BarberMcMurry

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 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 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 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 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).

Post-World War II

By the end of the 1950s, Barber & McMurry had designed over 50 churches, 14 schools, dozens of elaborate houses, several clubhouses, and more than 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, 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 is located in the historic Arnstein building.