R. F. Graf

Richard Franklin Graf (1863–1940) was an American architect active primarily in Knoxville, Tennessee and the vicinity in the early 20th century. His works include Stratford Mansion (1910), Sterchi Building (1921),[1] St. John's Lutheran Church (1913),[2] and the Journal Arcade (1924).[3] His home, the Prairie School-inspired Graf House, is considered Knoxville's first modern home.[3] Several buildings designed by Graf have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

R. F. Graf
Born
Richard Franklin Graf

May 1, 1863
Nashville, Tennessee, USA
DiedJanuary 27, 1940
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
OccupationArchitect
Spouse(s)Ida Lee Vinson
ChildrenJohn, Herbert, Karl, Frank, Katherine, Lawrence

Biography

Graf was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1863. His grandfather was one of several families to immigrate from Switzerland to Morgan County in the late 1840s (Morgan County's Swiss immigrants also included the grandparents of one of Graf's future clients, James G. Sterchi).[1] Graf had relocated to Knoxville by 1884, when he was working at the Burr & Terry Sash Factory in what is now the Old City.[4]

In 1887, Graf cofounded a contracting firm, Vinson and Graf, which operated in Knoxville until 1891.[1] In the early 1890s, Graf worked as a supervisor for the Knoxville Cabinet and Mantel Company. In 1894, he joined the firm of noted mail-order architect George Franklin Barber (1854–1915), and was elevated to associate in 1901.[1] He and Barber were still working together as late as 1907, when they designed a new building for Mechanics' National Bank.[5]

Graf eventually formed an architectural firm with his two sons, John R. Graf and Herbert Graf, as supervising architect. In 1910, the firm designed an elaborate Neoclassical mansion, Stratford, for James G. Sterchi,[1] as well as two buildings– the Bandstand and the Liberal Arts Building– for the Appalachian Exposition at Chilhowee Park.[6][7] Three years later, Graf designed the Gothic-style St. John's Lutheran Church, which still stands across from Old Gray Cemetery on Broadway.[2]

In 1920, Sterchi again commissioned Graf to design his furniture company's 10-story warehouse, now known as Sterchi Lofts, which was completed the following year.[1][8] The Graf House, the design of which was inspired by the Prairie School movement, was completed in 1923.[3] During this same period, Graf designed two dormitories for Maryville College, Carnegie Hall (1917) and Thaw Hall (1923).

Works

The following were designed by Graf or his firm, R.F. Graf and Sons.

NameLocationCompletedStatusOther informationImageReference
Miller's Building (S. Gay St.)Knoxville, Tennessee1905Standing[1]
Mechanics' National Bank (612 S. Gay St.)Knoxville, Tennessee1907 (approx.)StandingWith Barber & Kluttz[9]
Park City High SchoolKnoxville, Tennessee1909DemolishedDesigned with George F. Barber & Co.[10]
Chilhowee Park Bandstand (Chilhowee Park)Knoxville, Tennessee1910StandingBuilt for the 1910 Appalachian Exposition[6]
Appalachian Exposition - Machinery and Liberal Arts Building (Chilhowee Park)Knoxville, Tennessee1910BurnedBuilt for the 1910 Appalachian Exposition; designed primarily by J.R. Graf[11]
StratfordKnoxville, Tennessee1910StandingNRHP (#09000536); designed for furniture magnate James G. Sterchi[1]
National Conservation Exposition - East Tennessee Building (Chilhowee Park)Knoxville, Tennessee1913Demolished
National Conservation Exposition - Women's Building (Chilhowee Park)Knoxville, Tennessee1913Demolished
St. John's Lutheran Church (Broadway)Knoxville, Tennessee1913StandingNRHP (#85000700)[2]
2809 Kingston PikeKnoxville, Tennessee1915StandingNRHP contributing property (Kingston Pike Historic District)[1]
Carnegie Hall (Maryville College)Maryville, Tennessee1917StandingNRHP contributing property (Maryville College Historic District)[12]
Sterchi Building (Sterchi Lofts) (S. Gay St.)Knoxville, Tennessee1921StandingNRHP contributing property (Southern Terminal and Warehouse Historic District)[1]
Evarts High SchoolEvarts, Kentucky1923StandingSchool closed in 2009[13]
Graf House (Woodlawn Pike)Knoxville, Tennessee1923Standing[3]
Thaw Hall (Maryville College)Maryville, Tennessee1923StandingNRHP contributing property (Maryville College Historic District)[14]
Journal Arcade (S. Gay St.)Knoxville, Tennessee1924StandingNRHP contributing property (Gay Street Commercial Historic District)[3]

See also

References
  1. Ann Bennett, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Stratford, 23 March 2009.
  2. Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission, The Future of Knoxville's Past: Historic and Architectural Resources in Knoxville, Tennessee, October 2006. Retrieved: 23 May 2011.
  3. Knoxville: Fifty Landmarks. (Knoxville: The Knoxville Heritage Committee of the Junior League of Knoxville, 1976), pp. 22, 29.
  4. Norwood's Knoxville City Directory (Cottonbelt Publishing Company, 1884), p. 183.
  5. Daily Bulletin of the Manufacturers' Record, 20 June 1907. Retrieved: 23 May 2011.
  6. Plaque at the Chilhowee Park Bandstand, Knoxville, Tennessee.
  7. East Tennessee Historical Society, Lucile Deaderick (ed.), Heart of the Valley: A History of Knoxville, Tennessee (Knoxville, Tenn.: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1976), p. 49.
  8. The Lumber Manufacturer and Dealer, Vol. 65, 23 February 1920, p. 63. Retrieved: 23 May 2011.
  9. "Building Notes". Daily Bulletin of the Manufacturers' Record. 17-18. 20 June 1907. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  10. Robert Booker, Park City made the most of decade of independence, Knoxville News Sentinel, 17 May 2011. Retrieved: 8 June 2011.
  11. Knoxville Community Development Corporation, Magnolia Avenue Warehouse District: Redevelopment and Urban Renewal Plan, May 2011. Retrieved: 23 May 2011.
  12. Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area, The National Heritage Area Program and Blount County, Tennessee: A Feasibility Study, p. 13. Retrieved: 23 May 2011.
  13. John Middleton, Evarts High School Had Long History Serving Clover Fork, The Harlan Daily Enterprise, c. 2009. Retrieved: 23 May 2011.
  14. Ralph Waldo Lloyd, Maryville College: A History of 150 Years, 1819-1969 (Maryville College Press, 1969), p. 54.
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