Richard Franklin Graf (1863–1940) was an American architect active primarily in
Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
and the vicinity in the early 20th century. His works include
Stratford Mansion (1910), Sterchi Building (1921),
[Ann Bennett, National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form for Stratford, 23 March 2009.] St. John's Lutheran Church (1913),
[Knoxville Historic Zoning Commission]
The Future of Knoxville's Past: Historic and Architectural Resources in Knoxville, Tennessee
October 2006. Retrieved: 23 May 2011. and the Journal Arcade (1924).
His home, the
Prairie School-inspired Graf House, is considered Knoxville's first modern home.
[''Knoxville: Fifty Landmarks''. (Knoxville: The Knoxville Heritage Committee of the Junior League of Knoxville, 1976), pp. 22, 29.] Several buildings designed by Graf have been 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 ...
.
Biography
Graf was born in
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...
in 1863. His grandfather was one of several families to immigrate from
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
to
Morgan County in the late 1840s (Morgan County's Swiss immigrants also included the grandparents of one of Graf's future clients,
James G. Sterchi).
Graf had relocated to Knoxville by 1884, when he was working at the Burr & Terry Sash Factory in what is now the
Old City.
In 1887, Graf cofounded a contracting firm, Vinson and Graf, which operated in Knoxville until 1891.
In the early 1890s, Graf worked as a supervisor for the Knoxville Cabinet and Mantel Company. In 1894, he joined the firm of noted mail-order architect
George Franklin Barber (1854–1915), and was elevated to associate in 1901.
He and Barber were still working together as late as 1907, when they designed a new building for Mechanics' National Bank.
Graf eventually formed an architectural firm with his two sons,
John R. Graf and
Herbert Graf, as supervising architect. In 1910, the firm designed an elaborate Neoclassical mansion, Stratford, for James G. Sterchi,
as well as two buildings– the Bandstand and the Liberal Arts Building– for the
Appalachian Exposition at
Chilhowee Park.
[Plaque at the Chilhowee Park Bandstand, Knoxville, Tennessee.] Three years later, Graf designed the Gothic-style St. John's Lutheran Church, which still stands across from
Old Gray Cemetery on Broadway.
In 1920, Sterchi again commissioned Graf to design his furniture company's 10-story warehouse, now known as Sterchi Lofts, which was completed the following year.
Vol. 65, 23 February 1920, p. 63. Retrieved: 23 May 2011. The Graf House, the design of which was inspired by the Prairie School movement, was completed in 1923.Maryville College
Maryville College is a Private college, private liberal arts college in Maryville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1819 by Presbyterian minister Isaac L. Anderson for the purpose of furthering education and enlightenment into the West. The colleg ...
, Carnegie Hall (1917) and Thaw Hall (1923).
Works
The following were designed by Graf or his firm, R.F. Graf and Sons.
See also
* Charles I. Barber
* Baumann family (architects)
* Thomas Hope
* Bruce McCarty
* Peter Staub
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graf, Richard Franklin
Artists from Nashville, Tennessee
People from Knoxville, Tennessee
Architects from Tennessee
American people of Swiss descent
1940 deaths
1863 births