Cecil Alexander (architect)

Last updated
Cecil Abraham Alexander, Jr.
Born(1918-03-14)14 March 1918
Atlanta, Georgia
Died30 July 2013(2013-07-30) (aged 95)
Atlanta, Georgia
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
AwardsWhitney Young Jr. Award, AIA
Practice FABRAP
Buildings Southern Bell Center, Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium

Cecil Abraham Alexander, Jr. (born Henry Alexander II, March 14, 1918 - July 30, 2013) was an American architect, principally a designer of commercial architecture, best known for his work in Atlanta, Georgia. He worked with the firm FABRAP, which, in 1985, became Rosser FABRAP International and later Rosser International. Together with other architects of the firm, he "shaped the skyline of Atlanta". [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Alexander was born to prosperous Jewish parents Julia (née Moses, 1882-1938) and Cecil Alexander (1877-1952) in the Virginia-Highland section of Atlanta. [3] Cecil Alexander, Sr. was the owner of a successful hardware company, J.M. Alexander & Company, which he sold to King Hardware in 1947. Named Henry Alexander at birth, he was named after an uncle who was unmarried at the time. When he was five years old, his "Uncle Harry" had married and the couple gave birth to a son. It was decided that young Henry would relinquish his name to his younger cousin and would, instead, be named after his own father, Cecil Alexander, Sr. [1]

Alexander attended the Marist School, where he was a classmate of actor and television presenter Bert Parks, and graduated from Boys High School in Atlanta. He enrolled in 1936 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he spent one year before transferring to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he served as managing editor of The Yale Record , [4] the campus humor magazine, and received a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1940. He continued graduate studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1946, following his military service in World War II, he enrolled in the graduate architecture program and earned his master's degree at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he studied with Walter Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus school, which was a major influence on the development of modern architecture. [1]

Alexander married Hermione "Hermi" Weill of New Orleans before serving in the United States Marines during World War II. While on active duty, he earned the Distinguished Flying Cross twice. After the war, Alexander and Hermione had three children. Hermione died on October 25, 1983, when the car the couple was driving in was hit by a young drunk driver. Later, Alexander founded the Hermione Weil Alexander Fund Committee to Combat Drugged and Drunken Driving in her memory. He later remarried, this time to the former Helen Eisemann Harris, an actress and close friend of Hermione's. [5] [6]

Architecture and civic leadership

Alexander's architectural work includes many commercial structures. He helped design one of Atlanta's first International style buildings, a building for the Rich's Store for Homes. [1] : 9  Other works in Atlanta include: [7]

He designed just eight houses, including one "Florida modern"-styled one, and one other modern one being his own, the Cecil and Hermione Alexander House, one of the first modernist style houses in Atlanta. [1] : 9  His home was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in March, 2010. [10]

He was also a civic leader of Atlanta, Georgia. [3]

He was active in civil rights and this sometimes caused disruption. After FABRAP had won a major commission, for a 40-story commercial tower slated to be the largest building in the Southeast of the United States, an executive of the firm asked for Alexander to be removed from the project. [1] : 17 He also resigned from the school board of the Lovett School in 1963 after the school refused to de-segregate by admitting Martin Luther King III. [11]

Georgia state flag

Georgia state flag 2001-2003 Flag of the State of Georgia (2001-2003).svg
Georgia state flag 2001-2003

He proposed an alternative version of the Georgia state flag, greatly reducing its emphasis on the controversial Confederate battle flag, which had been incorporated into the state flag in 1956. His proposal, which included an image of just a small version of the previous flag along with other previous state flags, was rejected at first. Under a later governor, Roy Barnes, after a slight modification accepted by Alexander the design was adopted. The new flag was itself very controversial. It served as the official state flag from 2001 to 2003, when it was replaced by another version that completely omitted the rebel flag. [1] [3] [12]

Later years

Alexander retired in 1985 but collaborated in various projects, including one or more associated with the 1996 Olympics games in Atlanta. [1] : 11 

He received the Whitney M. Young, Jr., award from the AIA for his work in civil rights. [1] He also received the Ivan Allen Award for community service, and the Yale Medal in 1982 for distinguished alumni.

Alexander died on July 30, 2013. He was 95. [13] He was survived by his wife, Helen; three children; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; and many other family, including his nephew, economist Roman L. Weil.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tower Square (Atlanta)</span> Building in Atlanta, GA

Tower Square is a 206.4 m (677 ft), 47-story skyscraper located in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia. Completed in 1982, it serves as the regional headquarters of BellSouth Telecommunications, which does business as AT&T Southeast, and was acquired as part of AT&T's acquisition of BellSouth. BellSouth Corporate headquarters was located in the Campanile building, also in Midtown. By 2020, AT&T had vacated its offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State of Georgia Building</span> Government offices in Georgia, United States

The State of Georgia Building is a 44-story, 566 feet (173 m) skyscraper located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Built in 1966, the building was the tallest building in the Southeast at the time. It was Atlanta's tallest until 1976, when the Westin Peachtree Plaza surpassed it. It was built on the site of the Peachtree Arcade, A. Ten Eyck Brown's 1917 covered shopping arcade which connected Peachtree and Broad streets. 2 Peachtree Street was originally constructed as the new headquarters building for First National Bank of Atlanta, also known as First Atlanta, replacing its older (1905) headquarters building next door. It was designed by a partnership of Atlanta architectural firm FABRAP and New York firm Emery Roth & Sons. First Atlanta was acquired by the holding company for Wachovia Bank in 1985, but continued to operate under its own charter until 1991. In 1991, under new liberalized banking laws, First Atlanta was merged into the charter of Wachovia Bank of Georgia. Shortly thereafter, Wachovia moved its Georgia offices to 191 Peachtree and 2 Peachtree Street was acquired by the state of Georgia for government offices.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peachtree Street</span> Main street of Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Peachtree Street is one of several major streets running through the city of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Beginning at Five Points in downtown Atlanta, it runs North through Midtown; a few blocks after entering into Buckhead, the name changes to Peachtree Road at Deering Road. Much of the city's historic and noteworthy architecture is located along the street, and it is often used for annual parades,, as well as one-time parades celebrating events such as the 100th anniversary of Coca-Cola in 1986 and the Atlanta Braves' 1995 and 2021 World Series victories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Atlanta</span> Neighborhood in Fulton County, Georgia, United States

Midtown Atlanta, or Midtown, is a high-density commercial and residential neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia. The exact geographical extent of the area is ill-defined due to differing definitions used by the city, residents, and local business groups. However, the commercial core of the area is anchored by a series of high-rise office buildings, condominiums, hotels, and high-end retail along Peachtree Street between North Avenue and 17th Street. Midtown, situated between Downtown to the south and Buckhead to the north, is the second-largest business district in Metro Atlanta. In 2011, Midtown had a resident population of 41,681 and a business population of 81,418.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buckhead</span> District of Atlanta, Georgia, US

Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downtown and Midtown, and a major commercial and financial center of the Southeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lenox Square</span> Shopping mall

Lenox Square is a shopping mall in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, Georgia. With 198 tenants and 1,558,678 square feet (144,805.9 m2) of gross leasable area, it is the third-largest mall in Georgia. The mall is currently owned and managed by Simon Property Group, and is considered a sister mall to the adjacent, Simon-owned Phipps Plaza. The mall features Macy's, Bloomingdale's, and Neiman Marcus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downtown Atlanta</span> Central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Downtown Atlanta is the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The largest of the city's three commercial districts, it is the location of many corporate and regional headquarters; city, county, state, and federal government facilities; Georgia State University; sporting venues; and most of Atlanta's tourist attractions. It measures approximately four square miles, and had 26.850 residents as of 2017. Similar to other central business districts in the United States, it has recently undergone a transformation that includes the construction of new condos and lofts, renovation of historic buildings, and arrival of new residents and businesses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arts Center station (MARTA)</span> MARTA rail station

Arts Center station is a train station in Atlanta, Georgia, serving the Red and Gold lines of the Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail system. It is the northernmost of three MARTA stations that serve Midtown Atlanta, the others being Midtown and North Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">3344 Peachtree</span>

3344 Peachtree is a 50-story high-rise building of 635 feet (194 m) height located in Atlanta's uptown business district of Buckhead on Peachtree Road, the northern extension of Peachtree Street. The building is a mixed-use tower that incorporates upscale dining, office space, and 82 condominia at 3344 Peachtree Road. Completed in the spring of 2008, it is the ninth tallest building in Atlanta and the tallest mixed-use building in Atlanta. It has also surpassed the Park Avenue Condominiums as the tallest building in Atlanta not to be located downtown or midtown. The building is owned by Cousins Properties of Atlanta, Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Midtown Mile</span>

The Midtown Mile is a section of Peachtree Street NE in Midtown Atlanta, Georgia, between North Avenue NE and 15th Street NE. Located across the Downtown Connector from Downtown Atlanta, the Midtown Mile is one of the major thoroughfares of central Atlanta in terms of retail and rapid residential development.

Religion in Atlanta, while historically centered on Protestant Christianity, now involves many faiths as a result of the city and metro area's increasingly international population. While Protestant Christianity still maintains a strong presence in the city, in recent decades Catholic Christians have gained a strong foothold due to migration patterns. Atlanta also has a considerable number of ethnic Christian congregations, such as Korean Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian Churches, the Tamil Church Atlanta, Telugu Church, Hindi Church, Malayalam Church, Ethiopian, Chinese, and many more traditional ethnic religious groups. Large non-Christian faiths are present in the form of Buddhism, Judaism and Hinduism. Overall, there are over 1,000 places of worship within Atlanta.

Albert Anthony Ten Eyck Brown (1878–1940) was an architect active in Atlanta, Georgia and other areas. Brown was born in Albany, New York. He studied at the New York Academy of Design.

Rosser International was an architectural and engineering firm formed from the acquisition of FABRAP by the Atlanta engineering firm Rosser White Hobbs Davidson McClellan Kelly. The firm ceased operations around June 2019.

North Buckhead is a neighborhood in the Buckhead district, at the northern edge of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of Atlanta's most affluent neighborhoods.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Palmer Smith</span> American architect

Francis Palmer Smith was an architect active in Atlanta and elsewhere in the Southeastern United States. He was the director of the Georgia Tech College of Architecture from 1909–1922.

Phipps Tower is a 20-story office tower in Buckhead, Atlanta. It is adjacent to the Phipps Plaza shopping center. John Hancock Life Insurance Company owns, manages and leases the building. It is on a 2.96-acre (12,000 m2) plot of land.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Proscenium</span> Skyscraper in Atlanta, United States

The Proscenium is a high-rise office building in Midtown Atlanta, United States. It is 24 stories tall.

Henri Vatable Jova (1919-2014) was an American architect and preservationist. With Stanley Daniels and John Busby, he founded Jova/Daniels/Busby, a multidisciplinary design firm based in Atlanta, Georgia, which designed several notable projects in Atlanta and throughout the Southeast from 1966 to 2013. Jova is noted for his pioneering support of mixed-use development and interest in the development of Midtown Atlanta.

Alexander F. N. Everett, also known as A. F. N. Everett, was an American architect who designed many buildings in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, including some listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Steven Moffson and Stephanie Cherry (February 2010). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Cecil and Hermione Alexander House" (PDF). National Park Service . Retrieved 2010-04-03. (47 pages, with figures and 16 photos)
  2. ↑ Walton, Kiri (2013-07-31). "Buckhead Architect and Civil Rights Legend Cecil Alexander Dies at 95 - Obituaries - Buckhead, GA Patch". Buckhead.patch.com. Retrieved 2013-08-08.
  3. 1 2 3 Southerland, Randy (2010-01-29). "Cecil Alexander (1918-2013)". New Georgia Encyclopedia . Archived from the original on 2012-08-06. Retrieved 2011-07-09.
  4. ↑ Alexander, Cecil A. (May–June, 2004) "The Pranks of Yesteryear". The Harvard Magazine. Cambridge: Harvard.
  5. ↑ Southerland, Randy. "'Sparkles' and 'Squinkles'". Georgia Magazine. Archived from the original on 22 April 2014. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Mitchell, Wright. "Hermi's Bridge: A love story". Reporter Newspapers. Retrieved 21 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Cecil Alexander", New Georgia Encyclopedia
  8. ↑ "Perspectives in Architecture: An interview with Cecil A. Alexander Jr.", Atlanta Intown, September 1, 2011
  9. ↑ Atlanta History Center Archived 2015-06-05 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ↑ "Announcements and actions on properties for the National Register of Historic Places for April 2, 2010". Weekly Listings. National Park Service. April 2, 2010. Retrieved 2010-04-03.
  11. ↑ Purdy, Michelle A. (2018). Title:Transforming the Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools. Chapel Hill: The University of North Carolina Press. 2018. p. 78.
  12. ↑ Jackson, Edwin L. ""State Flags of Georgia", New Georgia Encyclopedia". Archived from the original on 2008-12-10. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  13. ↑ "Cecil ALEXANDER Jr". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. August 1, 2013. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.