Ralph Adams Cram, Architect [1863-1942]
Ralph Adams Cram [†] was born in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire in 1863 and received his education and architectural training in New England. Around 1890 he opened an architectural office in Boston, forming a partnership with Charles Wentworth. Bertram G. Goodhue became a third partner and joined the firm in 1891, (Cram, Wentworth & Goodhue) and in 1899 Frank Ferguson entered the firm as a business partner (Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson). After Goodhue withdrew from the firm to set up his own practice, the firm became known as Cram & Ferguson. During his distinguished career, Cram was awarded numerous commissions, building over seventy cathedrals and churches among other important structures. Probably the most notable is the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City, which stands as a monument to his architectural genius. Cram was also prolific as a writer, authoring numerous books on varied topics, including religion, architecture, art history and philosophy. In the latter years of his life, Cram became America's leading figure of the Gothic Revival style in its later phase.
† Joni Gilkerson, Architectural Historian, Nebraska State Historical Society, St. Mark's Episcopal Pro-Cathedral, Adams County, Nebraska, nomination document, 1987, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.