Background
Guy Kirkham was born on November 14, 1864 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of William Kirkham, a jeweler, and Harriet Merriam Kirkham.
Guy Kirkham was born on November 14, 1864 in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of William Kirkham, a jeweler, and Harriet Merriam Kirkham.
Kirkham studied architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and after graduating in 1887 he apprenticed in Minneapolis and New York City, and then spent several years studying in Europe.
In 1887 he was employed as draftsman with the New York firm of Renwick, Aspinwall & Russell. Following his return to Springfield Kirkham was continuously active in his chosen profession during the rest of his life.
Noted examples of his work planned and executed under the firm name include the following buildings; Gymnasium at Wesleyan Academy, Wilbraham, 1896; Home for Aged Women at Springfield, 1899; Olivet Church in Springfield, 1912; Unitarian Church at Northampton, 1903; Public Library at Chicopee, 1911; Goodwin Memorial Library, Hadley, Mass. Chapin Memorial Hospital, Springfield, 1914; and the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Building at Springfield, the firm's largest and last executed commissions.
In 1892 he married Grace Dwight.