Background
Alfred B. Mullett was born in 1834 in Taunton, England, United Kingdom. He was brought to this country in 1845 by his parents who subsequently established a home in Glendale, Ohio.
Alfred B. Mullett was born in 1834 in Taunton, England, United Kingdom. He was brought to this country in 1845 by his parents who subsequently established a home in Glendale, Ohio.
Young Mullett gained a rudimentary knowledge of architecture in an Ohio college and studied later in European schools.
In 1860 after returning to the U. S. he began work in the office of Isaiah Rogers, well known Cincinnati architect, and continued as his associate until 1865, shortly after the end of the Civil War, when President Grant appointed him to the Office of the U. S. Supervising Architect.
Mr. Mullett’s most important work in Washington was the old State, Army and Navy Building, begun in 1871 and completed in 1887. In addition he designed the South wing of the Treasury Building, the U. S. Mint in San Francisco, and Government buildings in many cities. Among these should be mentioned Post Offices in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Chicago, Columbia, S.C., Hartford, Conn., Knoxville, Tenn., and Custom Houses at Cairo, 111., Portland, Maine, and in Madison, Wis. Mr. Mullet also supervised the erection of the U. S. Marine Hospital at Chelsea, Mass., Assay Offices in Boise City, Idaho; Carson City, Nevada; and San Francisco, Calif. The Appraisers’ Stores in Philadelphia was another large and important building designed and built under his direction.
In 1880 two of Mr. Mullett's sons, Thomas A. and Frederick M. (d.1924) who had been trained for the architectural profession, assisted him in practice over a period of ten years.