Bruce Crabtree (September 1, 1923 – May 3, 2014) was an American architect and politician. He designed many buildings in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, including the

Andrew Jackson State Office Building Andrew Jackson State Office Building is a skyscraper in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.. It was designed in the International Style by Taylor & Crabtree, and completed in 1969. Its construction cost $10 million (equivalent to $ in ). Initial tenants ...

and the James K. Polk State Office Building. He served as the vice mayor of

Belle Meade, Tennessee Belle Meade is a city in Davidson County, Tennessee. Its total land area is , and its population was 2,912 at the time of the 2010 census. Belle Meade operates independently as a city, complete with its own regulations, a city hall, and police f ...

Early life

Crabtree was born on September 1, 1923, in

Chattanooga, Tennessee Chattanooga ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States. Located along the Tennessee River bordering Georgia, it also extends into Marion County on its western end. With a population of 181,099 in 2020, ...

. He attended

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

in 1942,

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

in 1943–1944, and the

Virginia Polytechnic Institute Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1948.

Career

Crabtree co-founded the architectural firm Taylor & Crabtree in 1952. They designed Ben West Library (then the

Nashville Public Library Nashville Public Library is the public library serving Nashville, Tennessee and the metropolitan area of Davidson County. In 2010, the Nashville Public Library was the recipient of the National Medal for Museum and Library Service. The library w ...

) in 1966, the

in 1969, the James K. Polk State Office Building in 1981, and the Rachel Jackson State Office Building in 1985. He was elected as a fellow of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

in 1983. With fellow architects David and Ed Johnson, Crabtree co-founded Johnson Johnson Crabtree Architects, another architectural firm, in 1991. Crabtree also designed the St. Henry Catholic Church. Crabtree first served on the planning zoning boards of

, where he was the chairman of the zoning board of appeals for six years. In 1988, he succeeded John Clay as interim commissioner of

, and he was elected in November of the same year. He served as its vice mayor by 1992. He "shaped the community and rewrote its zoning ordinance", and made it look like "an almost

Norman Rockwell Norman Percevel Rockwell (February 3, 1894 – November 8, 1978) was an American painter and illustrator. His works have a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of Culture of the United States, the country's culture. Roc ...

esque community" according to his son. Crabtree was awarded the Medal of Merit by the Tennessee Society of Architects.

Personal life and death

Crabtree married Dolly Nance Fischer in 1948. They had five children. They resided in Belle Meade. Crabtree died on May 3, 2014. His funeral was held at the St. Henry Catholic Church in Nashville.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crabtree, Bruce 1923 births 2014 deaths People from Chattanooga, Tennessee People from Belle Meade, Tennessee Vanderbilt University alumni Clemson University alumni Virginia Tech alumni Architects from Tennessee