Alexander Rice Esty (1826-1881)

Biography
Alexander Rice Esty an American architect known for designing many Gothic Revival churches in New England, however his work also encompassed university buildings, public buildings, office buildings, and private residences across the Northeastern United States.

Architecture
Esty attended Framingham Academy as a boy. He then trained in architecture with Boston architect Richard Bond (architect). In 1847, he worked for G.J.F. Bryant before opening his own Boston office the following year.[6] Many of Esty's churches were variations of a popular nineteenth century style similar to Richard Upjohn's. In addition to his church designs, Esty also proposed a design for the Library of Congress building in Washington, D.C.[7] From 1876 until his death, he was employed by the United States Treasury as Superintendent of Construction to the first United States Post Office building in Boston's Post Office Square

Ancestry
Esty was a descendant of Edmund Rice (1594-1663) an early immigrant to Massachusetts Bay Colony, and a direct descendant of Mary Towne Esty (1634-1692) who was executed during the Salem Witch Trials.