| Bruce McCarty | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 28, 1920 South Bend, Indiana, USA |
| Residence | Knoxville, Tennessee, USA |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan[1] |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Style | Modern |
| Influenced by | Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier, Edward Durrell Stone[1] |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Hayes[1] |
| Children | Bruce Hayes McCarty, Sarah Elizabeth McCarty, and Douglas Hayes McCarty |
| Parents | Earl and Hazel McCarty |
Bruce McCarty, FAIA (born December 28, 1920) is an American architect, founder and senior designer (retired 2010) at McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects of Knoxville, Tennessee. During a career that has spanned more than a half-century, he has designed some of the city's iconic landmarks, and has been the city's most dedicated champion of Modern architecture.[1] Buildings designed or co-designed by McCarty include the TVA Towers, the City-County Building, the Bank of America Building, the Knoxville Convention Center, and the University of Tennessee Art and Architecture Building.[2] McCarty was also the Master Architect for the 1982 World's Fair.[1]
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McCarty was born in South Bend, Indiana, the third of four sons to Earl H. and Hazel B. McCarty. The second son was noted American geneticist Maclyn McCarty.[3] Bruce McCarty was raised in Kenosha and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Earl McCarty was president of Nash Motor Company.
McCarty attended Princeton University in the early 1940s, where he studied sculpture under noted sculptor and boxer, Joe Brown.[1] Following the outbreak of World War II, he left Princeton and joined the US Army Air Force. He first arrived in Knoxville for military training in 1942, and was later stationed in California as a P-38 pilot. On April 5, 1945 McCarty married Julia Elizabeth Hayes of Knoxville in Santa Rosa, California. They have three children; Bruce Hayes McCarty, Sarah Elizabeth McCarty, and Douglas Hayes McCarty.
Following the war, McCarty worked as a draftsman at the Knoxville architectural firm, Barber & McMurry.[1][4] He earned a BA from Princeton upon returning from the war in 1946. From 1947 to 1949, McCarty attended the University of Michigan and earned a Bachelor of Architecture Degree. During this period, he became enamoured with Modern architecture, especially the work of Frank Lloyd Wright. He spent much of 1948 driving around Michigan and Wisconsin, seeking out houses designed by Wright.[1] McCarty would later describe the experience of being inside a Wright house as "like being lifted up."[5] He attended Wright's lectures, and visited Wright's home, Taliesin.[1]
Following graduation, McCarty returned to Knoxville to work as a designer and draftsman for the firm, Rutherford and Painter (later Painter and Weeks).[4] McCarty became a partner in the firm in the mid 1950’s. In 1953, McCarty gained accolades for the so-called "Concrete House," designed for builder Martin Bartling in Knoxville's West Hills subdivision.[1] The following year, Bartling brought McCarty to the attention of Living for Young Homemakers magazine, which was cosponsoring a promotional campaign for affordable modern houses for new homeowners. McCarty designed the Hotpoint Living-Conditioned Home, which still stands in West Hills, for this campaign.[1]
In 1957, McCarty flew to New York to present a house design that was to be featured on NBC's morning program, Home, as part of its series, "The House That Home Built", Union Carbide, and Knox Homes. While the series was cancelled, the house, sometimes called the "NBC House," still stands off Western Avenue in Knoxville.[1]
In 1965, McCarty and Robert Holsaple formed Bruce McCarty and Associates. One of their earliest works was the Speech and Hearing Center for the University of Tennessee.[1] This led to a series of major projects for UT, including the Humanities and Social Sciences Complex, with the 12-story McClung Tower, and the Clarence Brown Theatre, which had been funded by director Clarence Brown.[1] The firm also designed the James White Civic Coliseum and the new Lawson McGhee Library in downtown Knoxville.[1]
In 1970, McCarty and Associates merged with another Knoxville architectural firm to form McCarty Bullock Church and Holsaple. Partner Robert Church died in 1972 while serving as acting dean of the University of Tennessee School of Architecture, and the firm thus became McCarty Bullock Holsaple (MBH). MBH designed notable buildings such as the Knoxville City-County Building (a joint venture with Lindsay & Maples), the TVA Towers, and the Veterinary Building for UT. In 1976, a nationwide panel chose the firm's design for UT's Art and Architecture Building over 53 other submissions.[1]
McCarty was chosen to be the Master Architect for the 1982 World's Fair, and his firm designed the fair's Tennessee Amphitheater.[1] Following partner Glen Bullock’s resignation in 1983, Bruce's son, Doug, who had been working with the firm since the mid-1970s, became president, and the firm changed its name to McCarty Holsaple McCarty. The firm's work over the subsequent two decades included UT's Hodges Library, the 14-story Bank of America Building, the Ijams Nature Center visitor center, and the Knoxville Convention Center.[2] The firm also oversaw planning for Knoxville's waterfront, and designed expansions for Neyland Stadium and McGhee Tyson Airport. McCarty Holsaple McCarty provided the renovation plans for the Tennessee Theatre, completed in 2006.[1]
In 1965, McCarty helped establish the University of Tennessee's College of Architecture. The school has since named the auditorium in its Art and Architecture Building for the McCarty family.[6] McCarty was also instrumental in the establishment of the East Tennessee Community Design Center, which advises communities in the region on appearance and functionality.[1]
Designed by Bruce McCarty & Associates (1965–1970)
Designed by McCarty Bullock Church Holsaple (1970–1972) or McCarty Bullock Holsaple (1972–1984)
Designed by McCarty Holsaple McCarty (1984–present)
| Name | Location | Completed | Status | Other information | Image | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tom and Betty Kesterson Residence | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1951 | Standing | |||
| Bruce and Elizabeth McCarty Residence (Cherokee Blvd.) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1952 | Altered | [1] | ||
| Mrs. E. H. McCarty Residence | Pittman Center, Tennessee | 1952 | Standing | |||
| Concrete House (Stockton Dr.) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1953 | Standing | Modern house in West Hills | [1] | |
| Harkness House | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1953 | Standing | Modern house in West Hills | ||
| Bon Air | Gatlinburg, Tennessee | 1954 | Altered | [1] | ||
| Hotpoint Living-Conditioned House (West Hills Rd.) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1954 | Altered | Designed as a demonstration home for a Living for Young Homemakers promotional campaign; listed on the National Register of Historic Places | [7] | |
| NBC House | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1957 | Standing | Slated to be featured on NBC's "The House That Home Built," but never aired | [1] | |
| George Bridges Residence (Lakemore Hills) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1958 | Standing | |||
| Tennessee Valley Branch Bank | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1958 | Altered | |||
| Bruce and Elizabeth McCarty Residence (Lyons View Pk.) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1958 | Standing | [1] | ||
| NAHB Research House (Cumberland Estates) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1959 | Standing | |||
| Steve Wing Residence (Lakemore Hills) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1959 | Altered | |||
| Ralph Brooks Residence | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1962 | Altered | |||
| Williams Residence (Rudder Rd.) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1962 | Demolished | |||
| Arnold Kramer Residence (Lakemore Hills) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1963 | Standing | |||
| Mrs. E. H. McCarty Residence | Winter Park, Florida | 1963 | Standing | |||
| Charles Davis Residence (Holston Hills) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1964 | Standing | [1] | ||
| Wilson Residence (West Hills) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1964 | Altered | |||
| Pedestrian Bridge (University of Tennessee) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1966 | Standing | [1] | ||
| Westminster Presbyterian Church (Northshore Dr.) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1966 | Standing | [8] | ||
| Harry Brooks Residence (Brookhaven Farms) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1967 | Standing | |||
| James White Civic Coliseum | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1967 | Standing | [1] | ||
| Humanities Building (University of Tennessee) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1969 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Clarence Brown Theatre (University of Tennessee) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1970 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Lawson McGhee Library | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1970 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Reef Condominiums | St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | 1968 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Veterinary Hospital (University of Tennessee) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1976 | Standing | [2] | ||
| TVA Towers | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1978 | Standing | [2] | ||
| City-County Building | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1979 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Art and Architecture Building (University of Tennessee) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1981 | Standing | [2] | ||
| 1982 World's Fair Master Plan | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1982 | Altered | McCarty's firm also designed the World's Fair Amphitheater | [2] | |
| Hodges Library (University of Tennessee) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1987 | Standing | [1] | ||
| Bank of America Building | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1990 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Ijams Nature Center | Knoxville, Tennessee | 1991 | Standing | [1] | [1] | |
| McGhee Tyson Airport (expansion) | Blount County, Tennessee | 1998 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Knoxville Convention Center | Knoxville, Tennessee | 2002 | Standing | [2] | ||
| Tennessee Theatre (renovation) | Knoxville, Tennessee | 2006 | Standing | Building constructed 1907, theater added in 1928 | [2] |
![[1]](http://mhminc.com/images/BruceMcCartyWikipediaImages/Ijams1.jpg){kind=link}