Résumé

The 1900 US Census indicated that Watmough lived in Philadelphia, PA, with his family and worked as an architectural draftsman. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 23, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1465; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0522; FHL microfilm: 1241465, accessed 08/17/2017.)

Architectural draughtsman, Pittsburgh, PA, c. 1903. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1903, (p. 1714.) noted that he worked in the Vilsack Building located at 6200 Pennsylvania Avenue. In 1903, there were four architectural firms operating in the Vilsack Building listed in the city directory: Archie S. Barr, the Beezer Brothers (Room #603), Louis O. Brosie (Room #407), J.E. Obitz. (See Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1903, pp. 1920-1921.) The Pittsburgh directory of 1906 also listed him residing there, and working as an architect, although it did not indicate for whom. He either lived and/or worked at 410 East End Avenue. (See Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1906, p. 1829.)

Draftsman, Starrett and Van Vleck, Architects, New York, NY, c. 1918. This firm operated at 8 West 40th Street on 09/12/1918. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York; Roll: 1786850; Draft Board: 158, accessed 08/17/2017.)

Architect, Victor Farrar, Architect, New York, NY. Partner, [Victor] Farrar and Watmough, Architects, New York, NY, 1925-c.1935. This firm gained a local reputation for its designs of large-scale apartment buildings and hotels.

Senior Architect, US War Department, New York Procurement Agency, Washington, DC, c. 1935-1940; Architect, Federal Works Agency (FWA), Washington, DC, c. 1940-1944.

College

Coursework, Academy School of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA. Coursework, Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia, PA.

Coursework, École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts, Paris, France.

Relocation

Born in Philadelphia, PA, Richard L. Watmough attended colleges in the same city. From at least 1895 to 1900, he lived with his family at 4608 Penn Street. (See Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1895, p. 1955 andPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1900, p. 2382.), working as an architectural draughtsman during this time. The Watmough Family lived in this Penn Street townhouse from the 1890s until at least the 1930s.

In 1903, he worked as a draughtsman in the Vilsack Building in Pittsburgh, PA, and lived at 315 Amber Street. (SeePittsburgh, Pennsylvania, City Directory, 1903, p. 1714.)

In about 1904, Watmough traveled abroad to Paris for graduate school training at the École des Beaux-Arts. Following his residence in Paris, he returned to Boston, MA, from Naples, Italy, aboard the S.S. Canopie, traveling between 04/26/1905 and 05/08/1905. From Boston, he traveled back to his hometown of Philadelphia. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation The National Archives at Washington, D.C.; Washington, D.C.; 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: 083, accessed 08/17/2017.)

In 1909, Watmough worked as a draughtsman in the Office of James Knox Taylor, Supervising Architect of the US Treasury in Washington, DC. (See Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., Register of Civil, Military, and Naval Service, 1863-1959 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, accessed 08/17/2017) These connections in the Federal Government may have helped him later in life after 1933.

It appears that he maintained roots in Philadelphia throughout his adult life, even iwhen he was living and working in New York City during the 1915-1935 period. He was listed in church records of the New Jerusalem Church of Frankford (Swedenborgian) between 1919 and 1935. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Collection Name: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 908, accessed 08/17/2017.)

He moved to New York, NY, by at least 1916 to work for architectural firms doing large-scale commercial and residential designs. In 1916, he resided at 8 West 40th Street in New York City. (See New York, New York, City Directory, 1916, p. 1739.) In 1918, he lived at 157 West 47th Street in New York. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York; Roll: 1786850; Draft Board: 158, accessed 08/17/2017.) In 1922, he had shifted his residence to a building at 157 West 47th Street. (See New York, New York, City Directory, 1922, p. 1811.)

He worked in a New York architectural partnership with Victor Farrar for about a decade (from 1925 until c. 1933) when the Depression destroyed their business. During this interval, Watmough lived alone in an apartment building at 24 East 29th Street in New York. The 1931 Manhattan City Directorylisted Watmough as living at 22 East 29th Street, (see Manhattan, New York, City Directory, 1931, p. 1021), as did that of 1933. (See New York, New York, City Directory, 1933, p. 3416.)

After the onset of the Depression, he moved on to perform architectural work for the Federal government. The 1940 US Census recorded Watmough living in the Grafton Hotel at 1134 Connecticut Avenue NW, in Washington, DC and this document indicated that he lived in the same place in 1935, as well. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1940; Census Place: Washington, District of Columbia, District of Columbia; Roll: T627_556; Page: 82A; Enumeration District: 1-102, accessed 08/17/2017.)

Watmough died in Washington, DC, of mesenteric thrombosis, and was interred on 02/02/1944 in a brick vault with his sister, Emma E. Watmough, in North Cedar Hill Cemetery, Philadelphia. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Collection Name: Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records; Reel: 894, accessed 08/17/2017.)

Parents

His mother was Louisa Roberts Watmough (born c. 02/1849), who, in 1918, resided at 4608 Penn Street, Philadelphia, PA. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York; Roll: 1786850; Draft Board: 158, accessed 08/17/2017.) She had been born in Philadelphia. The architect's father was Richard B. Watmough (b. 02/1843-d. 1910), who was born in Chorley, Lancashire, England, emigrated from there to the US in about 1850. During the 1870s and 1880s, Richard B. Watmough worked in the electric lighting industry as a mechanic in both New York and Philadelphia. By 1900, he had been naturalized and worked as a master mechanic for the Philadephia Electric Company. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1900; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 23, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1465; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 0522; FHL microfilm: 1241465, accessed 08/17/2017.)

He had two sisters, Emma Watmough (b. 03/17/1872-d. 10/16/1930) and Miriam (born c. 03/1878 in Philadelphia, PA) and two brothers, T. Ernest Watmough, (b. 02/17/1870-d. 02/12/1906) and Louis (born c. 12/1888 in Philadelphia, PA); both Emma and T. Ernest died from chronic nephritis. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 090501-093500, accessed 08/17/2017 and Ancestry.com, Source Citation Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission; Pennsylvania, USA; Certificate Number Range: 013880-017234, accessed 08/17/2017.)

Spouse

Watmough remained single for his whole life.

Biographical Notes

His World War I draft registration card described him as tall, with a medium build and brown hair. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: New York; Registration County: New York; Roll: 1786850; Draft Board: 158, accessed 08/17/2017.)

Watmough returned to New York from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 04/09/1936, aboard the Munson Steamship Line's S.S. Southern Cross.

SSN: 578329218.

• Philadelphia, PA (Architect's Birth)
  Philadelphia, PA

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• Washington, District of Columbia (Architect's Death)
  Washington, District of Columbia

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