Lang & Witchell was a prominent architectural firm in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, active from 1905 to 1942.

History

Senior partner Otto H. Lang was born in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau or simply Freiburg is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, fourth-largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, Mannheim and Karlsruhe. Its built-up area has a population of abou ...

in 1864. He graduated in 1888 with a degree in structural engineering from the

University of Karlsruhe The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; ) is both a German public university, public research university in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, and a research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 when the University of Ka ...

, also studying architecture. He then relocated to the United States, eventually settling in Dallas, where he worked for the

Texas and Pacific Railroad The Texas and Pacific Railway Company (known as the T&P) was created by federal charter in 1871 with the purpose of building a southern transcontinental railroad between Marshall, Texas, and San Diego, California. However its lines never went we ...

,Marcel Quimby, "Shaping the Dallas Skyline," ''Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas'' 9, no. 2 (Fall 1997): 13-20. eventually becoming its senior architect and engineer."In General," ''Brickbuilder'', September 1905, 213. Frank O. Witchell was born in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

in 1879. As a child, his family relocated to

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

. As a teenager he entered the office of J. Riely Gordon, one of the best-known architects in the state. In 1898 he began work as a designer with

Sanguinet & Staats Sanguinet & Staats was an architectural firm based in Fort Worth, Texas, with as many as five branch offices in Texas. The firm specialized in steel-frame construction and built many skyscrapers in Texas. The firm also accepted commissions for res ...

Fort Worth Fort Worth is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, Tarrant County, covering nearly into Denton County, Texas, Denton, Johnson County, Texas, Johnson, Parker County, Texas, Parker, and Wise County, Te ...

. In 1905, the two men separated from their employers, founding the new firm of Lang & Witchell. This firm would rise to become the most esteemed architectural firm in Dallas. The partnership was dissolved in 1938, when Witchell retired duo to failing health. Lang continued to operate the firm until 1942, when he too retired. He continued on in an advisory capacity with architect Grayson Gill."Lang Honored," ''Pencil Points'', 1942, 48. Lang would die in 1947, and Witchell in 1952.

Legacy

The firm is credited with designing a number of buildings that are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Architectural works

References

Defunct architecture firms based in Texas 1905 establishments in Texas 1942 disestablishments in Texas Companies based in Dallas American companies established in 1905 Design companies established in 1905 Design companies disestablished in 1942 Long stubs with short prose {{US-architect-stub