Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr., (February 21, 1923 − September 23, 1997) 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 ...

from the state of

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. Ingalls focused mainly on schools, but also designed other types of public buildings such as churches and banks.

Early life

Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr. was the son of Laura Lewis Ingalls and Wilbur R. Ingalls Sr. He was born in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

, and attended Portland Public Schools, graduating from

Deering High School Deering High School (DHS) is a public high school located on Stevens Avenue in Portland, Maine, United States. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district. It is one of the three public high schools located in Portland, the other ...

in 1942. Ingalls was a member of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

and served in Europe during

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 ...

. During his time in the Army, Ingalls attended the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe as an aviation cadet. After the war, he returned to Portland, and attended the Portland Junior College. In 1952 Ingalls graduated from the School of Architecture at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

Career

Shortly after graduating from Syracuse, Ingalls began his career as an architect at the firm of Alonzo J. Harriman, in

Auburn, Maine Auburn is a city in south-central Maine, within the United States. Settled in the foothills of the Western Lakes and Mountains region of the state, The city serves as the county seat of Androscoggin County, Maine, Androscoggin County. The popul ...

. In 1956, he worked for Engineering Services of Portland, and in 1957 he opened his own private architecture firm, which he continued until retiring in 1995. In a 1989 letter to '' The Portland Press Herald'', Ingalls wrote: "It is a matter of architectural philosophy to use a few quality exterior materials in a simple way and let the interiors unfold as a series of surprises." Ingalls designed more than sixty schools throughout Maine. He also designed several churches and banks. According to Ingalls' wife, his favorite designs were the Howard C. Reiche Community School and the Portland Arts & Technology High School.

Works

Schools

Churches Municipal buildings Commercial buildings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingalls, Wilbur R. Jr. 1923 births 1997 deaths Architects from Portland, Maine United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of World War II Arizona State University alumni Syracuse University alumni University of Southern Maine alumni 20th-century American architects Deering High School alumni Military personnel from Portland, Maine