Howard Hoppin

Howard Hoppin (April 17, 1856 – October 19, 1940) was an American architect from Providence, Rhode Island.

Early life

Hoppin was born on April 17, 1856, in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a son of Dr. Washington Hoppin (1824–1867), a homeopathic physician, and Louise Claire (née Vinton) Hoppin (1832–1891). Among his siblings were Francis L. V. Hoppin, Louise Claire Hoppin (a founder of the Red Cross), Harriet (née Hoppin) Jacob, and Washington Hoppin, Jr.

Hoppin was from a prominent and talented Providence family; his paternal grandparents were Thomas Coles Hoppin and Harriet Dunn (née Jones) Hoppin. His maternal grandparents were Maj. John Rogers Vinton (who was killed during the Siege of Veracruz and became the namesake of Fort Vinton) and Lucretia Dutton (née Parker) Vinton of Boston. Among his paternal uncles were Augustus Hoppin, a prominent illustrator (who wrote about the family in his novel, Recollections of Auton House), and Dr. Courtland Hoppin, also a homeopathic physician, was the grandfather of Courtland Hector Hoppin, a pioneer in the field of animated film. His maternal uncle, David Hammond Vinton, Quartermaster General of Florida (who married Pamela, a daughter of Maj. Gen. Jacob Brown), was the father of The Right Reverend Alexander Hamilton Vinton, the first Bishop of Western Massachusetts, and Harriette Arnold Vinton (wife of Dr. John Clarkson Jay, son of Dr. John Clarkson Jay).

Career

Hoppin began his architectural practice in Providence in the late 1870s. Early on, he developed a specialty in small churches. He worked alone until 1890, when he was joined by Spencer P. Read and his brother, Francis L. V. Hoppin. The new firm was known as Hoppin, Read & Hoppin. They worked together until 1896, when Francis left to found the firm of Hoppin & Koen in New York City. It was at this time that Hoppin took Edward F. Ely (1858-1920) into the firm, as Hoppin & Ely. In 1907, Ely left to become a member of the city's Board of Park Commissioners. At this point, Frederick E. Field became partner. This arrangement lasted until 1922, when Thomas J. Hill Peirce, joined, the firm becoming Hoppin, Field & Peirce. It was dissolved within a few years, at which point Hoppin appears to have retired.