Douglas Dobell Ellington (26 June 1886 – 27 August 1960) 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 ...

who is noted for his work in the

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

style.

Biography

Ellington studied architecture at the

Drexel Institute Drexel University is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony Joseph Drexel, Anthony J. Drexel, a financier ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

, and 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 ...

in Paris. Ellington was the first American to win the Rougevin prize. After returning from

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, he worked as a

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

of architecture at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and then the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Ellington worked with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, supervising the design of

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

for

ships A ship is a large vessel that travels the world's oceans and other navigable waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished from boats, ...

. Ellington subsequently returned to

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

where he opened a private architectural practice. In 1929, he designed the

S&W Cafeteria S&W Cafeteria was a Charlotte, North Carolina–based chain of cafeteria-style restaurants. The chain specialized in low-cost, Southern-style food. Branches were located in the Southeastern United States from Washington, D.C. to Atlanta, Georgia. ...

location at 60 Patton Avenue in Asheville. While living in Asheville, he also designed notable buildings of the art deco era:

Asheville City Hall Asheville City Hall, is a historic Art Deco brick and stone governmental office building located on Court Plaza in Asheville, North Carolina, United States. It serves as the seat of the government of the City of Asheville. It is located in the ...

, First Baptist Church of Asheville, and

Asheville High School Asheville High School is a public high school located in Asheville, North Carolina, United States and is one of two secondary schools in the Asheville City Schools system. Designed by Douglas Ellington, construction of the original building be ...

. During World War II, Ellington designed a housing project in Charleston, South Carolina, which was meant as temporary housing; the Ashley Homes project was constructed on leased land and were expected to be torn down at the end of the war. He was also the architect for the North Charleston

Methodist Church Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

in North Charleston, South Carolina in 1954 and Holmes Avenue Baptist Church in 1958. In 1927, Ellington designed the Sylvan Theatre, now part of the Downtown Sylva Historic District in

Sylva, North Carolina Sylva is an incorporation (municipal government), incorporated town located in central Jackson County, North Carolina, Jackson County, in the Plott Balsams, Plott Balsam Mountains of Western North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 United St ...

. Ellington died on August 27, 1960, at his self-designed and built summer home, known as the

Douglas Ellington House Douglas Ellington House is a historic home located at Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. It was built in 1926 by architect Douglas Ellington, and is an eclectic stone and brick cottage set into its terraced, hillside site. It consist ...

, in

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad River, French Broad and Swannanoa River, Swannanoa rivers, it is the county seat of Buncombe County. It is the most populou ...

Gallery

File:Asheville HS.jpg, Top of the Asheville High School rotunda, designed by Douglas Ellington in 1929. S & W Cafeteria - exterior.JPG, S & W Cafeteria, front facade. First Baptist Church Asheville.jpg, First Baptist Church, Asheville.

References

1886 births 1960 deaths Art Deco architects 20th-century American architects Drexel University alumni People from Clayton, North Carolina People from Asheville, North Carolina Architects from North Carolina {{US-architect-19C-stub