S.S. Woodcock (1824-1910) was born in Maine and later apprenticed as a carpenter in Stow. While working as a carpenter in Boston, he studied architecture on his own time and by 1854, opened an architect office in Boston. In 1858, he entered into a partnership with architect George Meacham and the firm became known as Woodcock and Meacham. Dissolved in 1864 when Meacham opened his own office, Woodcock worked independently for the remainder of his career. He designed a large number of churches, schools, and other public buildings in the Boston area between 1855 and 1901.
Woodcock was responsible for the design of Lowell’s most outstanding example of Second Empire style architecture, the Frederick Ayer Mansion (1876) at 357 Pawtucket Street. This richly decorated residence was constructed of brick with sandstone, granite and wood. The mansion contained 67 rooms and the first floor of the mansion included a drawing room, library, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, music room, smoking room, and other smaller rooms. On the second floor were six bedchambers with accompanying dressing rooms while there were ten bedrooms on the third floor. Each floor was connected by a baggage elevator.
Woodcock was also designed the Ladd & Whitney Memorial (1865) and the Eliot Church (1874, 273 Summer Street).
