This website and the research on Fred Wesley Wentworth has been a project I have been working on since mid 2006. In the past few months, I have developed a lecture and slide show about the remarkable career of Wentworth and hope to expand the research into a book. I have posted some of my research and writing here in order to develop interest in the project and get some feed-back. I encourage you to contact me at repolton@aol.com if you want to learn more about the project or FWW.
This website features some of the most significant Wentworth designed buildings, but only includes highlights. There are dozens of other significant Wentworth buildings that I am researching and will be part of the larger publication. If you are interested, please keep in touch.
The project is the unexpected outcome of an ebay search. I was looking for maps and other memorabilia on Paterson and came upon a book — the Recent Work of Fred Wesley Wentworth. I had never heard of the book or the author, Fred Wesley Wentworth but bid on the book. I didn't win. It set me on my way exploring Wentworth, his clients and his times. I have become fascinated with Wentworth and want to share my enthusiasm with you.
In researching this project, I have traveled throughout New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire. It has been a labor of love and I have met numerous fascinating people who have helped me collect the information you see here. I am grateful for their generosity and cooperation.
About Richard Polton
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Richard E. Polton
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Now for a little bit about me. I am a native of Paterson and went to public schools in the city. My family arrived in Paterson around the same time that Wentworth came to Paterson— in the late Nineteenth Century and Wentworth designed many of the buildings that were the setting for my family’s life in Paterson. Consequently, I felt a need to explore his career and accomplishments. It has been a very satisfying experience.
I have a passion for architectural history, American urban history and most significantly, Paterson, NJ. After attending Paterson Eastside High School, I studied at Columbia University (B.A., American History major), a B. Arch from the Rhode Island School of Design and a M.Arch. A.S. and M.C. P. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in urban planning.
In my “day job”, I am a principal in Value Research Group, LLC., an appraisal and real estate consulting firm. I am active in real estate activities and worked as a developer, teacher, appraiser and consultant.
My goals for this project are simple. I hope to:
• Foster an appreciation of the work of Fred Wesley Wentworth and the architectural tradition that makes Paterson — and New Jersey — a fascinating and challenging place.
• Inspire efforts at preservation and revitalization
• Develop an exhibit/book on Wentworth, his life and times.
