Early Life and Education

An ornate fifteen-story skyscraper with a symmetrical facade that tapers at the top and has a low wings on either side. A broad staircase leads up to the main entrance of the building which is located at the center of the base of the tower under a large rounded arch. The drawing shows each of the large blocks of stone the building is made of. One either side of the central tower are small, two-story wings topped by pediments (low pitched roofs shaped like triangles). The main body of the tower rises eight stories above the entrance levels and is plain in comparison to the rest of the building. Above that the floors of the tower diminish gradually until they reach a flagpole and flag at the top. This top portion of the tower is decorated in classical details like small columns, vases, and arches.

Raymond Hood
Proposed City Hall for Pawtucket, elevation
from Year-Book of the Rhode Island Chapter, American Institute of Architects
RI Chapter, AIA, Providence, 1911
Private collection

Students at the École were allowed to choose the subject of their capstone diplôme project, and Hood decided to design a city hall for Pawtucket. This homage to his hometown combined traditional features from architectural history with newer technologies like elevators and a steel frame.

Hood was proud of the project, toting drawings of it to architecture exhibitions in Providence, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.