New Hampshire
Law Passed: 1947 • Joined NCARB: 1948 • Region 1—New England (1966)
The Components of Licensure
Education
1979: New Hampshire introduces a bill to match NCARB’s education standards.
1981: New Hampshire accepts either a degree from a NAAB-accredited program or the documentation of additional experience.
Experience
1947: Candidates must demonstrate two years of practice as an architect prior to June 17, 1947.
1973: Candidates must meet NCARB’s requirements: eight years of experience and a high school diploma for the equivalency exam, or three years of experience and a degree from a NAAB-accredited program for the professional exam.
1977: New Hampshire votes to adopt the same requirements as the IDP.
1979: New Hampshire accepts the IDP, but does not require it.
1996: The IDP is required.
Examination
1948: The board decides to have NCARB furnish all examinations.
1950: The board models its examinations after NCARB’s syllabus.
1951: Work begins to combine exam administrations with Vermont and Maine, with examinations to be held twice a year.
1953: Vermont and Maine withdraw from the joint examinations.
1954: Maine and Vermont rejoin the joint examinations.
1973: New Hampshire adopts NCARB’s exam requirements.
1992: The New Hampshire Board stops administering oral examinations and interviews.
1997: New Hampshire moves to computer-based testing and grading.
Noteworthy
The first meeting of The New Hampshire Board of Registration for Architects was held on October 16, 1947 at 1 p.m. at the office of Howard A. Goodspeed. The board’s original seal was designed by competition; the Board received five submissions and ultimately chose a design by Norman K. Leggett. On April 16, 1948, the New Hampshire Board voted unanimously to join NCARB, first attending an NCARB meeting on May 6, 1951, in Chicago, Illinois.
The Board faced sunset in 1980, and instead joined the umbrella agency of the Joint Boards of Licensure and Certification in 1981. In 2015 the NH Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) was formed and the Joint Boards of Licensure and Certification became the Division of Technical Professions within the OPLC.
Notable People
Members of the NCARB Board of Directors
1978-80: Frank Kennett Jr. (North Conway)
2012-14: Christopher P. Williams, AIA (Meredith)
First Chairman
1947: Frank Kennett Jr. (North Conway)
First Board Members
1947: Alfred Granger (Hanover)
1947: Ned Spaulding, Ex-Officio (Hudson)
First License Issued
1947: Howard A. Goodspeed
First Woman Licensed
1948: Margaret K. Hunter
First Female Board Member
1985: Mary Lou Smith (Public Member)
1999: Patricia Sherman (Architect)
