The new firm of Parfitt Brothers opened their first office at 363 Fulton Street in Brooklyn. Architects were in demand to produce superior products worthy of the third largest city in America. The city was growing rapidly, and the field of architecture was finally getting some professional and public regard. The brothers came to Brooklyn at an opportune time. Right, an undated portrait of Walter Elliott Parfitt. Left, a circa 1909 family portrait of Albert and Jessie Parfitt with their sons Elliott, Thomas and Robert. Walter worked under his carpenter father’s instruction and may have also received engineering training at Frome’s Mechanics Institution. We now know that Henry received his training at the Frome School of Art between 18. Research conducted by architectural historian Gregory Dietrich and Parfitt family members, as well as newly published family photographs, have recently rounded out the firm’s and family’s story. Walter Parfitt arrived in America in 1865 and Henry followed a few years later. Parfitt Brothers may sound like contenders for a Country Music Award, but their music was the sound of saws and hammers and they created some of Brooklyn’s most beautiful and striking buildings. Three brothers born and raised in the design haven left England for America in the latter half of the 19th century and rose to the top of Brooklyn’s pantheon of great architectural firms. Deep in the heart of Somerset, the town of Frome in England is renowned for the caliber of its woven woolen goods, its arts school and the quality of the decorative objects produced by its foundries.
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