Samuel Brook Wetherald (1825-1854)

Samuel Brook Wetherald was born in Washington D. C. on July 12, 1825, the son of the Quaker Minister Thomas Wetherald (1791-1832) and Ann Earnshaw Wetherald (1789-1857). He lectured on architecture at the Maryland Institute where he resided at Rachel Price's boarding house at 18 South Calvert. He practiced as an architect in partnership with W. H. Reasin in Baltimore from about 1847 until 1853. He died at his residence in Sandy Spring, Montgomery County in October 1854. His namesake, born the year he died, was later Postmaster of Sandy Spring.

The architect George Frederickson, misspelling Reasin and Wetherald's names, reflected on their work in Baltimore in his unpublished memoir:

Rasin and Wetherall did quite a large amount of work here. Mr. Wetherall, who unfortunately died at a comparatively early age, had a distinctive individuality, and by many years anticipated the famous "Richardson' in his pronounced preference and exemplification of the Italian (as distinguished from the more E. Byzantine of the same period), Romanesque style of architecture. Much of Rasin and Wetheral's work shows this preferential tendency. Their principal works were the Maryland Institute and Centre Market building; the Independent or Firehouse No. 6 Fire-engine house, Gay and Ensor Streets; the old "Bible House", W. Fayette, E. of Charles Street; the Noah Walker buildings, the earliest on the S.W. corner of Baltimore and Hanover Streets, the later one on the south side of Baltimore near Calvert with an "L" on the latter street. The former on the third floor level contained a central niche filled by a replica of "Crawford's Washington, (now placed in Druid Hill -Park) also the Granger building, S.W. corner of Baltimore and Sharp Streets; Excepting the fire-engine house, all of these buildings unfortunately fell as victims to the destructive fury of the great fire of 1904. The dwelling houses of Mr. Saml. Shoemaker, N. E. corner of St. Paul and Reade Streets; and that of Mr. Caughy, on W. side of St. Paul near Eager Street, also emanated in this office.