William H. Stevens


William H. Stevens was an American architect from Lewiston, Maine.

Life

Stevens was born in West Gardiner, Maine in 1818. He learned the carpenter's trade, and moved to Lewiston in 1849, acquiring land on the outskirts of town. in 1851 he and five others went to California, to try their hand at prospecting. He returned to Lewiston in 1855, continuing to work as a carpenter. In 1864 he took a position with the Franklin Company, and became the in-house architect and engineer, a position he retained until 1870. That year, he opened an independent office as an architect.
Stevens worked alone until 1873, when he formed a partnership with Edward F. Fassett, son of Francis. The firm, Fassett & Stevens, was dissolved in 1874, in the wake of the Panic of 1873. Stevens resumed his independent practice, and Fassett returned to his father in Portland. After a brief period, Stevens and George M. Coombs formed a new partnership, Stevens & Coombs. They remained together until Stevens' death in August 1880, after a period of illness.
Stevens served on the Lewiston city council, and was elected mayor in 1870.

Architectural Works

William H. Stevens, 1864-1873:
Fassett & Stevens, 1873-1874:
William H. Stevens, 1874-1875:
Stevens & Coombs, 1875-1880: