Penn Varney
Penn Varney (1859–1949) was an American architect in practice in Lynn, Massachusetts, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Penn Varney

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- Name
- Penn Varney
- Born
- 15 November 1859
- Birthplace
- Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
- Died
- 27 April 1949
- Place of death
- Rowley, Massachusetts
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- architect
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Documentary summary
Penn Varney (1859–1949) was an American architect in practice in Lynn, Massachusetts, during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
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Penn Varney worked as an architect and was United States. Born in 1859. Penn Varney died in 1949.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 01 October 2026
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Authority files
wikidata · Q114445261 · wikipedia · Penn Varney
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Penn Varney • Born — 15 November 1859 • Birthplace — Wolfeboro, New Hampshire • Died — 27 April 1949 • Place of death — Rowley, Massachusetts • Illustration — The former Schenectady Public Library, completed in 1903 • Illustration — The Melrose Public Library, completed in 1904 • Illustration — The Aldrich Public Library in Barre, Vermont, completed in 1908 • Illustration — The Hull Town Hall, completed in 1921
Life and career
Life and career
Penn Varney was born November 15, 1859, in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, to Augustus J. Varney, a sawmill owner, and Mercy (Hussey) Varney. He was educated in the local schools, and in 1882 moved to Lynn where he was first employed by architect Holman K. Wheeler as a drafter. In 1888 he left Wheeler to open his own office. During the first few years he was in partnership with Alfred W. Call in the firm of Call & Varney. Varney practiced architecture in Lynn for at least forty years.
Personal life
Personal life
In 1893 Varney was married to Emma L. Hussey, and they had one son. In later life they lived in Rowley, Massachusetts. Varney died there April 27, 1949.
Architectural works
Architectural works
• Charles F. Piper house, 22-24 N Main St, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire (1892) • Danversport School (former), 10 West St, Danvers, Massachusetts (1893–94) • East Lynn Odd Fellows Building, 301 Essex St, Lynn, Massachusetts (1895) • Marcy Street School, Marcy St, Southbridge, Massachusetts (1898, demolished) • St. Joseph R. C. School, 29 Green St, Lynn, Massachusetts (1898) • Amesbury Public Library, 149 Main St, Amesbury, Massachusetts (1900) • Schenectady Public Library (former), Union St and Seward Pl, Schenectady, New York (1901–03) • Henry S. De Forest house, 718 Union St, Schenectady, New York (1902) • Melrose Public Library, 69 W Emerson St, Melrose, Massachusetts (1903–04, NRHP 1988) • Miller Building, 522 Congress St, Portland, Maine (1904, NRHP 1996) • Aldrich Public Library, 6 Washington St, Barre, Vermont (1907–08, NRHP 2015) • Foster Building, 508 State St, Schenectady, New York (1907, NRHP 1991) • Masonic Hall, 258 Main St, Saco, Maine (1907) • Sanford City Hall, 919 Main St, Sanford, Maine (1907) • Depositors Trust Company Building, 33 Water St, Skowhegan, Maine (1909) • Lynn Classical High School (former), 33 N Common St, Lynn, Massachusetts (1909–11) • Elks Lodge, Division St, Amsterdam, New York (1910, demolished) • Central Fire Station, 25 Central St, Stoneham, Massachusetts (1916, NRHP 1984) • Hull Town Hall, 253 Atlantic Ave, Hull, Massachusetts (1919–21) • Colonel Nathaniel Shatswell School (former), 15 Green St, Ipswich, Massachusetts (1925–26) • Salisbury Police and Fire Station (former), 18–24 Railroad Ave, Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts (1929)
Legacy
At least five buildings designed by Varney have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts. The Alabama architect William Leslie Welton received his initial architectural training in Varney's office.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Penn Varney”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q114445261: Penn Varney
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1."Penn Varney" in Municipal History of Essex County in Massachusetts 4, ed. Benjamin F. Arrington (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1922): 357.
- 2.History of Alabama and Her People 3 (New York: American Historical Society, 1927): 470.
- 3.New Hampshire Homes (Concord: James A. Wood, 1895)
- 4.Historic Building Detail: DAN.323
- 5."Building Intelligence" in American Architect and Building News 50, no. 1033 (October 12, 1895): xvii.
- 6."Illustrations" in American Architect and Building News 60, no. 1170 (May 28, 1898): 71.
- 7."Contracting News" in Engineering Record 38, no. 7 (July 16, 1898): 152.
- 8."Building Intelligence" in American Architect and Building News 67, no. 1264 (March 17, 1900): x.
- 9."Building Intelligence" in American Architect and Building News 76, no. 1372 (April 12, 1902): xii.
- 10.Historic Building Detail: MEL.85
- 11.Christopher W. Closs, Porteous, Mitchell and Braun Company Building NRHP Registration Form (1996)
- 12.Frank A. Beard, Aldrich Public Library NRHP Registration Form (2015)
- 13.Foster Building NRHP Registration Form (1991)
- 14.Tom Hardiman and Russell Wright, Saco Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1998)
- 15."Contracting News" in Engineering Record 55, no. 1 (January 5, 1907): 71.
- 16.Frank A. Beard, Skowhegan Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1982)
- 17.Gerald R. Snyder and Robert von Hasseln, Amsterdam (Charleston, Arcadia, 2010)
- 18."Proposals" in Boston Evening Globe, January 14, 1916, 15.
- 19."Massachusetts" in American Contractor 40, no. 3 (January 18, 1919): 56.
- 20."Solving Ipswich School Problem" in Newburyport Daily News, July 21, 1925, 2.
- 21."Propose New Fire and Police Station at Salisbury Beach" in Newburyport Daily News, March 6, 1929, 8.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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