Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson is an American architectural firm. It was founded in 1919 in Little Rock, Arkansas as Wittenberg & Delony by architects George H. Wittenberg and Lawson L. Delony. Wittenberg's son, Gordon G. Wittenberg, assumed control of the firm in 1959 and under the leadership of him and his successor, Thomas A. Gray, the firm was well known for its high standards of design. The firm has since moved to North Little Rock and is active under the name WDD Architects.
History The firm of Wittenberg & Delony was established in 1919 in Little Rock as the partnership of architects George H. Wittenberg and Lawson L. Delony, who were childhood friends. The firm's business was initially slow, and to cover expenses Wittenberg taught mechanical drawing and coached football at Little Rock High School. In 1925 they were one of the three associated architects chosen to design the new high school (1927), which cemented their reputation. They were responsible for schools, college buildings and courthouses. During the depression they completed the Robinson Center (1939).Charles Witsell and Gordon Wittenberg, "Wittenberg and Delony, Architects" in Architects of Little Rock, 1833-1950 (Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2014): 79-84.
After World War II, they expanded the partnership to include Julian B. Davidson as Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson. They continued to work on the same project types, and added large office buildings, such as the Arkansas Power and Light Building (1959), to their project list. For fifty years they were the sole architect for Southern Arkansas University and also completed projects for the University of Arkansas and for Arkansas Tech University.Greene-Talbot-Talley Halls Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2023)
In 1952 the partnership was expanded to include Gordon G. Wittenberg, Wittenberg's son."Wittenberg, Gordon G(reenfield)" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 615. The elder Wittenberg died in 1953. When the firm incorporated in 1959, The younger Wittenberg was elected its first president. Works in the 1960s and 1970s included the new Arkansas State Hospital (1965) and the Regions Center (1975), then the tallest building in Little Rock. Davidson, the last of the name partners, retired in 1972. That year Jack See became a principal. In 1976 Wittenberg was succeeded by Thomas A. Gray. Wittenberg and Gray retired in 1983 and 1987, respectively, and Gray was replaced as president by Tom Adams. Adams expanded the firm into prison design, taking advantage of the expansion of prison construction during the 1980s and 1990s.Empire Life Insurance Company of America Building NRHP Registration Form (2019) Adams was replaced as president in 2012 by Richard Alderman, a principal since 1984."Super Mover: Richard Alderman," Arkansas Business, April 9, 2012. Accessed August 7, 2024. In 2019 Alderman was replaced by Chad Young, a principal since 2002. Young remains in that position.Jack Schnedler, "HIGH PROFILE: Premier architecture firm’s new president, Chad Thomas Young, has designs on building even more successes," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 6, 2019. Accessed August 7, 2024.
Biographies of notable principals George H. Wittenberg George Hyde Wittenberg (September 5, 1892 – December 29, 1953) was born in Little Rock. He was educated at the University of Illinois. He then worked for an architect in Peoria before returning to Little Rock in 1918, where he joined the office of Thomas Harding, for whom he worked until establishing the firm.
Wittenberg was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and served on the Little Rock planning commission. For much of his career he worked towards an architectural licensing law. When that law finally passed in 1941, Wittenberg was awarded license no. 1 for his efforts. In 1975 his grandson, George H. Wittenberg III, an associate of the firm, was issued license no. 1000."All in the family" in AIA Journal (July, 1975): 56.
Wittenberg was married in 1914 to Minnie Greenfield. They had three children, including Gordon Hyde Jr. and Gordon Greenfield. He died in Little Rock at the age of 61."Died" in Monthly Bulletin, Michigan Society of Architects (February, 1954): 21.
Lawson L. Delony Lawson Leonard Delony (March 14, 1890 – November 20, 1976) was born in Little Rock. Like Wittenberg he was educated at Illinois, plus postgraduate work at Columbia University. He worked for architects George B. Post & Sons and served in World War I before returning to Little Rock in 1919.
Delony was a member of the AIA and served on the Little Rock waterworks commission from 1949 to 1972. As a member of the commission he had a role in the planning of Lake Maumelle, Little Rock's primary source of drinking water.
Delony was married in 1920 to Joyce Manning. They had two children. He died in Little Rock at the age of 86.
Julian B. Davidson Julian Bunn Davidson (February 23, 1906 – November 28, 1997) was born in Little Rock. He worked for the firm during school vacations before going on to Washington University in St. Louis, from which he graduated in 1928. He then returned to Wittenberg & Delony in Little Rock, where he would stay for his entire career.
Davidson was a member of the AIA and was the first architect in Arkansas to also be licensed as an engineer.
Davidson was married in 1933 to Irene Davis McCall. They had one child. Davidson was interested in railroads and was what would now be called a railfan. Appropriately, he built his family home on a site which kept views neighboring railroad in mind. Davidson died in Little Rock at the age of 91.
Gordon G. Wittenberg Gordon Greenfield Wittenberg (August 12, 1921 – January 8, 2020) was born in Little Rock. He was educated at the University of Arkansas and the University of Illinois, graduating from the latter in 1943 with a BS in architectural engineering. During World War II he served in the air force before joining the firm."Gordon Greenfield Wittenberg," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 12, 2020. Accessed August 7, 2024.
Wittenberg was a member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) and was elected a Fellow in 1967 in recognition of his service to the architectural profession.The American Institute of Architects College of Fellows History & Directory (Washington: American Institute of Architects, 2019) He was awarded the Fay Jones Gold Medal of AIA Arkansas in 1992."Fay Jones Gold Medal Award Recipients," AIA Arkansas, no date. Accessed August 7, 2024. In 2014 he and Charles Witsell were the authors of Architects of Little Rock, 1833-1950, a collection of biographies of the city's historic architects, and for this he and Witsell were awarded the Dick Savage Award, also from AIA Arkansas.
Wittenberg was married twice, first to Anna Mary Wilkins in 1944 and second to Betty Townsend Rowland. He had two sons. He died in Little Rock at the age of 98.
Thomas A. Gray Thomas Albert Gray (December 16, 1928 – December 21, 2014) was born in Indianapolis. He was educated at the University of Cincinnati, graduating in 1953 with a BS. He served in the air force until 1957, when he was discharged in Arkansas and joined Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson."Gray, Thomas Albert" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 344."Thomas Albert Gray," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, January 4, 2015. Accessed August 2, 2024.
Gray was a member of the AIA. He was elected a Fellow in 1984 and was awarded the Fay Jones Gold Medal Award in 2003.
He was married in 1953 to Ruth Ann and they had two children. He died in Little Rock at the age of 86.
Jack See Jack Fletcher See Jr. (born April 9, 1935) was born in Little Rock. He was educated at the University of Arkansas, where he studied under E. Fay Jones and graduated in 1958 with a BArch. He worked for two years for The Office of Walk C. Jones Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee, before going on to Yale University. He earned an MArch in 1962 and returned to Little Rock, where he joined the firm. By 1970 he was director of interior design."See, Jack Fletcher, Jr." in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 820.Rhonda Owen, "High Profile: Jack Fletcher See Jr.," Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 12, 2009. Accessed August 7, 2024.
See is a member of the AIA and was elected a Fellow in 2009 in recognition of his service to society. He was awarded the Fay Jones Gold Medal in 2008.
See was married in 1958 to Judy Park. They have two children.
Legacy During the 1960s and 1970s the firm's work was frequently featured in the national architectural press. They were awarded three prestigious Progressive Architecture Awards: for the Arkansas State Hospital in 1963, the Henderson Junior High School in 1964 and the Arkansas Department of Health office building in 1966.
At least eleven of the firm's works have been individually listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, including the family homes of Davidson and Gray. Other works contribute to listed historic districts.
Architectural works Wittenberg & Delony, 1919-1946 1922 – Arkansas Christian College Administration Building, 100 W Harding St, Morrilton, Arkansas"Contract Awarded for New Christian College," Arkansas Democrat, April 5, 1920, 2."Christian College First Term Begins," Arkansas Democrat, September 28, 1922, 10. 1925 – Gay Oil Company Building, 300 South Broadway St, Little Rock, ArkansasGay Oil Company Building NRHP Registration Form (2017) 1927 – Little Rock Central High School, 1500 Little Rock Nine Way, Little Rock, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 140-141. 1929 – Dunbar Junior and Senior High School and Junior College, 1100 Wright Ave, Little Rock, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 139. 1932 – First United Methodist Church, 121 Harrison Ave SW, Camden, Arkansas"New church at Camden is to be open Sunday," Shreveport Times, June 17, 1932, 7. 1935 – Chemistry Building, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, ArkansasChemistry Building-University of Arkansas, Fayetteville NRHP Registration Form (1992) 1936 – Cross and Nelson Halls, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, Arkansas 1936 – Faulkner County Courthouse, 801 Locust St, Conway, ArkansasFaulkner County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1995) 1937 – Gibson Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, ArkansasUniversity of Arkansas Campus Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2009) 1939 – Arch Ford Education Building, 4 Capitol Mall, Little Rock, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 119-120. 1939 – Robinson Center, 426 W Markham St, Little Rock, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 121. 1940 – Independence County Courthouse, 192 E Main St, Batesville, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 81-82. 1943 – Lincoln County Courthouse, 300 S Drew St, Star City, ArkansasLincoln County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1994) 1943 – Overstreet Hall, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, ArkansasCyrus A. Sutherland, Buildings of Arkansas (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2018): 192.
Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson, from 1946 1948 – Gregson Hall, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 1950 – Bussey Hall, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, ArkansasDolph Camp, Bussey and Peace Halls Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2013) 1951 – Julian Bunn Davidson House, 410 S Battery St, Little Rock, ArkansasJulian Bunn Davidson House NRHP Registration Form (2014) 1951 – Peace Hall, Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia, Arkansas