Willard Parker Adden was born in Reading, Massachusetts on 9 April 1868. He worked as a draftsman in the office of Charles Brigham in Boston before embarking on a career as an architect in Boston. In 1905 co-founded the Boston-based architectural firm Adden, Parker, Clinch & Crimp. He was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA). He died on Northampton, Massachusetts on 14 June 1958