Joseph C. Wells (architect)

Joseph Collins Wells (1814–1860) was an English-born architect who practiced in New York City from 1839 to 1860. He was a founding member of the American Institute of Architects, and several of his works have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Two of his works, the Henry C. Bowen House and the Jonathan Sturges House, have been designated as U.S. National Historic Landmarks. He also designed First Presbyterian Church ("Old First"), a New York City Landmark in Greenwich Village.

Wells was born in England in 1814 and emigrated to the United States in 1839. His first known work in the United States is the Jonathan Sturges House in Connecticut. By 1840, Wells had formed a partnership with architect William Ranlett in New York City; that partnership lasted one year. Wells has been credited with designing some of "the earliest Gothic Revival cottages in this country", a style later popularized by Andrew Jackson Downing.

In February 1857, Wells was one of 13 architects who met to form an organization to "promote the scientific and practical perfection of its members" and "elevate the standing of the profession." The organization became the American Institute of Architects. Others at that meeting included Richard Morris Hunt, Charles Babcock, Richard Upjohn, his son Richard Mitchell Upjohn and Leopold Eidlitz.

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