Shepard S. Woodcock

Advertisement for the firm of Woodcock & Meacham in the Boston Directory for 1862. Shepard S. Woodcock (1824–1910) was an American architect practicing in Boston, Massachusetts during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Early life and training Shepard S. Woodcock was born on October 6, 1824, in Sidney, Maine. At the age of seventeen he went to Stow, Massachusetts to serve as an apprentice to a carpenter. After his apprenticeship ended, he moved to Boston, where he carried on the carpentry trade for more than ten years. During this period he studied architecture on his own time. In 1857 he was joined by George F. Meacham, and they had formed a partnership by 1858. The firm of Woodcock & Meacham was dissolved in 1864, when Meacham opened his own office. Woodcock practiced independently for the remainder of his career. By 1888 his reputation was such that he was called as an expert witness in an inquiry into the construction of the High Service Pumping Station at Chestnut Hill. At this time he estimated that he had designed at least 140 churches.

Personal life Woodcock was first married to Adeline Ryder, who died in 1850 at the age of 21. In the following year he married Julia Ann Swett, born in 1828 in Wales, Maine. They had at least seven children together, and she died in 1885. At his death he was survived by three daughters. where he remained until his death. John C. Cochrane (1862-1863) and Alberto F. Haynes (1871-1877 and 1883–1884).

At least eight of his works are individually listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

Architectural works

+ Year Project Address City State Notes Image Reference 1854 Houses 20-22 Union Park St Boston Massachusetts 1855 New Jerusalem Church 19 Centre Ave Abington Massachusetts Demolished. 1856 Mercantile building for Parker Fowle & Sons 350 Washington St Boston Massachusetts Destroyed in the Great Boston Fire of 1872. 100px 1857 House for Clark Swallow 132 Whitman St East Bridgewater Massachusetts 1857 Rockingham Bank Building 15 Pleasant St Portsmouth New Hampshire 1858 Remodeling of the South Church of Portsmouth 292 State St Portsmouth New Hampshire NRHP-listed. 100px 1859 Williams School 180 Walnut St Chelsea Massachusetts Designed while in partnership with George F. Meacham. Destroyed in the Great Chelsea fire of 1908. 1860 Tremont Street Methodist Church (former) 720 Tremont St Boston Massachusetts Designed while in partnership with George F. Meacham. Hammatt Billings was consulting architect, and to him the exterior design is attributed. 100px 1864 Ladd and Whitney Monument Monument Square Lowell Massachusetts Designed while in partnership with George F. Meacham. 100px 1864 Perry House 11 Touro St Newport Rhode Island Designed while in partnership with George F. Meacham. Demolished. 1864 Bank of Cape Ann Building 154 Main St Gloucester Massachusetts Designed while in partnership with George F. Meacham. Later the Cape Ann National Bank. Demolished. 100px 1865 E Street Church 309 E St Boston Massachusetts Later known as Dahlgren Hall after the congregation dissolved. The building has been largely demolished, but the lower level remains as part of the building now on the site. 1865 State Street Baptist Church 171 State St Springfield Massachusetts Demolished in 1927. 100px 1866 First Baptist Church of Cambridge 5 Magazine St Cambridge Massachusetts Burned in 1881. 1866 Lincoln School 40 College Ave Somerville Massachusetts Demolished. 1866 Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company Building 1341 Main St Springfield Massachusetts Demolished. 100px 1866 Warren Avenue Baptist Church 173 W Canton St Boston Massachusetts The church was the base of Thomas W. Piper, a serial killer. Woodcock was called as a witness during Piper's trial in 1876. Demolished in 1968. 1867 First Orthodox Congregational Church of Somerville 21 Franklin St Somerville Massachusetts Woodcock was a member of this church for much of his adult life. Demolished. 100px 1867 Lodge Mausoleum,Mount Auburn Cemetery 580 Mount Auburn St Cambridge Massachusetts Built by Anna Cabot Lodge as the resting place of her family, including her son Henry Cabot Lodge. 1867 Prescott School 75 Myrtle St Somerville Massachusetts Demolished. 100px 1867 Unitarian Church of Ellsworth 216 Main St Ellsworth Maine Demolished. 1868 Carter School 10 Forsyth St Chelsea Massachusetts Demolished. 1868 First Baptist Church of Scituate 656 Country Way Scituate Massachusetts NRHP-listed. 100px 1868 Grace Methodist Church 34 Court St Keene New Hampshire NRHP-listed. 100px 1869 First Baptist Church of Lebanon 11 School St Lebanon New Hampshire Burned in 2016. 100px 1869 Wesleyan Methodist Church of St. Stephen 70 King St St. Stephen New Brunswick Later the Kirk McColl United Church. Burned. 1870 Central Fire Station Highland Ave and Walnut St Somerville Massachusetts Demolished. 1870 First Church in Malden 184 Pleasant St Malden Massachusetts Demolished 1870 Marlborough Town Hall 140 Main St Marlborough Massachusetts Burned in 1902. 1870 Methodist Church of Westford 10 Church St Graniteville Massachusetts NRHP-listed as part of the Graniteville Historic District. 1871 Edgerly School 33 Cross St Somerville Massachusetts Demolished. 1872 Christ Episcopal Church (former) 10 Henry St Port Henry New York 1872 First Congregational Church of Litchfield 21 Torrington Rd Litchfield Connecticut Demolished in 1929. 1872 Grace Episcopal Church 104 N Washington St North Attleborough Massachusetts Burned in 1929. 1872 Holbrook Town Hall 50 N Franklin St Holbrook Massachusetts Burned in 1878. 1872 Houses for Adoniram Burrell 47-53 M St Boston Massachusetts 1872 Hudson Town Hall 78 Main St Hudson Massachusetts 100px 1872 Remodeling of the Kirk Street Congregational Church Kirk and French Sts Lowell Massachusetts Replacement of the facade and interior renovation. Demolished. 1872 Trinity Episcopal Church 47 East St Wrentham Massachusetts 1873 First Baptist Church of Keene Court and Vernon Sts Keene New Hampshire Demolished. 100px 1873 Masonic Building 117 Merrimack St Haverhill Massachusetts 1873 North Bennington Congregational Church 8 Bank St North Bennington Vermont 1874 Clark's Block 1-23 Main St Natick Massachusetts 100px 1874 Eliot Church 273 Summer St Lowell Massachusetts 100px 1874 Masonic Block 24 Main St Natick Massachusetts 1875 First Congregational Church of Natick 2 E Central St Natick Massachusetts 100px 1875 Howard Seminary 70 Howard St West Bridgewater Massachusetts Burned in 1949. 1876 Keene High School (former) Winter and Middle Sts Keene New Hampshire Demolished. 100px 1879 Livery stable for Alfred Papineau 180 Green St Jamaica Plain Massachusetts 1879 The Tabernacle 80 Trinity Park Oak Bluffs Massachusetts 100px 1880 Mercantile building for A. P. Morse and H. B. Taylor 215-237 Franklin St Boston Massachusetts Demolished. 1881 Hunt School 45 Broad St Weymouth Massachusetts Demolished. 1883 Sanborn Seminary (former) 178 Main St Kingston New Hampshire NRHP-listed. 1885 South Attleboro School (former) 437 Newport Ave Attleboro Massachusetts 1887 House for Dominick A. Hart 45 Hunt St Weymouth Massachusetts 1887 Washington School (former) 8 School St Weymouth Massachusetts NRHP-listed. 1888 House for George F. Eames 57 Mount Vernon St West Roxbury Massachusetts 1888 House for James P. Fairchild 41 Maple St Stoneham Massachusetts Identical to the house for Henry A. Hill. 1888 House for Henry A. Hill 3 Cedar Ave Stoneham Massachusetts Identical to the house for James P. Fairchild. 1888 Rice Public Library 8 Wentworth St Kittery Maine NRHP-listed. 1888 School Street School (former) 100 Webster St Whitman Massachusetts Later known as the Hunt School. Burned in 1983. 1889 Addition to building for the Reversible Collar Company 12-14 Arrow St Cambridge Massachusetts Addition of the wing along Arrow Street. NRHP-listed. 1889 Central Baptist Church 3 Nickerson Ave Middleborough Massachusetts Demolished in 1963. 1889 Jefferson School (former) 200 Middle St Weymouth Massachusetts NRHP-listed. 1890 Memorial Hall 1027 Washington St Abington Massachusetts 1890 Tufts Library (former) 60 Washington St Weymouth Massachusetts Demolished. 100px 1891 Horace Mann High School (former) 150 Emmons St Franklin Massachusetts Demolished in 2016. 1892 House for Julius W. Tilson 187 Summer St Malden Massachusetts 1892 House for Walter H. Wright 54 Vinal Ave Somerville Massachusetts NRHP-listed. 100px 1896 House for Henry E. Wright 31 Pearl St Somerville Massachusetts 100px