Arthur G. Odell Jr. (1913–1988) 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 ...

in practice in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, from 1940 to 1982. He was founder of the practice now known as

Odell Associates Odell may refer to: Places United States * Odell Township, Livingston County, Illinois * Odell, Illinois, a village * Odell, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Odell, Nebraska, a village * Odell, New Hampshire, a township * Odell Hill, New Yo ...

and was president of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

for the year 1964–65.

Life and career

Arthur Gould Odell Jr., often known as Gouldie Odell, was born November 22, 1913, in

Concord, North Carolina Concord ( ) is the most populous city in Cabarrus County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. The city had a population of 105,240 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Concord is the second-most populous city in the Cha ...

, to Arthur Gould Odell and Grace (Patterson) Odell. He attended

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

and

Cornell University Cornell University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university based in Ithaca, New York, United States. The university was co-founded by American philanthropist Ezra Cornell and historian and educator Andrew Dickson W ...

, graduating with a B.Arch. from the latter in 1935. He then spent a year abroad, studying in the atelier of Jacques Debat-Ponsan of the

École des Beaux-Arts ; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts architecture, Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centu ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. After he returned to the United States he worked for Harrison & Fouilhoux and

Raymond Loewy Raymond Loewy ( , ; November 5, 1893 – July 14, 1986) was a French-born American industrial designer who achieved fame for the magnitude of his design efforts across a variety of industries. He was recognized for this by ''Time'' magazi ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

before returning to North Carolina, opening an office in Charlotte in 1940. His practice was interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and in 1941 he enlisted in the Corps of Engineers, and attained the rank of lieutenant colonel. In 1945 he reestablished his practice as A. G. Odell Jr. & Associates. Over the next twenty-five years Odell grew the practice to be one of the largest in the region, and in 1970 incorporated it as

. Odell continued to expand the firm, opening regional offices in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; ) is a city in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 299,035; it was estimated to be 307,381 in 2024. It is the List of municipalitie ...

, in 1971 and

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...

, and

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, in 1976. Odell stepped down as president in 1978, and served as chairman of the board until 1982, when he retired from practice.Benjamin T. Rook,
Odell Associates Inc.: Planners, Architects, Engineers
' (New York: Newcomen Society, 1987) During his career, Odell's office won more than 75 design awards.Catherine W. Bishir and Thomas W. Hanchett,
Odell, A. G. Jr.
" North Carolina Architects & Buildings: A Biographical Dictionary, 2020. Accessed January 17, 2023. Odell was also involved in urban and campus planning, creating master and redevelopment plans for Charlotte and Raleigh as well as plans for St. Andrews University and the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

. These were less well received than his architectural work. His Charlotte plan paved the way for the demolition and redevelopment of large portions of the historic city core. In Raleigh, his plan for the Halifax Mall for the state government north of the

North Carolina State Capitol The North Carolina State Capitol is the former seat of the legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina which housed all of the state's government until 1888. The Supreme Court and State Library moved into a separate building in 1888, and th ...

caused widespread demolition, and his now-removed Fayetteville Street Mall to the south severely disrupted the city's existing urban pattern. Odell also designed the centerpiece buildings for both projects: The Archdale Building and the Raleigh Civic and Convention Center, which has since been demolished to restore the former street pattern. Odell joined the

in 1946 as a member of the North Carolina chapter. He served as chapter president from 1953 to 1955 and as South Atlantic regional director from 1959 to 1962. Following terms as second and first vice president, he was elected president in 1964. He was the first AIA president from a southern state. Odell was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

in 1957.R. Randall Vosbeck, ''A Legacy of Leadership: The Presidents of the American Institute of Architects, 1857–2007'' (Washington: American Institute of Architects, 2008)

Personal life

Odell was married to Polly Robinson in 1941. Following a divorce, he married Mary Walker in 1951. He had three children. Odell died April 21, 1988, in a Charlotte hospital.

Legacy

A number of architects later prominent in North Carolina and elsewhere worked in Odell's office. These include

Harvey Gantt Harvey Bernard Gantt (born January 14, 1943) is an American architect and Democratic politician active in North Carolina. The first African-American student admitted to Clemson University after attending Iowa State University, Gantt graduated w ...

, later

Mayor of Charlotte The office of the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina is currently held by Democrat Vi Lyles, who took office in December 2017 after defeating Republican Kenny Smith in the November election. The office was established in 1853, when William F. ...

, and Harry Wolf. In 1973 several architects from his firm left to form the large firm of Clark, Tribble, Harris & Li, architects of

100 East Wisconsin 100 East Wisconsin or The Faison Building is a 37-story, -tall skyscraper located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Erected in 1989 on the site of the old Pabst Building, its design is reflective of the German-American architecture that has bee ...

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and other skyscrapers. Some of Odell's papers are in the collection of the J. Murrey Atkins Library of the

Architectural works

* Spencer Bell house, 6121 Providence Rd,

(1952, demolished)"Odell, Arthur Gould Jr." in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 411. * Double Oaks Elementary School, 1326 Woodward Ave,

(1955) * Ovens Auditorium and

Bojangles Coliseum Bojangles Coliseum, originally Charlotte Coliseum and formerly Independence Arena and Cricket Arena, is a 10,829-seat multi-purpose arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, which al ...

, 2700 E Independence Blvd,

(1955) * Wachovia Building, 129 W Trade St,

(1956–58) * Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, 310 N Tryon St,

(1956, altered 1989) * Concordia Lutheran Church, 216 5th Ave SE,

Conover, North Carolina Conover is a city in Catawba County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,421 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Hickory– Lenoir– Morganton Metropolitan Statistical Area and Charlotte Metropolitan Area. History The Ci ...

(1957) * Campus plan and buildings, St. Andrews University,

Laurinburg, North Carolina Laurinburg is a city in and the county seat of Scotland County, North Carolina, United States. Located in southern North Carolina near the South Carolina border, Laurinburg is southwest of Fayetteville, North Carolina, Fayetteville and is home t ...

(1959–61 et seq.) * Campus plan and Kennedy and Macy Buildings,

(1959–61) *

CFG Bank Arena CFG Bank Arena is a multipurpose arena in Baltimore, Maryland. This venue is located about one block away from the Baltimore Convention Center on the corner of Baltimore Street and Hopkins Place in downtown Baltimore. With a seating capacity ...

, 201 W Baltimore St,

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(1959–62)"Odell, Arthur Gould Jr." in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 521. * Charlottetown Mall,

(1959, demolished 2006) * Lutheran Church of the Holy Comforter, 216 N Main St,

Belmont, North Carolina Belmont is a small Suburb, suburban city in Gaston County, North Carolina, United States, located about east of Gastonia, North Carolina, Gastonia. The population was 10,076 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Once known as Garibaldi ...

(1959) * Wachovia Building, 101 N Front St,

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(1960, demolished 2008) * Charlotte Memorial Hospital,

(1961 and 1968)"Odell, Arthur Gould Jr." in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 676. * Camille Dreyfus Laboratory,

Research Triangle Institute Research Triangle Institute, operating as RTI International, is a nonprofit organization headquartered in the Research Triangle Park in North Carolina, USA. RTI provides research and technical services. It was founded in 1958 with $500,000 in fu ...

Research Triangle Park, North Carolina Research Triangle Park (RTP) is the largest research park in the United States; it occupies in North Carolina and hosts more than 300 companies and 65,000 workers. It is owned and managed by the Research Triangle Foundation, a private non-profi ...

(1961, demolished 2011) *

Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory The Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory, abbreviated as TUNL (pronounced as "tunnel"), is a tripartite research consortium operated by Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University and North ...

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

(1965) * Wachovia Building, 201 N Elm St,

(1966–68) * Hampton Coliseum, 1000 Coliseum Dr,

Hampton, Virginia Hampton is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 137,148 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, seve ...

(1968–70) * D. H. Hill Jr. Library north tower,

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

(1968–71) *

Burlington Industries Burlington Industries, formerly Burlington Mills, is a diversified American fabric maker based in Greensboro, North Carolina. Founded by J. Spencer Love in Burlington, North Carolina in 1923, the company is a subsidiary of Elevate Textiles and ha ...

headquarters, 3330 W Friendly Ave,

(1970–71, demolished 2005) *

One South at The Plaza One South at The Plaza (formerly the Bank of America Plaza) is a , 40-story skyscraper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is the 7th tallest in the city. It contains of rentable area of which of retail space, and the rest office space. On the gr ...

, 101 S Tryon St,

(1972–74) * Blue Cross and Blue Shield headquarters, 1830 Fordham Blvd,

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange County, North Carolina, Orange and Durham County, North Carolina, Durham counties, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 United States census, making Chapel Hill the List of municipa ...

(1973) * Raleigh Civic and Convention Center, 500 S Salisbury St,

(1975–77, demolished 2006) * Virginia Beach Pavilion Convention Center, 1000 19th St,

Virginia Beach, Virginia Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the most populous city in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeastern Virginia. It is the sixth-most populous city in the ...

(1975–81, demolished 2005)Richard Guy Wilson, ''Buildings of Virginia: Tidewater and Piedmont'' (New York: Oxford University Press, 2002) * Archdale Building, 512 N Salisbury St,

(1977) *

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company The R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (RJR) is an American tobacco manufacturing company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded by namesake R. J. Reynolds in 1875, it is the largest tobacco company in the United States. The company is a w ...

headquarters (former), 1100 Reynolds Blvd,

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...

(1978)

Notes

References