BarberMcMurry , formerly Barber & McMurry , is an architecture firm based in Knoxville, Tennessee , USA. Founded in 1915 by Charles Irving Barber (1887–1962) and Benjamin Franklin McMurry, Sr. (1885–1969), the firm designed dozens of notable houses, churches, schools, and public facilities in Knoxville and the surrounding region in the early 20th century, several of which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places . In recent decades, the firm has expanded its focus to include larger-scale projects, such as hospitals, stadiums and retail complexes.
32-628: BarberMcMurry is rooted in the successful mail-order design business established in Knoxville in 1888 by Charles Barber's father, George Franklin Barber (1854–1915), best known for his elaborate Victorian mansions. Both Charles Barber and Benjamin McMurry studied at the University of Pennsylvania under Paul Cret , whose Beaux-Arts influence characterized much of the firm's early work. By
64-708: A chapel, a church, 2 storefronts, and several pavilions. This catalog and its subsequent revisions led to an explosion in orders for Barber's firm. Barber houses built during this period include the Jeremiah Nunan House in Jacksonville, Oregon , the Donnelly House in Mount Dora, Florida , and the J. Hawkins Hart House in Henderson, Kentucky , all of which still stand and are listed on
96-720: A firm with one of his clients, J.C. White, handling the firm's business aspects. Barber also became a partner in the Edgewood Land Improvement Company, which was developing a suburb east of Knoxville known as Park City (modern Parkridge ). He designed over a dozen houses for this suburb, including his own house, which still stands at 1635 Washington Avenue, and the W.O. Haworth and F.E. McArthur houses, which still stand on Washington and Jefferson Avenues and appeared in some of Barber's catalogs. In 1890, Barber published The Cottage Souvenir No. 2 , which contained 59 house plans, as well as plans for 2 barns,
128-526: A half-dozen buildings for the University of Tennessee campus, several of which surround Ayres Hall atop the "Hill." Notable architects such as Bruce McCarty began their careers with the firm as draftsmen or interns. In 1976, the firm's work was the subject of an exhibition by Knoxville's Dulin Art Gallery . In the early 21st century, the firm changed its name to "BarberMcMurry." In recent years,
160-585: A nail-holding attachment for hammers. By the mid-1880s, Barber was back in DeKalb, where he produced his first architectural designs working for his brother's construction firm, Barber and Boardman, Contractors and Builders. In 1887 or early 1888, Barber published The Cottage Souvenir , crudely produced on punched card stock and tied together with a piece of yarn, which contained 14 house plans (a revised edition published shortly afterward contained 18). The earliest buildings constructed from Barber's designs include
192-452: A young child, he moved to Marmaton, Kansas , where he lived on the farm of his sister, Olive, and her husband, William Barrett. By the 1870s, he owned an adjacent farm, where he raised plants which he advertised as "ornamental nursery stock." During this period, he learned architecture through mail-order books, namely George Palliser's American Cottage Homes and technical books published by A.J. Bicknell and Company. In 1884, Barber patented
224-464: Is believed that he sold as many as 20,000 plans in his career. Since he frequently modified his designs to fit his clients' needs and specifications, his houses are sometimes difficult to attribute with any certainty. In discussing his architectural philosophy, Barber argued that nature has "faithfully and accurately adhered to the Divine law of harmony," and that no place should adhere more closely to
256-609: Is located in the historic Arnstein building. BarberMcMurry's early work (c. 1915–1940) reflected the Beaux-Arts influence that Charles Barber and Ben McMurry absorbed from Paul Cret at the University of Pennsylvania. Beaux Arts elements were incorporated into historical styles, which ranged from Mediterranean and English Cottage-style houses, Gothic-style churches, and Neoclassical-style schools. While Barber's work bears little resemblance to his father's Victorian house plans, his work placed an emphasis on harmony with nature that
288-691: The East Tennessee Children's Hospital . BarberMcMurry's work has received numerous awards over the past eight decades. The H.M. Goforth House (1928), which once stood on Lyons View Pike, received the gold medal at the Southern Architecture and Industrial Arts Exposition in 1929. In 2008, Oxford American magazine named the Jenkins House one of the top eleven Modern-style houses in the South. Recent designs, such as
320-492: The Historic American Buildings Survey . Many extant Barber houses are still used as residences, while others house museums, bed and breakfasts , and office space. Barber houses have provided inspiration for Christmas cards, wall hangings, and at least one dollhouse model. While most of Barber's work was domestic, several notable non-domestic Barber-designed buildings survive. These include
352-771: The Queen Anne style , which Barber liked to enrich with the addition of Romanesque elements. Barber houses constructed in this period are characterized by features such imposing turrets , projecting windows, verandas flanked by circular pavilions, and Syrian arches. In the latter half of the 1890s, Barber began to offer more plans in the Colonial Revival style. These were often characterized by projecting porticos supported by large columns, symmetrical facades, and flat decks with balustrades. Later Barber catalogs contained Bungalow and Craftsman styles, though few of these were built. Some have suggested that Barber
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#1732783531106384-484: The "catalog architecture" model popularized by earlier architects such as Palliser, Palliser & Company . Barber's great innovation was his willingness to personalize his designs for individual clients at moderate cost. As he wrote in his Cottage Souvenir No. 2 , "Write to us concerning any changes wanted in plans, and keep writing till you get what you want. Don't be afraid of writing too often. We are not easily offended." Though his firms' records no longer survive, it
416-837: The 1920s and 1930s, the firm expanded to non-domestic projects, such as the General Building (1926), the Holston Hills Country Club (1927), the Church Street Methodist Church (1931), and the University of Tennessee's Hoskins Library (1931). The firm also designed government facilities, such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park headquarters (1940). By the end of the 1950s, Barber & McMurry had designed over 50 churches, 14 schools, dozens of elaborate houses, several clubhouses, and more than
448-738: The 1970s, and since then, hundreds of houses built using his plans have been identified. Over four dozen of these have been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places for their architecture, and several dozen more have been listed as contributing properties in historic districts. At least four Barber houses—the Isaac Ziegler House , the Jeremiah Nunan House, the John Calvin Owings House ( Laurens, South Carolina ), and Roselawn ( Natchitoches, Louisiana )— =have been documented by
480-691: The Charles E. Bradt House (1887) and the Congregational Church (1888), both in DeKalb. The Bradt house was featured in the March 1888 issue of Carpentry and Building . In late 1888, Barber relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee , in hopes that the city's mountainous climate would be better for his declining health. He briefly partnered with Minnesota-born architect Martin Parmalee, but the partnership proved unsatisfactory. In 1892, he established
512-593: The National Register. He also remained active on a local level in Knoxville, with the Romanesque-inspired Isaac Ziegler House on 4th Avenue, and a house built for his printer, S.B. Newman, which still stands in Old North Knoxville . Around 1895, Barber parted ways with White and formed a new firm with a new partner, Thomas Kluttz. That year, Barber began publishing a magazine, American Homes , which advertised
544-768: The Niswonger Performing Arts Center (2004), and the LeConte Medical Center (2010). Current projects include the Sentinel Tower and the University of Tennessee Music Center. George Franklin Barber moved to Knoxville from his native DeKalb, Illinois , in 1888, bringing along his wife, Laura, and infant son, Charles. While in DeKalb, George had begun working as an architect for his brother's construction company, and published his first design catalog, The Cottage Souvenir . In Knoxville, he expanded his catalog business, and over
576-639: The Rokeby Condominiums (1976), the Two Rivers Church (2005), and the LeConte Medical Center (2010), have received regional AIA design awards. Over a dozen of the firm's buildings have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, either individually or as contributing properties in historic districts. George Franklin Barber George Franklin Barber (July 31, 1854 – February 17, 1915)
608-468: The University of Pennsylvania, where he studied architecture under Paul Cret , a French-born architect widely credited with spreading the Beaux-Arts philosophy in America. Following his graduation in 1911, he worked for his father's firm, and in several brief partnerships. In 1915, Charles Barber and his fellow University of Pennsylvania alumni, David West Barber (his cousin) and Benjamin McMurry, founded
640-588: The firm has designed several major medical centers in Knoxville and the surrounding region, most notably the LeConte Medical Center (2010) in Sevierville , the University of Tennessee Heart Hospital (2010), and Mercy Medical Center North (2007). The firm continues to design and rehabilitate buildings for the University of Tennessee, and has designed structures for several local community colleges and high schools. The firm has recently wrapped up design and construction of their new downtown Knoxville office space which
672-546: The firm's latest house plans, offered tips on landscaping and interior design, and published a multi-part history of architecture by Louisville architect Charles Hite-Smith. In 1896, the growing firm moved into the Barber-designed French and Roberts Building on Gay Street , with the firm's 30 draftsmen and 20 secretaries occupying an entire floor. In the late 1890s and early 1900s, Barber designed several elaborate mansions for affluent businessmen, including
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#1732783531106704-632: The firm, Barber & McMurry. The Barbers' partner, Benjamin McMurry, was born and raised in Blount County, Tennessee , and had attended Maryville College before enrolling in the University of Pennsylvania. He also studied under Cret, and graduated in 1912. The firm's earliest works included several elaborate mansions built for affluent Knoxvillians, many of which still stand in the Sequoyah Hills vicinity in West Knoxville. In
736-451: The fundamental principles of nature than one's house. Barber considered proportion the most important element in architecture, likening it to harmony in music, "without which all else is a failure." He described ornamentation as the next most important element, as it gives proportion expression. Lastly was "harmony of form," or the relationship of curved and straight lines to one another. Barber's early designs were modified versions of
768-469: The help of his brother, Manly, focused on Knoxville-area building projects. He later worked with architects R. F. Graf and John Ryno. The publication of American Homes was moved to New York in 1902, though Barber remained a regular contributor for several years afterward. The catalog business was suspended in 1908. Barber died on February 17, 1915, and is interred with his family in Knoxville's Greenwood Cemetery. The bulk of Barber's business followed
800-629: The home of Carroll Lathrop Post (brother of C. W. Post ) in Battle Creek, Michigan ; the home of tobacco magnate R. J. Reynolds in Winston-Salem, North Carolina ; the home of People's Bank president N.E. Graham in East Brady, Pennsylvania ; and one of his grandest designs, the $ 40,000 "Mount Athos" for Barboursville, Virginia , tycoon Walter G. Newman. In the early 1900s, Barber began to phase out his mail-order business and with
832-455: The late 1880s, before permanently moving his base to Knoxville, Tennessee , in 1888. His first widely circulated catalog, Cottage Souvenir No. 2 , contained designs and floor plans for 59 houses, mostly in the Queen Anne style , as well as Barber's architectural philosophy and tips for homebuilders. Later catalogs contained more Colonial designs. By the time his catalog business ended in 1908, Barber had sold upwards of 20,000 plans. Barber
864-475: The subsequent two decades sold upwards of 20,000 house plans worldwide. Several dozen George Barber houses still stand in Knoxville alone, including a house at 1635 Washington Avenue where the Barbers lived in the early 1890s. Charles practically grew up in his father's offices. In 1907, he toured Italy and Greece, where he observed the proper design of Mediterranean villas. Following his return, he enrolled in
896-542: The time of Barber's death in 1962, the firm had designed some of Knoxville most elegant houses, many of which still stand in West Knoxville, as well as over 50 churches, and government buildings such as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park headquarters. The firm's more recent work includes the East Tennessee History Center (1985), the John J. Duncan Federal Building (1988), Smokies Park (2000),
928-762: Was an American architect known for the house designs he marketed worldwide through mail-order catalogs. Barber was one of the most successful residential architects of the late Victorian period in the United States, and his plans were used for houses in all 50 U.S. states, and in nations as far away as Japan and the Philippines. Over four dozen Barber houses are individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places , and several dozen more are listed as part of historic districts. Barber began designing houses in his native DeKalb, Illinois , in
960-761: Was at the heart of his father's architectural philosophy. After World War II, the firm's work evolved to reflect contemporary styles, most noticeable in commercial works such as the Fort Sanders Medical Center (1958) and the Modern-style Jenkins House (1955) in Sequoyah Hills. Over the past two decades, the firm has focused on LEED design principles, which emphasizes energy efficiency and environmentally friendly construction. The firm has also expanded to include interior design , with notable interior design works that
992-478: Was the father of Charles I. Barber (1887–1962), who became a successful architect in his own right and designed several notable buildings in the Knoxville area during the first half of the 20th century. BarberMcMurry , an architectural firm cofounded by Charles Barber in 1915, still operates in Knoxville. Barber was born in DeKalb, Illinois , in 1854, the son of Lyman and Cornelia Spring Barber. While still
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1024-418: Was the first to sell prefabricated houses in crates, but there is no evidence that he was actually engaged in manufacturing. While he occasionally supplied builders with manufactured windows, doors, staircases and other components, and millwork companies advertised in Barber's magazine, it is unclear whether entire houses were sold as kits by anyone prior to 1900. A revived interest in Barber's work began in
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