Charles Wheelock
- This article is about the architect. For the engineer and alderman, see Charles F. Wheelock.
Charles R. Wheelock (born December 12, 1833 in Charlestown, Massachusetts; died September 24, 1910 in Alameda, California) was a noted early architect in Birmingham. The partnership of Wheelock & Wheelock which he formed with his son Harry in 1883 lasted until 1939 and employed many younger designers, such as S. Scott Joy, Eugene Knight, James A. Lewis and Hugh Martin, who also contributed greatly to the city.
Wheelock worked as a carpenter and contractor before representing himself as an architect, with no apparent formal training. He married the former Eliza Manchester of Boonville, New York in 1853. They had five children, Charles F., George F. (1857), Jesse Manchester (1859), Harry Bert (1866), and Mary.
During the Civil War, Wheelock served as a Captain in the 97th New York Volunteers, a regiment commanded by a relative, a Colonel Charles Wheelock, who died in 1865 and is buried in Boonville. After the war, Wheelock moved to New York City. Soon he had relocated to the newly-founded village of Emporia, Kansas and was elected to represent the 3rd Ward in the first City Council upon its incorporation in 1870.
He moved to Texas in the early 1870s and partnered with Jacob Larmour on several important commissions there. By the end of the decade he had relocated to Las Vegas, New Mexico where he established an office in the Jesuite Building. He encouraged a protégé, John Sorenson, to practice there before moving on.
In late 1882 Wheelock came to Birmingham and quickly established himself as the young city's first architect of note. He brought his son, Harry, into the partnership of Wheelock & Wheelock.
By 1895 Wheelock was Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of the State of Alabama, Free and Accepted Masons.
Wheelock died while visiting Alameda, California in September 1910. His body was returned to Birmingham for burial.
Notable buildings
- Education Institute, Denison, Texas, 1873
- Collin County Courthouse, McKinney, Texas, 1875
- Travis County Courthouse, Austin, Texas, 1876, with Jacob Larmour
- Lamar County Courthouse, Paris, Texas, 1876, with Jacob Larmour
- Austin College, 1876, Sherman, Texas
- Roden Block, 1880s
- Birmingham City Hall (rejected proposal), c. 1886
- Watts Building, 1888
- Jefferson County Courthouse, 1889, with Henry Wolters
- Steiner Building, 1890
- Church of the Advent, 1893
- Morlein Brewing Company (Young & Vann Building), 1893
- Base for the Confederate Soldiers & Sailors Monument, 1894
- Chalifoux Building, 1896
- Nabers, Morrow & Sinnige building, 109 20th Street North, 1898
- Southern Club, 1901
- Lakeview School, 2800 Clairmont Avenue, 1901, addition completed in 1909
- Birmingham Trust building, 20th Street North, 1902
- Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company worker housing and company buildings at Muscoda, Wenonah and Potter, 1903
- Paul Hayne School annex, 1903
- Hillman Hospital, 1903
- Hillman Nurses' Home
- First National Bank Building, 1903, with Willliam Weston
- Bell Building, 1814 2nd Avenue North, 1907
- YMCA Building, 526 20th Street North, 1909
- Burnett Cigar & Candy store, 1800 block of 2nd Avenue (Lot 16, Block 87) 1912
- Graves Building, 1816-1820 3rd Avenue North, 1912
- Dian Apartments, 1300 block of 20th Street South, 1913
- Levert Apartments, 1300 block of 20th Street South, 1913, associate
- Molton Hotel, 500 block of 20th Street North, 1915
- Molton-Henley Retail Block, 1915
- Woodlawn High School, 1920
- Municipal Auditorium, 1922
- Crittenden Building, 1924
- Downtown Masonic Temple, 1924, associate
- Phoenix Building, 17th Street and 2nd Avenue North, 1926
- Alabama Home Building, 2000 block of 1st Avenue North
- Caheen Building, 1924 2nd Avenue North
- Chesterfield Apartments, southwest corner of 20th & Park
- Collings Grocery, southwest corner of 1st & 24th
- Frank S. White Stores, southeast corner of 1st & 23rd
- White-Collins-Scott building, southeast corner of 2nd & 22nd
- Fraternal Hall, 2200 block of 3rd Avenue North
- Grubb-Roberts Building, 1900 block of 4th Avenue North
- Harrison Estate Stores, south side, 2000 block of 1st Avenue North
- Herman Saks & Sons store, 1800 block of 2nd Avenue North
- Ingalls Iron Works offices
- St Paul's Catholic School
- St Paul's Rectory
- Leo Steiner store, NE corner of 20th & 4th
- Wadsworth Estate building, 403 20th Street North
- Birmingham City Jail, 1937
Residences
- Morris Adler residence, Highland Avenue, 1887
- Westover House (Walker Percy residence at 2217 Arlington Avenue), c. 1901
- Matsuyama (Louis Clark estate), Chalkville, 1911
References
- Wilson, H. T. (c. 1880) Historical Sketch of Las Vegas, New Mexico. Chicago, Illinois: Hotel World Publishing
- "Jesse M. Wheelock" biography in An Illustrated History of New Mexico. (1895) Chicago, Illinois: Lewis Publishing Company, pp. 448-49
- Owen, Thomas McAdory and Marie Bankhead Owen (1921) History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography. 4 volumes. Chicago, Illinois: S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
- "Charles R. & Harry Wheelock, Architects" typescript (August 3, 1950), in "Architects & Architecture", Vol. 2 of material compiled by Hill Ferguson for the cornerstone vault in Birmingham City Hall
- Browne, Catherine Greene (1992) The History of Forest Park. Birmingham: Cather Publishing Company
- Fazio, Michael W. (2010) Landscape of Transformations: Architecture and Birmingham, Alabama. Knoxville, Tennessee: University of Tennessee Press ISBN 9781572336872