Résumé

Principal, Stephen R.H. Codman, Architect, Boston, MA, 1894-1905. In 1895, he had an office in Room #38 of the Studio Building in Boston. (See Boston, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1895, p. 301.) Codman had an office at 31 Beacon Street in Boston in 1903. Codman worked with George Jonathan Porter (d. 12/16/1908 in Medford, MA) from 1903 until 1909. (See "News from the Classes: 1883 Frederick Nichols, Sec.," Harvard Graduate's Magazine, 03/1909, pp 529-530.)

Partner, Codman and Despradelle, Architects, Boston, MA, 1905-c. 1942. Codman and Despradelle continued in operation at 31 Beacon Street in 1915. In 1922, Codman and Despradelle had an office at 27 Kilby Street, Room #36. (See The Boston Directory, 1922, no. CXVIII, p. 439.) Codman remained at 27 Kilby Street in 1937, but in Room #21. (See Boston, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1937, p. 250.)

Treasurer, Lincolnshire Realty Company, Incorporated, Boston, MA. (See Boston, Massachusetts, City Directory, 1941, p. 446.)

Teaching

Associate Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 1917- . Codman replaced Edgar I. Williams as an instructor of advanced design classes at MIT. Williams, in turn, replaced C.D. Despradelle, Codman's partner, who died in 1912. The Bulletin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said of Codman when he joined the architectural faculty in 1917: "The instructing staff has undergone some change during the year. Professor Edgar I. Williams, whose temperament and training fit him unusually well for the purpose, has resigned to take up active practice in New York. He has had charge of the advanced classes in Design since the death of Professor Despradelle, and has made a pronounced success in his teaching. It was with great regret that we lost him from our staff. We have been exceedingly fortunate, however, in obtaining the services of Mr. Stephen Codman, who has accepted an associate professorship and who successed Professor Williams in taking charge of the advanced classes in Design. Professor Codman is a graduate of Harvard University with the class of '90; studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under M. Blondel from 1889-1893. Between 1894 and 1905 he was in independent practice and since 1905 has been a member of the firm of Codman & Despradelle. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects and of the Executive Committee of the Boston Society of Architects." (See "Department of Architecture," Bulletin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Annual Report of the President and Treasurer, 01/1917, vol. 52, no. 2, p. 70.)

College

A.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1888. (See "Bachelor of Arts, 1888," Quinquennial Catalogue of the Officers and Graduates of Harvard University 1636-1890, [Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 1890], p. 212 and "News from the Classes: 1883 Frederick Nichols, Sec.," Harvard Graduate's Magazine, 03/1909, pp 529-530.)

Courework, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, 1890-1892. (See Bulletin of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Register of Former Students, vol. 50, no. 3 extra number, 05/1915, p. 107.)

Dipl., École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France, 1889-1893. Codman studied in the atelier of Paul Blondel (1847-1897).

Relocation

Stephen Russell Hurd Codman was born and died in Boston. MA. Aside from about four years spent studying at the École des Beaux-Arts, Codman lived in and around Boston. In 1889, Codman resided at 81 Boulevard du Montparnasse in Paris. (See Agorha.inha.fr, "Letter from the Legation of the United States to the Directeur de L'Ecole National des Beaux-Arts, Paris, 07/03/1889," accessed 01/23/2024.)

Codman's family had very deep roots in Boston, and Stephen's father was a wealthy and influential lawyer. In 1860, when his parents were in the 30s, had real estate worth $11,000 and personal assets of $6,000, very comfortable sums for the time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington D.C.; Record Group: Records of the Bureau of the Census; Record Group Number: 29; Series Number: M653; Residence Date: 1860; Home in 1860: Boston Ward 11, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: M653_524; Page: 564; Family History Library Film: 803524, accesed 01/23/2024.) Twenty years later, Stephen lived with his parents, siblings, a maternal uncle, John Hurd (born c. 1820 in NY) and three servants, Nora Burke (born c. 1850 in Ireland), Lucy McNamara (born c. 1845 in Nova Scotia, Canada) and Ellen Leahy (born c. 1850 in New Brunswick, Canada) at 68 Chestnut Street in Boston. Neighbors were well-to-do physicians, merchants, manufacturers and lawyers. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1880; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 554; Page: 287C; Enumeration District: 641, accessed 01/23/2024.)

In 1900, he lived with his father, sister and six servants on Atherton Street in Milton, MA. It is likely that the Codmans had city and country houses at this time. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Milton, Norfolk, Massachusetts; Roll: 670; Page: 39; Enumeration District: 1050, accessed 01/23/2024.)

The Codman household at 10 Chestnut Street in 1920 included their daughter Catherine, a nephew William Wallace (born c. 1914 in MA) and two servants, Nellie C. O'Neil (born c. 1898 in Ireland) and Sarah A. McKenna (born c. 1894 in Ireland). (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Boston Ward 8, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: T625_742; Page: 8B; Enumeration District: 684, accessed 01/23/2024.) The architect lived at 10 Chestnut Street in Boston, MA, in 1922. (See The Boston Directory, 1922, no. CXVIII, p. 439.)

The 1940 US Census recorded that Codman and his wife continued to live at 10 Chestnut Street in Boston. It indicated that he stil worked as an architect. They lived with an "employee," Sarah F. Franck (born c. 1912 in Canada). Their residence had an estimated value of $12,000, a reasonable amount at the time. Most neighbors rented their houses or apartments, although one neighbor owned a house worth about $45,000. Others nearby also had values of $36,000 and $28,000. This was clearly a wealthy neighborhood in which some houses were being leased or sub-divided into apartments. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts; Roll: m-t0627-01663; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 15-208, accessed 01/23/2024.)

Parents

His father was Robert Codman (born 03/08/1823 in Dorchester, MA-d. 01/20/1901 in Boston, MA), his mother Catherine Hurd (born 09/13/1829 in New York, NY-d. 08/26/1892 in Boston, MA). Robert Codman worked as a lawyer and financier in Boston.

Stephen had the following siblings: Catharine Codman (born c. 1857 in Boston, MA), Robert Codman (born 12/30/1859 in Boston, MA-d. 10/07/1915 in Boston, MA), Archer B. Codman (born c. 1863 in Boston, MA), and Edmund Dwight Codman (born 12/02/1864 in Boston, MA-d. 02/19/1947 in Westwood, MA).

The younger Robert Codman trained at Harvard and became a lawyer like his father. After the death of his brother Archer, who was a cleric, Robert converted to Episcopalianism and ultimately became the 3rd Bishop of Maine.

A cousin was the architect Ogden Codman, Jr., (born 01/19/1863 in Boston, MA – d. 01/08/1951 in Évry-Grégy-sur-Yerre, France).

Spouse

He wed Mary Josephine Sullivan (born 07/01/1875- d. 12/27/1945 in Boston, MA) on 04/08/1905 in Westwood, MA. Her parents were James Sullivan and Anna Stanton.

A French website indicate that Mary Sullivan was a "modèle du peintre Edmund Tarbel."

Children

He and Mary had a daughter, Catherine Codman Eppinger (born 01/21/1909 in Westwood, MA-d. 08/13/1888 in Cambridge, MA)

Biographical Notes

A US passport application of 05/24/1889 indicated that Codman was Caucasian with a light complexion, blue eyes and light hair. The passport application described him as having a straight nose, sharp chin, large mouth, and long face. He stood 5-feet, 8-inches tall. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; NARA Series: Passport Applications, 1795-1905; Roll #: 329; Volume #: Roll 329 - 20 May 1889-24 May 1889, accessed 01/23/2024.)

Codman and his wife Mary returned from Le Havre, France, to New York, NY, aboard the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique's (CGT) ocean liner,S.S. Rochambeau. They traveled between 07/28/1928 and 08/07/1928. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC, USA; Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; Microfilm Serial or NAID: T715; RG Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; RG: 85, accessed 01/24/2024.)

In 1930, Codman along with his wife Mary, daughter Catherine and a brother, Edmund and his wife Anne Messer Hasbrouck (born 10/04/1862 in Colebrook, NY) traveled from Galway, Ireland, to Boston, MA, aboard the S.S. Karlsruhe, between 08/08/1930 and 08/16/1930. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives in Washington, DC; Washington, DC; Series Title: Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving At Boston, Massachusetts, 1891-1943; NAI Number: 4319742; Record Group Title: Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, 1787-2004; Record Group Number: 85; Series Number: T843; NARA Roll Number: 361, accessed 01/23/2024.)