Biographical Information

Ralph A. Cram was a leading ecclesiastic architect, as well as a philosopher and author. He was born in New Hampshire in 1863, the son of a Unitarian minister. He died in 1942 after a distinguished career. He and his associate architecture partnerships were primarily active in the Northeast, particularly Boston and New York. However he did design a few Episcopal Churches in the South, particularly in the expanding industrial cities of the time. The most famous of these are St. Phillips Episcopal Church built in1907 and Trinity Episcopal Church, 1924 both in Durham North Carolina. Several structures designed by he and his partners have been positively identified. In line with his major choice of architectural structure Cram was a deeply religious man. His attraction to the English Gothic school of church architecture in his work reflects a belief that this traditional building style could assist the pious in grappling with the questions and privations of the emerging industrialism of the time. This favorite style of his is seen in the majority of his work. In addition to church construction Cram also adopted English Gothic to higher education. The most prominent example being some buildings he designed at Princeton University. Cram and his associated also received contracts to rebuild the famous Untied States West Point Military Academy in 1903. In addition several major churches in New York city were build to his design.

http://ncarchitects.lib.ncsu.edu/people/P000305