Pioneer Information
Born in Boston in 1816, Bryant apprenticed with engineers before opening his own architecture practice in 1837. Working alone and collaboratively, he designed numerous public, commercial and residential buildings throughout New England and became closely identified with the Boston Granite Style. Partnering with Arthur Gilman, Bryant designed the Old City Hall (1860–1865), and the Horticultural Hall (1865), headquarters of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, both in downtown Boston. Other notable works includes the Suffolk County Jail (1848-1851), the Mercantile Wharf Building (1857), Boston City Hospital (1864), as well as several houses in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood. At Mount Auburn Cemetery, Bryant worked with Jacob Bigelow to design two signature buildings, The Chapel (Bigelow Chapel, 1844-1846) and The Tower (Washington Tower, 1852-1854). The Tower was sited 125 feet above the Charles River, atop the highest point in the Cemetery, Mount Auburn. At 62-feet tall, it serves as both a landmark, visible from the surrounding neighborhoods and as a vantage point, with views from its observation deck of the cemetery below, Cambridge, Boston, the Charles River, and beyond. Bryant died in Boston in 1899, aged 83.
