As a student at Oberlin from 1949 to 1953, he was a student of Oberlin history professor Robert Samuel Fletcher[1]: 20–21 He was also a wide receiver on the Yeomen, the college's men's football team.
After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Oberlin in 1953, Blodgett served two years with the United States Navy in the Pacific Fleet.
He received a PhD at Harvard University in 1961, and returned to the college a year later to join the History Department.
Throughout his career as a professor he focused on the history of architecture, publishing several books and many articles.
He also published many articles on the history of Oberlin College, continuing the work of Fletcher.