John Holden Greene

(1777-1850)

Born September 9, 1777, John Holden Greene left his native Warwick, Rhode Island, at the age of 17 for Providence, where he would eventually be recognized for achieving a unique architectural style.

In 1809, at the age of 32, Greene designed his first well-known structure, a house commissioned by Sullivan Dorr, an important Providence merchant who was engaged in the China Trade. Constructed at 109 Benefit Street, on a portion of the land first owned by city founder Roger Williams, the Sullivan Dorr house was inspired by Dorr's visit to Alexander Pope's villa at Twickenham, London. The residence was completed in 1810 and inhabited by Thomas Wilson Dorr, Sullivan Dorr’s son. The 1809 Dorr commission enabled Greene to begin building a reputation for himself as one of Providence’s premiere architects.

As construction of the Door house neared completion in 1810, Greene began work on St. John’s Cathedral (271 N. Main Street). Greene drew inspiration from the neo-Gothic Federal Street Church in Boston, but St. John’s has been described as being more evocative of an English parish church in its simplicity and in the coloring of its stone masonry.

Greene designed and oversaw the construction of nearly 50 buildings, including houses, banks, schools, hotels, and churches, in the Federal,Greek and Georgian revival styles. Of the 46 structures associated with John Holden Greene, only 22 remain, many in failing and declining states. Greene passed away on September 5, 1850. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2001.

Todd Paschoal, Student, Rhode Island College

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John Holden Greene (1777-1850)

On September 9, 1777, John Holden Greene was born to Mary Green (née Briggs) and Thomas Rice Greene. John was the second of the Greene’s six children. John Holden Greene left his native Warwick, Rhode Island, at the age of 17 for Providence, where he would eventually be recognized for achieving a unique architectural style.

Little is known of Greene’s life or early career before 1809. Most likely he served as an apprentice to architect Caleb Ormsbee (1752–1807) whose two most important buildings—the Nightingale Brown house and the Thomas P. Ives house, both located in Providence, Rhode Island—have been designated National Historic Landmarks.

Greene hardly ever traveled far from Providence and so gathered his architectural knowledge from available English design books and his American colleagues. Because of his sedentary lifestyle, Greene relied on local architectural traditions, and his work reflected the predominant Georgian principles as well as a mixture of other styles.

In 1809 at the age of 32, Greene designed his first well-known structure, a house commissioned by Sullivan Dorr, an important Providence merchant who was engaged in the China Trade and served as consular agent in Canton, China. Constructed at 109 Benefit Street, Providence, on a portion of the land first owned by city founder Roger Williams, the Sullivan Dorr house was inspired by Dorr's visit to Alexander Pope's villa at Twickenham, London. The residence was completed in 1810 and inhabited by Thomas Wilson Dorr, Sullivan Dorr’s son. Thomas Wilson Dorr went on to lead the Dorr Rebellion in 1841 in an effort to expand male suffrage and was consequently elected governor of Rhode Island in 1842. It was the 1809 Dorr commission that enabled Greene to begin building a reputation for himself as one of Providence’s premiere nineteenth-century architects.

As construction of the Door house neared completion in 1810, Greene began work on St. John’s Cathedral located at 271 N. Main Street. Providence’s original Episcopal Church— known as King's Chapel until the period following the American Revolution—St. John’s was founded in 1722 by Colonel Joseph Whipple, Nathaniel Brown, and Gabriel Bernon. Greene drew inspiration from the neo-Gothic Federal Street Church in Boston, but St. John’s has been described as being more evocative of an English parish church in its overall simplicity and in the coloring of its stone masonry.

Soon after his work on St. John’s was completed, the architect was commissioned to make adjustments and repairs to Caleb Ormsbee’s First Congregational Church of 1795, which had burned down in 1814. Greene again found a muse in Boston, this time he made a study of the South Church. Greene’s design followed the Gothic style, with ornamentation in the form of Corinthian and Ionic columns, a saucer dome, and other ornate motifs.

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Over the course of his career, Greene designed and oversaw the construction of close to 50 buildings, including houses, banks, schools, hotels, and churches, mostly in the Federal as well as Greek and Georgian revival styles. Unfortunately, due to the stock market collapse and the ensuing Panic of 1837, architectural commissions virtually ceased, prematurely ending Greene’s career. Of the 46 structures associated with John Holden Greene, only 22 remain, many in failing and declining states.

Greene was married to Elizabeth Greene (née Beverly), and the couple had two children, Mary Anne Greene and Thomas Rice Greene. John Holden Greene passed away four days before his 73rd birthday on September 5, 1850. Even though he may be all but forgotten by most residents, his work still influences the Providence cityscape. Greene’s final resting place is located in the North Burial Ground, where he was joined by his wife in 1856. He was inducted into the Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame in 2001.

Todd Paschoal, Student, Rhode Island College

Complete List of Buildings Associated with John Holden Greene

(Providence Preservation Society):

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