In 1921 Roger W. Babson began buying up land to build a residential school for his new Babson Institute. Ten years later where once was farm and field there were nine campus buildings and six other buildings bracketed by the pre-existing Children’s Convalescent Hospital on the Needham side and the Channing Sanitarium on the Wellesley town side. Most of these new buildings were designed by one man—British-born architect George F. Marlowe.

George Francis Marlowe, Jr. was born in Norwood, London on March 30, 1877. His parents, George Francis and Fannie S. Marlowe moved to Worcester, MA. George Jr. attended primary and secondary schools in Worcester. He studied architecture with Constant-Désiré Despradelle. Despradelle taught architecture at MIT and was a major proponent of the “Beaux-Arts” school of architecture. Marlowe also studied drawing and painting with Charles Herbert Woodbury.

George married Diantha Williams Horne (1879—1966) July 28, 1909 in Framingham. Diantha was a children’s book illustrator. George built a house called “Little Maynard” for his wife’s parents. The Marlowes eventually took up residence in the house at 198 Maynard Road in Framingham.

In his early career he worked for Peabody & Stearns and Andrews, Jacques, and Rantoul two prominent Boston firms with national reach and reputation. Unfortunately the chronology of his time at those firms is unavailable to me. He designed and built “Little Maynard” but a list of people he worked for ends with their names with no added information. Marlowe was a member of the Boston Society of Architects from 1912 and was elected a member of the American Institute of Architects in 1921.

How did he get associated with Babson Institute? My answer is limited to conjecture. In 1921/2 he worked with Eliza Newkirk Rogers. Ms. Rogers (Wellesley College 1900) taught at Wellesley College and she designed several of their buildings. George Marlowe worked with her on two college buildings, Hallowell House and Horton House.  In the absence of documents I am assuming that Mr. Babson saw Horton House and decided that that was the style he wanted for his new residential campus. George Marlowe became salaried employee in January 1922. In quick succession he designed the Administration Building (now Mustard Hall), two classroom buildings (Lyon Hall—today’s Luksic Hall and Bryant Hall) that were mirror images of one another, Richard Knight Auditorium, Peavey Hall Gymnasium, and the Babson Park Clubhouse (now Park Manor South). In his second breath he designed the Bank Building (which we call Publisher’s Hall), Coleman Hall (the central area designed for the Great Relief Map and a wing designed for a library), and Westgate (which was the original President’s residence and home to the original infirmary). He made the time to do decorative pieces as well. The location dial off the Athletic Fields was designed by Marlowe in 1926. His last project was Park Manor (renamed Park Manor Central) and at the completion of this building in 1930 he resigned from Babson.

From 1928 through 1938 he had an independent architectural practice. He did work for St. Andrew’s Church in Framingham, the Framingham High School, Walnut Hill School in Natick, and Edgell Memorial Library in Framingham.

He was very active in arts, historical, and preservation matters in Framingham. In addition to his architectural society memberships he was a member of the Edgell Memorial Library Board of Trustees for 46 years. He was a member of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. He was a long-time member of the Framingham Historical Society serving as President from 1932 until 1942.

His life long interest in travel joined with his interests in New England architectural history. From 1937 until 1954 he wrote social/cultural histories of New England. In the fall of 1941 he gave a series of lectures “The History of Framingham in Six Periods” for the Framingham Historical Society. That same fall he published an 11-part series on the history of Framingham for the Framingham News.

His 46 year marriage to Diantha ended with his death in April 1955. She died in 1966. They are buried in the Edgell Grove Cemetery in Framingham.

R. C. (Rip) Rybnikar

Babson College Archives