Résumé

Partner, Piper and Burton, Architects, Portland, OR, c. 1863-1864, c. 1870-1872.

Partner, Piper and Leonard, Architects, Portland, OR, 1873. Piper and Leonard maintained their office in Glisan's Block, on the corner of 1st and Ash Streets in 1873. (See Samuel´s Directory of Portland and East Portland, 1873, p. 256.)

Relocation

Born in NH, Piper had reestablished himself in the Idaho section of the Washington Territory c. 1859, and came to Portland, OR, in 1863, attracted by a courthouse competition and its prize of $200. Following this commission, he returned to Idaho, but moved to Portland permanently c. 1869 and began attracting numerous commissions.

The early 1870s were prosperous for Piper in Portland, good times that culminated in the commission for Deady Hall at the University of Oregon in 1873-1876. Following this building's completion, a dispute over payment dragged on until 1877, when he was finally remunerated. The architect formed and dissolved numerous partnerships, hoping to find the right combination of personal connections to attract work. The serious economic recessions of 1873-1879 and 1882-1885 did not help his plight.

In 1873, Piper lived in a residence at the corner of Stark and 12th Streets. (See Samuel´s Directory of Portland and East Portland, 1873, p. 256.)

He moved to Eugene in 1874 to complete the Hayden's Ferry Bridge, and settled there to farm in the absence of commissions. He then relocated to Salem c. 1875 to work on the Oregon State Capitol Building, after the dismissal of its previous architects, Krumbein and Gilbert.

A year later, he was back in Portland, desperately forming partnerships that could provide work. He ended his career in Portland, working for another, much younger, architect, Delos D. Neer (born 1847). Piper died when he fell from a train in the State of WY, while journeying back to OH to visit his sister in 08/1886. At the time of his death, Piper suffered from poor eyesight.