Background
Will S. Aldrich was born in 1862 at Chicago, His youthful years were spent at Freeport, Maine, at the home of his grandmother.
Will S. Aldrich was born in 1862 at Chicago, His youthful years were spent at Freeport, Maine, at the home of his grandmother.
His early education was acquired in Boston schools.
He studied two years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and graduated in 1884.
As a student draftsman he entered the local office of an architectural firm.
In 1899, Mr. Aldrich found employment in Boston as a draftsman with the firm of Peabody & Stearns later worked for a time in New York in the office of McKim, Mead & White. His career in St. Joseph was launched in 1910 when he joined the late Edmond J. Eckel (see) and George R. Eckel in a partnership, and in the following years, Eckel & Aldrich was recognized as one of the leading architectural firms in the midwest. The partners carried on an extensive practice in the state, and in St. Joseph Mr. Aldrich was identified with the design of numerous buildings, notable examples being: the News-Press Building, 1911; St. James Church and Rectory, 1912; Zion Evangelical Church, 1924; St. John's Hospital and the Nurses’ Hospital; new Central High School; new City Hall, 1927, and the Education Building at the First Baptist Church.
Among the firm's work in other cities was the Muncipal Building at Colum¬bia, Mo.; State School for the Deaf at Fulton; New Court House at Mays- vil’le; High School at Savannah, and the Tacoma Hospital at Rolla, all in Missouri. The partners also participated in a number of competitions, includ¬ing the State Capitol at Jefferson City, Mo., and in 1927 the competition for the Court House at Milwaukee.
The most popular his works: the News-Press Building, 1911; St. James Church and Rectory, 1912; Zion Evangelical Church, 1924; St. John's Hospital and the Nurses’ Hospital; new Central High School; new City Hall, 1927, and the Education Building at the First Baptist Church.
Spent three years of travel and study in Europe, as a winner of the Rotch Traveling Scholarship.