Benjamin, Asher

Benjamin, Asher, 1773–1845, American architect, b. Greenfield, Mass. His Country Builder's Assistant was published in 1797 and The American Builder's Companion, with Daniel Reynard, in 1806. Benjamin designed houses and churches in many New England towns, but his greater influence was through his pattern books, which popularized the details of the late colonial style. His later books, The Rudiments of Architecture (1814) and The Practical House Carpenter (1830), show more Greek design.

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Benjamin, Asher (1773–1845) author and architect; born in Hartland, Conn. A Boston businessman and architect, his seven pattern books (1797–1843) spread Georgian, Federal, and Greek Revival styles throughout America. He designed the Charles Street Meetinghouse, Boston, Mass. (1807).