connecticut]].<ref>{{cite news |author= |agency=[[Associated Press]] |title=Architect and Educator, William E. Parsons, Dies |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20246311/william_edward_parsons_the_architect/ |quote= |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press ]] |date=December 18, 1939 |accessdate=2018-05-21 }}</ref>▼
 
==Works==
*[[Gabaldon School Buildings]]
*[[Malacañan sa Sugbo|Customs Office]], [[Cebu City]]
*[[Manila Army and Navy Club]] Building, Manila
*[[Elks Club Building (Manila)|Manila Elks Club]], Manila
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*[[Paco railway station]], Manila
*[[Philippine General Hospital]]
*[[National Museum Western Visayas|(Old) Provincial Jail]], Iloilo City
*H.A. Bordner Building, [[Manila Science High School]]
*[[Philippine Normal University|Philippine Normal School]]
*Provincial Capitol (Old) of Laguna Province in [[Santa Cruz, Laguna]]
*Provincial Capitol (Old) of Nueva Ecija in [[Cabanatuan City]]
*University Hall of the [[University of the Philippines Manila]]
*[[The Mansion, Baguio|The Mansion House]], Baguio{{r|mansion}}
*Provincial Capitol (Old) of Capiz Province in [[Roxas City, Capiz]]
*Casa Gobiyerno in Dumaguete{{NoteTag|name=dumaguete}}
*Rizal Old Capitol, Pasig{{r|rizal}}
 
==See also==
*[[Architecture of the Philippines]]
 
==References Notes ==
{{NoteFoot|refs=
{{Reflist}}▼
{{NoteTag|name=tomb|His tombstone uses June 19, 1872; likely the baptismal date. June 17, 1872 comes from the transcription of Ohio Births and Christenings, 1821–1962. The discrepancy may have been a transcription error.|{{r|grave}}}}
{{NoteTag|name=dumaguete|Casa Gobiyerno was built in 1920 and demolished in 1935.|}}{{citation needed|date=November 2020}}
}}
 
== External links ==
.
 
* [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/992 William Edward Parsons papers] at [[Newberry Library|The Newberry]]
* [https://archives.newberry.org/repositories/2/resources/1219 Stanton, Schilling, and Parsons family papers] at [[Newberry Library|The Newberry]]
 
== References ==
▲{{Reflist}}|2
|refs=
 
<ref name="notes">{{Cite journal |date=1905 |title=Notes: Mr. Burnham in Manila |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015033430086 |journal=Architectural Record |volume=17 |pages=77 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015033430086 |via=HathiTrust Digital Library}}</ref>
<!----{{r|notes}}----->
 
<ref name="dreams">{{Cite journal |last=Robinson |first=Charles Mulford |date=1905 |title=New Dreams for Cities |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015033430086 |journal=Architectural Record |volume=17 |pages=421 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015033430086 |via=HathiTrust Digital Library}}</ref>
<!----{{r|dreams}}----->
 
<ref name="Rebori">{{Cite journal |last=Rebori |first=A.N. |title=Architectural record v.41 1917 Jan–Jun. |url=https://hdl.handle.net/2027/mdp.39015033430185 |journal=Architectural Record |language=en |volume=41 |pages=305–324 |hdl=2027/mdp.39015033430185 |via=HathiTrust Digital Library}}</ref>
<!----{{r|Rebori}}----->
 
<ref name="govgen">{{Citation |author=Philippine Commission |title=Seventh annual report of the Philippine Commission, part 2 |url=http://name.umdl.umich.edu/acx1716.1906.002 |pages=198; 365–370 |year=1906 |access-date=November 26, 2020}}</ref>
<!----{{r|govgen}}----->
 
<ref name="govgenpi">{{Cite web |last=Governor general, Philippine Islands |date=1908 |title=Report of the governor general of the Philippine Islands. |url=http://name.umdl.umich.edu/acx1716.1908.002 |access-date=December 2, 2020}}</ref>
<!----{{r|govgenpi}}----->
 
<ref name="Bronson">{{Cite journal |last=Bronson |first=Rea |title=Details and description of the Burnham plans for the reconstruction of Manila |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cH1CAQAAIAAJ |journal=The Far Eastern Review |year=1906 |volume=3 and 4 |pages=322 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
<!----{{r|Bronson}}----->
 
<ref name="hines">{{Cite journal |last=Hines |first=Thomas S. |date=February 1, 1972 |title=The Imperial Façade: Daniel H. Burnham and American Architectural Planning in the Philippines |url=https://online.ucpress.edu/phr/article-abstract/41/1/33/75343/The-Imperial-Facade-Daniel-H-Burnham-and-American?redirectedFrom=fulltext |journal=Pacific Historical Review |language=en |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=33–53 |doi=10.2307/3638224 |jstor=3638224 |issn=0030-8684}}</ref>
<!----{{r|hines}}----->
 
▲He died on December 17, 1939 at his home in [[New Haven, Connecticut]].<ref name="ded">{{citeCite news |authordate=December |agency=[[Associated18, Press]]1939 |title=Architect and Educator, William E. Parsons, Dies |work=[[Detroit Free Press]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20246311/william_edward_parsons_the_architect/ |quote= |newspaper=[[Detroit Free Press ]] |access-date=DecemberMay 1821, 1939 |accessdate=2018-05-21 }}</ref>
<!----{{r|ded}}----->
 
<ref name="grave">{{Cite web |title=Collection: William E. and Myra L. Parsons papers|url=https://archives.yale.edu/repositories/12/resources/4348 |access-date=November 26, 2020 |website=archives.yale.edu}}</ref>
<!----{{r|grave}}----->
 
<ref name="mansion">{{Cite web |title=Mansion House (Presidential Museum and Library) |url=http://malacanang.gov.ph/about/malacanang/mansion-house/ |access-date=November 27, 2020 |language=en-US}}</ref>
<!----{{r|mansion}}----->
 
<ref name="cebu">{{Cite web |last=Engalla |first=Jay-lleen |date=August 3, 2015 |title=Restoring Gabaldon Schoolhouses |url=https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/65255/restoring-gabaldon-schoolhouses}}</ref>
<!----{{r|cebu}}----->
 
<ref name="rizal">{{Cite web |last=Alcazaren |first=Paulo |date=November 9, 2002 |title=Hidden Capitol |url=https://www.philstar.com/lifestyle/modern-living/2002/11/09/183255/hidden-capitol}}</ref>
<!----{{r|rizal}}----->
}}
 
{{Authority control}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parsons, William E.}}
[[Category:19th-century American architects]]
[[Category:American alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts]]
[[Category:Yale University alumni]]
[[Category:1872 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Akron, Ohio]]
[[Category:Architects from Ohio]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_E._Parsons"