Born in Chaumont, France, Despradelle was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts at age twenty, was educated in the atelier of Jean-Louis Pascal, and obtained his diploma in 1886.

In 1893, Despradelle went to Boston, accepting a position as Professor of Design at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology[1] where he served until his death.

Among architects who studied under him were the Canadians George Allen Ross, William Sutherland Maxwell[2] and Andrew R. Cobb.

American architects who trained under him included Francis M. Miller, Ellis Lawrence,[3] Marion Mahony, Ida Annah Ryan, Rose Standish Nichols and Raymond Hood.

[6][7][8] Despradelle continued to refine his design after the Exposition was over, and although the Beacon was never built, the strength of his final 1900 drawings "drew a great deal of attention and had a lasting impact" in the Francophone world.