Cyrus Kinne Porter

Cyrus Kinne Porter (August 27, 1828 - January 30, 1910) was a prominent architect in Buffalo, New York during the Victorian era, known for the many churches he designed throughout the city of Buffalo.[1]

Cyrus Kinne Porter
BornAugust 27, 1828
Cicero, New York
DiedJanuary 30, 1910 (aged 82)
Ransomville, New York
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
Spouse(s)
Edna Marie Smith
​
​
(m. 1854; died 1957)​

Emeline Rice
Children5
Parent(s)Welcome Porter
Rachel Kinne
PracticePorter & Turner (1855-1856)
Wilcox & Porter (1865-1874)
Porter & Watkins (1874)
Porter & Percival (1880-1883)
Porter & Son (1888-1910)

Early life

Porter was born in Cicero, New York on August 27, 1828 to Welcome Porter (1805-1845) and Rachel Kinne. He was orphaned at age 17 when he learned the trade of a joiner. He studied architectural drawing, and became an accomplished draftsman.[2]

Porter was a descendant of Robert Porter, who emigrated from England to the American Colonies and became one of the founders of Farmington, Connecticut where he settled in 1640. Robert's son, Thomas, was the father of Nathaniel, who was the father of David, who purchased a farm in Cicero, NY, about 1812 or 1813, and resided there till his death. Cyrus Porter's grandfather, David, who married Esther, the daughter of Gideon and Hannah (née Messenger) Burr, were the parents of Cyrus' father, Welcome Porter.[2]

Career

In 1853, he became employed as a draftsman for the Chicago Water Works, then from 1855-1856 ran an architectural office in Brantford, Ontario with partner John Turner (1807–1887). In 1865, Porter moved to Buffalo, entering into partnership with H. M. Wilcox as Wilcox & Porter, and designing buildings including the Ovid Insane Asylum and Normal schools at Fredonia, Cortland, and Potsdam. He subsequently designed a large number of buildings in Buffalo under various partnerships including Porter and Watkins (1874), Porter and Percival (1880–1883), and Porter and Son (1888–1910).[2]

Prominent works
Disciples of Christ Church / Richmond Avenue Church of Christ (1886)

Some of his best-known works in Buffalo are:

  • The American Block
  • The Coal and Iron Exchange (before 1883, now demolished)
  • The Buffalo Cyclorama Building (1888)
  • The Builders' Exchange
  • Trinity Church on Delaware Avenue (1886)[3]
  • The Church of the Holy Name (1904)
  • St. Patrick's Church
  • The Disciples of Christ Church
  • Richmond Avenue Church of Christ (1886)[4]
  • The William Hengerer Company store (1904 with 2 story addition in 1910)

Personal life

On December 4, 1854, Porter married Edna Marie Smith (d. 1857), the daughter of Stafford and Lucy Smith of Waterford, Ontario. Before her early death, they had one child, a son who died in infancy.[2] Porter married for the second time, to Emeline Rice, the daughter of Jesse and Ellen (née Holmes) Rice of Townsend, Ontario. Together, they had two sons and three daughters, including:[5][6]

  • Edna M. Porter (1860- )[7]
  • Jesse R. Porter (1861-1929)[1]
  • Hermione T. Porter
  • Minnie K. Porter.
  • Cyrus K. Porter, Jr. (b. 1873), also an architect who married Belle T. Weekes, daughter of Robert Stratton Weekes, of New York City, in 1904.[2]

Two of his children went on to become architects with his son, Jesse, becoming his partner. Jesse designed the Plymouth Avenue Methodist Church his daughter Edna studied architecture at Cornell University, having graduated from Buffalo High School in 1881.[8]

References
  1. "Porter, Cyrus Kinne". dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org. Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  2. Company, The Genealogical Publishing (1906–1908). Memorial and Family History of Erie County, New York ...: Biographical and Genealogical ... New York: The Winthrop Press. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  3. "John La Farge Stained Glass in New England: A Digital Guide". library.bc.edu. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  4. "Richmond Avenue Church of Christ - 1922 - WNY Heritage". www.wnyheritagepress.org. Western New York Heritage Press, Inc. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  5. Staff (January 31, 1910). "Designed Many of Buffalo's Largest Business Buildings. Trinity Church, Builders' Exchange and William Hengerer Store Among Many in Whose Erection Cyrus K. Porter Had a Hand". Buffalo Evening News.
  6. Porter, Cyrus Kinne (1896). Porter family record. Peter Paul book co. printers. Retrieved 26 February 2017.
  7. Rudolph, Emanuel David (1990-05-01). "Women Who Studied Plants in the Pre-Twentieth Century United States and Canada". Taxon. 39 (2): 151–205. doi:10.2307/1223016. JSTOR 1223016.
  8. Brown, Christopher; LaChiusa, Chuck. "Cyrus Kinne Porter". Buffalo Architecture and History. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
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