Hemphill Associates records

Collection

Identifier: MS0411

Staff Only

Overview

Technical drawings and papers concerning architecture. Includes drawings from Sumner & Hemphill, James C. Hemphill, Jr., and Hemphill Associates.

Dates

1960 - 1990

Creator

Hemphill Associates (Charlotte, N.C.) (Organization)

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Hemphill Associates Records are the physical property of J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections. Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

J.C. Hemphill, Sr. was born in Abbeville, son of State Senator Robert Reid Hemphill and Eugenia Cornelia Taylor and nephew of journalist, James Calvin Hemphill, 1850-1927. He attended the College of Charleston, then relocated to Boston, finishing his architecture studies at Harvard. He served in WWI and afterward started a firm in Greenwood, S.C. He served as president of the SC Chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1946 and was honored by them in 1966 with its Distinguished Service Award. J. C. "Jim" Hemphill, Jr. was born on July 25, 1920, the son of James Calvin Hemphill, Sr. and Millwee Davis Hemphill of Greenwood, S.C. He graduated from Clemson University where he received his bachelor's degree in architecture. He later became a regular visiting lecturer at the Clemson School of Architecture. During World War II, he did structural research on aircrafts at Langley Field VA. He served as president of the architectural firm, Hemphill Associates, for thirty-five years. His father founded the company in 1916 and managed it until 1970 when Jim took over. Prior to that Jim had been Principal Associate for Odell Associates. During his fifty-nine years of architectural practice, he served as the president of the Charlotte Section of The American Institute of Architects, President of the NC State Chapter of the AIA, President of the North Carolina Board of Architecture, Chairman of the National Document Review Board for the American Institute of Architects, President of the Charlotte Chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute, and National Director of the Construction Specifications Institute. In 1968, he was elected to the AIA College of Fellows. He founded the Charlotte Architectural Collaborative also served as President of the Charlotte Civitan's Club, and was a founding member of the Charlotte Tree Commission. He served as chairman of the Charlotte Environmental Quality Control and was chairman of the Committee for Uniform Indexing of Specifications – creating a format that was adopted by the construction industry nationwide. His skilled diplomacy is credited for bringing the Association of General Contractors and the American Institute of Architects together in agreement on the contract documents that affect the relationship of architects and contractors and how construction projects are managed. In 2002, he received the William H. Dietrich Award – the highest medal given by the AIA for services to the profession. James C. Hemphill, Sr. founded Hemphill Associates in 1916, an architectural firm based in Greenwood, SC. One project of note included the Self Memorial Hospital. In 1970, his son, Jim Hemphill, Jr. took over the firm. They designed numerous projects including the Strom Thurmond Federal Building and United States Courthouse in Columbia, SC. In 1971, John A. Hemphill joined the firm to work with his father. He took over as president in 1991. In 1998, Frank H. Randel joined the firm as a Principal and the company was renamed Hemphill-Randel Associates.