Frank Packard’s Architecture Left Mark on Delaware (as published in the Fall 2019 issue of the Delaware County Historian)

This was my first attempt (2020) at writing and publishing blogs on the architecture of Joseph Warren Yost and Frank Lucius Packard. I chose Delaware since Packard was a Delaware native. The blog narrative was a copy and paste of an article I wrote for the Delaware County Historical Society’s newsletter. The buildings pictured in the blog did not include supporting pictures that provide additional interest…as the blogs that have followed do. Three years later it’s now time to make revisions and match today’s blog format. The Frank Packard biography has been retained, but other pieces of the original newsletter narrative have been removed. Hooray to more pictures!!

Upon completing an apprenticeship in carpentry, Alvaro Packard left Readfield, Maine, and moved to Delaware in 1859. In 1863 he married Miranda Black who had moved to Delaware County from Indiana. They had two children: Frank who was born in 1866 and Cora who was born in 1869. Per the 1880 U.S. Census, the Packards resided at 27 Washington Street. Alvaro served two terms as Delaware County commissioner and one term on City Council. Frank attended Delaware public schools, and in 1883 when he was not quite 17, the family moved to Columbus where Alvaro became very successful in the real estate business. Frank left to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduated in 1887, returned to Columbus, and began what became a very significant career in architecture. In 1892, he joined forces with Joseph Yost who moved his architect practice from Bellaire, Ohio, to Columbus in 1882. Yost relocated to New York City in 1900.

Frank Packard’s career spanned approximately 34 years and ended when he passed away unexpectedly. Numerous accounts of his life mention that he was involved in over 3400 designs many of which were public buildings such as courthouses, hospitals, libraries, schools and university buildings. He also designed churches and residences including in the Craftsman style of which he was particularly fond.

In addition to being born and raised in Delaware, Frank Packard had another Delaware County connection. On September 27, 1892, he married Eva Lena Elliott of Sunbury at Kingston Presbyterian “Old Blue” Church located at the corner of State Route 521 and Blue Church Road. It’s been demolished, but the bell from the church is mounted on a blue brick base there. Eva grew up in the house of her grandparents, and this beautiful residence still stands at 2711 Blayney Road in Berkshire Township.

The Packards had one child, J. Alden, who died in infancy. Sadly, Frank Packard died of a cerebral hemorrhage on October 26, 1923, at the age of 57. His residence in 1923 was at 1739 Franklin Park South which abuts the Franklin Park Conservatory on East Broad Street in Columbus and still stands. Ralph Snyder, an architect working with Packard, took over the practice and the firm became Snyder, Babbitt & Mathews. It closed in 1929.

Packard was an involved citizen in Columbus, and The Ohio State Journal obituary reflected on that in the following way: “For all the crowding insistence of his private engagements, for all the demands of his unselfish labors for the Civic Center and with the City Planning Commission, Mr. Packard found time to talk with people, to be friendly with everybody he knew or met. He was geniality itself, the embodiment of kindly good fellowship. Thus, he became universally esteemed and widely popular. Even to meet him in the street and perhaps have a word with him was a delight. It is sad to know that he will pass this way no more.”

Revised 2/2023. donfoster73@gmail.com