Background
He was born on October 27, 1851 in Marshfield, Massachusetts.
He was born on October 27, 1851 in Marshfield, Massachusetts.
As a young man in 1875, Kent took a job with John West. Ellis, a Woonsocket engineer who was also the chief engineer of the Providence & Worcester Railroad. In that capacity, Ellis was responsible for the design and construction of the local train station (1882), and Kent may have thus designed the station. He remained with Ellis until 1884, when he opened an office in Woonsocket for the practice of engineering.
Later in the 1880s he expanded his practice to include architecture.
Later he opened an office in Narragansett Pier, where he would eventually also live on a parmanent basis.