William Augustus Edwards

William Augustus Edwards, also known as William A. Edwards (December 8, 1866 – March 30, 1939) was an Atlanta-based American architect renowned for the educational buildings, courthouses and other public and private buildings that he designed in Florida, Georgia and his native South Carolina. More than 25 of his works have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

William Augustus Edwards
Born(1866-12-08)December 8, 1866
Darlington, South Carolina
DiedMarch 30, 1939(1939-03-30) (aged 72)
Atlanta, Georgia
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
BuildingsSumter County Courthouse (South Carolina)
Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium, Atlanta
ProjectsUniversity of Florida Campus Historic District

Early life and education

William Augustus Edwards was born in Darlington, South Carolina, the son of Augustus Fulton Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth Sarah Hart. After graduating from St. David's School in Society Hill, Edwards attended Richmond College, now the University of Richmond for one year and then entered the University of South Carolina where he received a degree in mechanical engineering in 1889.[1]

Career history

He and another Darlington County native, Charles Coker Wilson, set up an office together in Columbia, having previously worked in Roanoke, Virginia. The two men prospered for a time, but in 1901 Edwards found a new partner, Frank C. Walter. Between then and 1908 the two designed many public school buildings across the state. In 1908 the men moved their firm to Atlanta, Georgia, where they were briefly associated with an architect named Parnham. The firm lasted until 1911, at which point Walter left to work on his own.

In 1915 Edwards established another partnership, this one with William J. Sayward, and in 1919 Joseph Leitner joined the practice. Edwards continued working successfully from this office until his death in 1939.

Marriage and family

William Augustus Edwards married India Pearl Brown on December 21, 1898. They had two sons and two daughters. He was a member of the Unitarian Church.

Educational buildings

Among the academic institutions for which Edwards designed buildings were:

In Alabama

Camp Hill

In 1930 William A. Edwards and firm designed the educational classroom and administrative building for The Southern Industrial Institute, now known as Lyman Ward Military Academy, in Camp Hill, AL. The structure known as Tallapoosa Hall was designed at the request of well known educator Dr. Lyman Ward who like Edwards was also a Unitarian. Dr. Ward had transplanted to Alabama in 1898 to establish a school for impoverished boys and girls. Completed in 1933, Tallapoosa Hall is also a Gothic Revival design and the building was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 2008.

In Florida

From 1905-1925, William A. Edwards was architect for the Florida Board of Control and designed many buildings in the Collegiate Gothic style for the three existing state institutions of higher learning as well as other public schools.

Gainesville

Works by Edwards at the University of Florida:

  • University Auditorium, University of Florida Campus, now known as Ulster Hall, NRHP-listed[2]
  • Old Benton Hall (original engineering building), 1911, demolished 1966.
  • Original Post Office, third building on campus, demolished before 1977 to make way for General Purpose Building A, now Turlington Hall.[3]
  • Johnson Hall (original dining hall) 1912, burned 1987

St. Augustine

Tallahassee
FAMU

Florida College for Negroes (Florida A&M University). Buildings designed by William Augustus Edwards include:[4]

  • Commons, 1924

The Carnegie Library and perhaps other buildings designed by Edwards are among 14 contributing buildings in Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College Historic District, NRHP-listed[2]

FSU

Florida State College for Women (Florida State University). Buildings designed by William Augustus Edwards include:[4]

  • Bryan Hall, 1907
  • Broward Hall, 1917
  • Education Building (now Psychology), 1919
  • Jennie Murphree Hall, 1922
  • Library (Dodd Hall), 1924
  • Reynolds Hall, 1913
  • Suwanee Dining Hall, 1913
  • Westcott Building (originally Administration), 1911
Other

In Georgia

In South Carolina

County courthouses

William Augustus Edwards designed many county courthouses, as follows:

In Florida

In Georgia

In South Carolina

Between 1908 and 1915 Edwards designed nine county courthouses for the state of South Carolina, all of which are still standing except the ones in Kershaw and Darlingon which were destroyed. The courthouses are as follows:

Other buildings

In Florida

In Georgia

In South Carolina

NRHP-listed works

More than 25 of his works have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, either as individual buildings or as contributing buildings within historic districts.

  • Library East, UF
  • FAMU's Carnegie Library in 2008
  • Caroline Brevard School, Tallahassee
  • Buttrick Hall, Agnes Scott College
  • McCain Library, Agnes Scott College
  • Walhalla Graded School, SC
  • Withers Building at Winthrop University, SC
  • Historic Sumter County Courthouse, Florida, 2008
  • Tift County Courthouse, Georgia, in 1971
  • Sumter County Courthouse, South Carolina
  • Covington House, Florida
  • Thomas Hotel, Florida
  • Odd Fellows Building and Auditorium, Atlanta, 1979
  • United States Post Office and Courthouse (Columbus, Georgia)
  • Abbeville Opera House, South Carolina
  • West Hall, Valdosta State University
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References
  1. Multiple Resource Area for 4 of the 9 South Carolina courthouses designed by William Augustus Edwards - 12 pages
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  3. Tate, Susan, Preservation and Compatible Growth of a Twentieth Century Campus: The University of Florida, p. 61
  4. Tate, Susan, Preservation and Compatible Growth of a Twentieth Century Campus: The University of Florida, p. 63
  5. Historic Campus Project
  6. St Petersburg Times: Brooksville 150 years
  7. Sumter County Florida history
  8. Vinson Institute: courthouses in Georgia: Fannin
  9. Vinson Institute: courthouses in Georgia: Old Fannin
  10. Vinson Institute: courthouses in Georgia: Tift
  11. Darlington County Administrator's page: has picture
  12. Historical notes on Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta
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