New York architect Alfred H. Thorp, worked with Edward Tuckerman Potter, in the construction of the Clemenses’ Hartford house. Thorp has been seen as the source of knowledge about French architecture by scholars trying to puzzle out the different medieval European influences on the Clemens home. Thorp had studied in Paris with the renowned architect Pierre Jérôme Honoré Daumet, known for his elegant work on civic and church buildings, including the chapel at the Palace of Versailles. The same year the Clemenses’ Hartford home was built, Thorp was also contracted to build Clemens a writing study at the Elmira home of Olivia’s sister, Susan Crane.

When the Clemenses expanded their kitchen and redecorated the house in 1881, Thorp supervised the construction work. Olivia Clemens wrangled with Thorp over the windows in the entry hall – he wanted less glass and she wanted more glass to light what admittedly is a dark space for welcoming visitors.

Thorp went on to design and build a building in 1876 that architectural historian Sarah Landau says “illustrates an important development in the evolution of early skyscraper style.” Built at Sixth Avenue and 26th Street in 1876 for the New York Racquet Court Club, the building had two courts, a gymnasium and bowling facilities, painted differently for daytime and nighttime play. The building received landmark status from the city in 1989, only to have the status almost immediately revoked, leading to its demolition.