69:
of the city's ball club. Vance designed many improvements to the city's old grandstand at
Wahconah Park. In the 1940s, he made plans for a new grandstand, which were put on hold because of the government's need for building material in World War II. The current grandstand, largely based on Vance's design, was finally constructed after his death. Vance was also an ace golfer. He was one of the founding members of the Country Club of Pittsfield, and was captain of the Club's golf team for many years. When the Country Club purchased its current site, Vance was responsible for converting the mansion there into the clubhouse.
65:. He left MIT in 1891 without taking a degree and began work in the office of architect Francis R. Allen of Boston. In 1894, Vance was sent to Pittsfield in western Massachusetts to supervise the construction of the Berkshire County Savings Bank building. Vance enjoyed life in Berkshire County – his MIT friend and fellow architecture student John H. C. Church lived in nearby Great Barrington; so he decided to remain in Pittsfield and make his career there. Vance became Francis Allen's partner in 1897 and remained associated with Allen until 1902.
77:
Massachusetts. Many of his commercial projects came to him through those same connections, such as the
Mahaiwe Block and Theatre in Great Barrington. Vance's architecture practice continued to thrive even during and after the Great Depression, when other Pittsfield architects were complaining of lack of work. In his last years, after the Second World War, Vance was still at work promoting his design for the Wahconah Park grandstand project.
26:. His portfolio comprised residential, commercial, industrial and recreational buildings. Much of his work was centered in Pittsfield, then a thriving commercial, industrial and resort city, but he was also commissioned by clients elsewhere in Berkshire County. He also pursued projects in neighboring states. Among the buildings he designed are the
68:
While at Urbana, Vance was a pitcher for their baseball team, and it was said that he pitched a no-hit, no-run game. His interest in baseball continued into later life. He became an early supporter of
Pittsfield's professional baseball team, the Hillies, and for two years in the 1920s was president
72:
Vance was also very interested in the theater. He appeared in a number of local stage productions, in both straight plays and operettas. He was particularly known for his comic roles. During the heyday of the little theater movement in the United States, Vance helped organized
Pittsfield's Town
76:
Vance was very active in the social life of the
Berkshires and utilized his social connections to build his career. Many of his residential projects were designed for friends and acquaintances, such as Bonny Bank, the home of John Church in Great Barrington, and One West Street in Lenox,
80:
Joseph McArthur Vance died at his home in
Pittsfield on December 14, 1948. Surviving him were his wife, Grace Hersey Vance (1870-1950), whom he married in 1899, and his son, Joseph Colville Vance (1901-1957). He was predeceased by another son, Duncan McArthur Vance (1911-1914).
42:(1916) – all in Pittsfield; Bascom Lodge (1932-1937) atop Mount Greylock, the state's highest peak; and the Hotel Aspinwall in Lenox, Massachusetts (1902), which burned to the ground in 1931. Several buildings he designed are listed on the
364:
349:
156:, 1911 addition of two stories (NRHP listed). This addition included rooms for the Park Club, Pittsfield's businessmen's club, to which Vance belonged for fifty years.
111:
27:
90:
Berkshire County
Savings Bank Building (1896), supervising architect. He had his office on the top floor of this building in rooms overlooking Park Square.
354:
153:
212:
62:
43:
344:
131:
123:
359:
127:
147:
Manual Arts School
Building, currently Percival Hall (1910) Fitchburg State University (Fitchburg, Massachusetts)
23:
292:
171:
Masonic Temple (1914) Vance was the first man to be inducted as a Mason when the new Temple was dedicated.
180:
39:
339:
334:
255:
See "The
Architects: Joseph McArthur Vance, Architect for the Berkshires and Beyond," Chapter 3B,
114:(1903) (NRHP listed) The Colonial reopened as a theatre in 2006 after a $ 22 million restoration.
73:
Players, a theater group that is still active today; it was Vance who suggested the group's name.
58:
31:
221:
57:, on January 22, 1868, Vance was educated in the public schools there. He then attended
225:
208:
328:
232:
135:
198:
Town
Library, currently Police Department building (1929) (Sheffield, Massachusetts)
238:
One West Street (Lenox, Massachusetts) Designed for Dr.Edward T Forsley in 1940.
174:
93:
Cherry Hill (Dr. Charles McBurney residence) (1897) (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)
50:
35:
120:
Bonny Bank (J. H. C. Church residence) (1905) (Great Barrington, Massachusetts)
96:
New American House hotel (1899) (North Adams, Massachusetts), demolished 1935
54:
168:
Clubhouse, Wyantenuck Country Club (1914) (Great Barrington, Massachusetts)
144:
Majestic (1910), later renamed The Palace, on North Street, demolished 1993
105:
Hotel Aspinwall (1902) (Lenox, Massachusetts), burned to the ground in 1931
117:
Greenock Hotel (1903, and 1908 rebuilding after fire) (Lee, Massachusetts)
108:
Stockbridge Public Library (1902, renovation) (Stockbridge, Massachusetts)
159:
St. James Church Parish House (1912) (Great Barrington, Massachusetts)
22:(January 22, 1868 – December 14, 1948) was a prominent architect in
162:
Empire Theatre (1913) (North Adams, Massachusetts), demolished 1967
99:
Richmond Hotel (1901) (North Adams, Massachusetts), demolished 1970
183:
at 124-132 Fenn Street / 67-71 Federal Street (1916) (NRHP listed)
310:
257:
History of the Colonial Theatre, Pittsfield, Massachusetts
186:
Kinnell-Kresge Building, currently Beacon Cinema (1918)
102:
Club House renovation (1901) Country Club of Pittsfield
150:
Putnam County Savings Bank (1911) (Brewster, New York)
311:"Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in the Berkshires"
217:Thunderbolt Ski Shelter (1940) atop Mount Greylock
38: – originally the Park Hotel – (1915), and the
195:Hall of Records, later Registry of Deeds (1928)
365:MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni
61:in Ohio, before studying architecture at the
8:
112:Colonial Theatre (Pittsfield, Massachusetts)
201:Post Office (1929) (Dalton, Massachusetts)
189:Town Hall (1923) (Richmond, Massachusetts)
350:Architects from Pittsfield, Massachusetts
177:at 17 Wendell Avenue (1915) (NRHP listed)
154:Berkshire Life Insurance Company Building
192:First Church of Christ, Scientist (1926)
287:
285:
283:
281:
279:
277:
248:
213:Mount Greylock Summit Historic District
134:in the Berkshires (NRHP listed as the
63:Massachusetts Institute of Technology
7:
44:National Register of Historic Places
14:
165:Morningside Baptist Church (1913)
355:20th-century American architects
130:(restored and reopened) now the
293:"Vance's impact remains intact"
141:Morningside Engine House (1906)
207:Bascom Lodge (1932-1937) atop
132:Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center
1:
175:Park Hotel, later Allen Hotel
204:First Baptist Church (1930)
381:
271:, December 15, 1948, p. 24
345:Architects from Tennessee
24:Pittsfield, Massachusetts
360:Urbana University alumni
269:Berkshire County Eagle
181:Frank Howard Building
40:Frank Howard Building
20:Joseph McArthur Vance
228:(1941) (NRHP listed)
297:The Berkshire Eagle
16:American architect
220:Shelter House at
59:Urbana University
32:J. B. McElfatrick
372:
319:
318:
307:
301:
300:
289:
272:
266:
260:
253:
128:Great Barrington
28:Colonial Theatre
380:
379:
375:
374:
373:
371:
370:
369:
325:
324:
323:
322:
315:www.mahaiwe.org
309:
308:
304:
291:
290:
275:
267:
263:
254:
250:
245:
224:, 874 North St
222:Springside Park
124:Mahaiwe Theater
87:
17:
12:
11:
5:
378:
376:
368:
367:
362:
357:
352:
347:
342:
337:
327:
326:
321:
320:
302:
273:
261:
247:
246:
244:
241:
240:
239:
236:
231:Grandstand at
229:
226:Pittsfield, MA
218:
215:
211:, part of the
209:Mount Greylock
205:
202:
199:
196:
193:
190:
187:
184:
178:
172:
169:
166:
163:
160:
157:
151:
148:
145:
142:
139:
121:
118:
115:
109:
106:
103:
100:
97:
94:
91:
86:
83:
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
377:
366:
363:
361:
358:
356:
353:
351:
348:
346:
343:
341:
338:
336:
333:
332:
330:
316:
312:
306:
303:
298:
294:
288:
286:
284:
282:
280:
278:
274:
270:
265:
262:
258:
252:
249:
242:
237:
234:
233:Wahconah Park
230:
227:
223:
219:
216:
214:
210:
206:
203:
200:
197:
194:
191:
188:
185:
182:
179:
176:
173:
170:
167:
164:
161:
158:
155:
152:
149:
146:
143:
140:
137:
136:Mahaiwe Block
133:
129:
125:
122:
119:
116:
113:
110:
107:
104:
101:
98:
95:
92:
89:
88:
84:
82:
78:
74:
70:
66:
64:
60:
56:
52:
47:
45:
41:
37:
33:
29:
25:
21:
314:
305:
296:
268:
264:
256:
251:
79:
75:
71:
67:
48:
30:(1903, with
19:
18:
340:1948 deaths
335:1868 births
51:Chattanooga
36:Allen Hotel
329:Categories
243:References
126:(1905) in
55:Tennessee
49:Born in
34:), the
259:, 2014
235:(1949)
85:Work
331::
313:.
295:.
276:^
53:,
46:.
317:.
299:.
138:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.