edward payson bassford (1837–1912) was an architect who practiced in st. paul, minnesota, in the late 19th century. born in calais, maine, on june 7, 1837, he moved to st. paul in 1866. he worked in the office of abraham radcliffe for a time, then founded his own architectural firm. by the 1870s, bassford was the busiest architect in st. paul, working on designs for houses, schools, and many commercial buildings. his firm also employed architects who later were famous in their own right, such as cass gilbert, augustus gauger, edward j. donohue, silas jacobson, and charles bassford. he died in osakis, minnesota, on july 20, 1912.