Wyatt Cephus Hedrick (December 17, 1888, in Chatham,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

– May 5, 1964, in

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) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs, and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

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, and developer most active in Texas and the

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. He began his career as an engineer, working in Virginia and Texas. He started his own firm in

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, and later merged with the architecture firm of Sanguinet & Staats before buying out the interests of the senior partners.

Early life

Wyatt Cephus Hedrick was born December 17, 1888, in Chatham, Virginia, to Washington Henry and Emma Cephas (Williams) Hedrick. He matriculated at

Roanoke College Roanoke College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Salem, Virginia. It has approximately 2,000 students who represent approximately 40 states and 30 countries. The college offers ...

, gaining his bachelor's degree in 1909. He earned a degree in engineering the next year from

Washington and Lee University Washington and Lee University (Washington and Lee or W&L) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Lexington, Virginia, United States. Established in 1749 as Augusta Academy, it is among ...

Career

In 1910, Hedrick started a career in engineering, working briefly for Lane Brothers in his home state. Later that year he accepted a position at the

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office of Stone and Webster Engineering Corporation. He was a construction engineer for about three years. In 1914, Hedrick started his own engineering firm in Fort Worth under the name of Wyatt C. Hedrick Construction Company. Hedrick was accepted into the partnership of Sanguinet & Staats in 1921, an architecture firm based in Fort Worth which specialized in skyscrapers. After a year, Hedrick began his work as an architect in

, Texas, and three years later opened his own office. He was responsible for many of the tallest buildings in Fort Worth, and several of his works are included on the

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. Fort Worth's first

Art Moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by Aerodynamics, aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In indu ...

skyscraper, the Worth Theatre (1927), was designed by Hedrick while partnered with Sanguinet & Staats. Hedrick worked mainly in a stripped-down classical style. With his extensive university and government work, at one time his firm was the third-largest in the United States. Hedrick is also known for his eight Texas courthouses, all of which are still standing. They include: Austin County, Brazoria County, Coke County, Coleman County, Comanche, County, Kent County, Motley County, and Yoakum County.

Personal life

In 1918 he married Pauline Stripling. In 1925, he married Mildred Sterling, and in 1931 his father-in-law, Ross S. Sterling, became

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Works

A list of works by Hedrick in chronological order, with shared attribution where applicable: *One or more works in Wharton County Courthouse Historic Commercial District, Roughly bounded by the alley N of Milam St., Rusk St., Elm St. and Richmond St. Wharton, TX, NRHP-listed

References

Bibliography

* * * Master's thesis.

External links

*
Texas Courthouses on Texas Escapes.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hedrick, Wyatt 1888 births 1964 deaths Architects from Texas Roanoke College alumni Washington and Lee University alumni People from Chatham, Virginia Architects from Virginia 20th-century American architects