W. R. Emerson – Architect.

Welcome!

With a career that spanned six decades and more than 500 designs, William Ralph Emerson is best known today as a prolific Boston architect. His impact and influence on New England’s built environment was recognized by his peers and, in later years by architectural historians as well. Today his designs remain influential for architects, design professionals, and those interested more generally in buildings. But he was much more than just an architect: Emerson was a writer, an artist, a lecturer, a teacher, and a family man.

This website invites you to learn more about W. Ralph Emerson, his multifaceted career, and his legacy.

W. Ralph Emerson: His Life and His Family

W. Ralph Emerson: The Architect

W. Ralph Emerson: “A Painter by Nature”

W. Ralph Emerson: The Lecturer

W. Ralph Emerson in the Public Eye

W. Ralph Emerson: The Architect as Reader and Writer

W. Ralph Emerson and the Shaping of a Generation

Visiting Emerson Buildings Today