Personal Data

William Whitney Lewis was born September 18, 1850, in Manchester, England, the son of William Stump Lewis and his wife, Frances Ellen Whitney (daughter of William F. Whitney).

He married on May 10, 1882, in Philadelphia to Eleanor Hansell (b. 26Jul1856 in Philadelphia; d. 19Jun1916 in Cohasset), daughter of Barnett Hansell and his wife, Rebecca Wetherill.

W. Whitney Lewis died on August 19, 1933, in Cohasset.

Career

William Whitney Lewis came to the United States at an early age.  He studied at Boston Boys’ High School in Philadelphia and then at MIT.  From 1868 to 1875 he was a draftsman with Cummings and Sears.

In 1876, he formed his own practice, specializing in residential architecture, including homes in Boston and the neighboring communities, Lowell, and Manchester-by-the-Sea. In 1881-1882, he designed and built 267-269 Newbury as his home (at 269 Newbury) and the home of his widowed mother, Francis (Whitney) Lewis, at 267 Newbury.

W. Whitney Lewis also designed commercial and educational buildings, including the Sears Laboratory at Harvard Medical School (ca. 1890) and Volkmann School at 415 Newbury (1901; demolished).

Back Bay Work