Career
Born in Calais Maine on June 7, 1837, he moved to Saint Paul in 1866. He worked in the office of Abraham Radcliffe for a time, then founded his own architectural firm. By the 1870s, Bassford was the busiest architect in Saint Paul, working on designs for houses, schools, and many commercial buildings.
His firm also employed architects who later were famous in their own right, such as Cass Gilbert, Augustus Gauger, Edward J. Donohue, Silas Jacobson, and Charles Bassford.
He died in Osakis, Minnesota on July 20, 1912. Several of his designs are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
These include:
John M. Armstrong House, 225 Eagle Parkway, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Frederic A. Donahower House 1873, Minnesota Avenue and Locust Street, Saint Peter, Minnesota
The Murray-Lanpher House in Irvine Park Historic District, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Merchants National Bank (Saint Paul), 366-368 Jackson Street, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Nicollet County Courthouse and Jail, 501 South, Minnesota Avenue., Saint Peter, Minnesota
Nicollet House Hotel, Minnesota Avenue. at Park Row, Saint Peter, Minnesota
Old Main at Gustavus Adolphus College, Gustavus Adolphus College campus, Saint Peter, Minnesota
Rochat-Louise-Sauerwein Block, 261–277 West. 7th Saint, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Building(s) in Saint Peter Commercial Historic District, Minnesota Avenue. between Broadway and Grace Streets, Saint Peter, Minnesota
Walsh Building, 189-191 East. 7th Saint, Saint Paul, Minnesota
Other buildings.