Frederic's Work
Frederic Palmer spent his childhood attending multiple private schools in Massachusetts after moving there from Connecticut with his mother after his father and sister died. He started at the Browne and Nichols school in Cambridge before going to high school at Philips Academy in Andover. After he graduated high school, he stayed in Massachusetts, going to Harvard to pursue his A.B. (“atrium baccalaureus” the Latin name for Bachelors of Arts) in architecture, which he received in 1925. After graduating, he spent some years traveling overseas. This included a trip to France, where he participated in an excavation of an abbey in Cluny from 1928 until 1935 under the direction of Kenneth John Conant. It was after these trips that he moved with his mother to the house in East Haddam, where he continued his work as a preservation architect.
Frederic worked on a multitude of projects over the course of his career, many of which were in the local area. According to some diary entries, he worked on the home of a local dentist for many months. He also worked on many more well-known buildings. One was the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, where Frederic renovated their lobby and grand staircase. The other more well-known project Frederic worked on was the Hempstead Houses in New London. What makes this project special is that the Hempstead Houses are another property owned by Connecticut Landmarks, a society in which Frederic was a Trustee and Structures Committee Chair from the 1944 until his death in 1971.
Other than working on projects for his own home as well as churches and residential homes in the local community, Frederic was known to do work for friends and family. In one instance, Frederic drew up plans for a bathroom remodel for Howard’s parents at their family home in Ohio.
Goodspeed Opera House Blueprint: This is a blueprint for the restoration project Frederic produced for work on the Goodspeed Opera House. This specific drawing is of the East elevation. Object owned and photo by: CT Landmarks
Hempstead House Blueprint: These are plans Frederic created for the renovation project at the Hempstead Houses in New London, which included renovating the exterior of the home, and incorporating diamond pane windows. Object owned and photo by: CT Landmarks
Metzger Family Home Bathroom Remodel Draft:This architectural drawing on tracer paper was done by Frederic Palmer for a bathroom remodel at the home of Howard's mother and father. Image owned by: CT Landmarks
