Willard Kent (1851–1924) was an architect and engineer of Woonsocket, Rhode Island. He was born on October 27, 1851 in Marshfield, Massachusetts. His parents were Warren Kent, a builder, and Eliza Weston Kent.As a young man in 1875, Kent took a job with John W. Ellis, a Woonsocket engineer most noted as the designer of the local train station. He remained with Ellis until 1884, when he opened an office in Woonsocket for the practice of engineering.