Frank Perry Gates (1895 – January 2, 1975) was an American architect. He designed buildings in

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, especially in Clarksdale and

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

, some of which are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. He also designed 18 buildings on the campus of the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

Early life

Frank Perry Gates was born in 1895 in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

. He had a brother and two sisters. He was educated at the Chicago Technology Academy. He moved to

Clarksdale, Mississippi Clarksdale is a city in and the county seat of Coahoma County, Mississippi, United States. It is located along the Sunflower River. Clarksdale is named after John Clark, a settler who founded the city in the mid-19th century when he establishe ...

in 1917 and served in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

University of Mississippi Bondurant Hall Front

Career

Gates began his career as an architect in Clarksdale, where he designed the Elizabeth G. Dorr (Junior) High School, the (Old) American Legion Hall, and the Gates & Gates Veterinary Hospital, which is listed on the

as a contributing property to the Clarksdale Historic District. By the 1930s, he had opened a new architectural practice in Jackson, Mississippi. While he designed most of his buildings on his own, he also worked with architect Raymond Birchett. University of Mississippi Longstreet Hall

University of Mississippi Longstreet Hall

Gates designed 18 buildings on the campus of the

, mostly in the Georgian Revival architectural style; they include (Old) University High School, Barr Hall, Bondurant Hall, Farley Hall (also known as Lamar Hall), Faulkner Hall, Hill Hall, Howry Hall, Isom Hall, Longstreet Hall, Martindale Hall, Vardaman Hall, the Cafeteria/Union Building, and the Wesley Knight Field House. He also designed buildings on the campuses of two historically black colleges: the Just Hall Of Science at

Jackson State University Jackson State University (Jackson State or JSU) is a public historically black research university in Jackson, Mississippi. It is one of the largest HBCUs in the United States and the fourth largest university in Mississippi in terms of studen ...

and Mable Thomas Hall at

Alcorn State University Alcorn State University (Alcorn State, ASU or Alcorn) is a public historically black land-grant university adjacent to Lorman, Mississippi. It was founded in 1871 and was the first black land grant college established in the United States. O ...

TUNICA HISTORIC DISTRICT, TUNICA COUNTY, MS

Gates designed the Jackson Exchange Boys Club, the Jackson Police Department, and the Jackson Jail and Municipal Court. Additionally, he renovated the Jackson City Hall in 1963–1964. He also designed the Tunica County Courthouse in

Tunica, Mississippi Tunica is a town in and the county seat of Tunica County, Mississippi, United States, near the Mississippi River. Until the early 1990s when casino gambling was introduced in the area, Tunica had been one of the most impoverished places in the Uni ...

in the Classical Revival architectural style; it is listed on the

as part of the Tunica Historic District. With architects

Emmett J. Hull Emmett J. Hull (September 9, 1882 - October 20, 1957) was an American architect. He designed many buildings in Mississippi, especially houses in his hometown of Jackson, many of which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He als ...

Edgar Lucian Malvaney Edgar Lucian Malvaney (1896–1970) was an architect in Jackson, Mississippi. He designed many buildings, including several listed on the National Register of Historic Places including the War Memorial Building, which is listed on the National ...

and Ransom Carey Jones, Gates designed

Woolfolk State Office Building The Woolfolk State Office Building is a high-rise government office building in Jackson, Mississippi, USA. It was designed in the Art Deco architectural style by Emmett J. Hull, Edgar Lucian Malvaney Edgar Lucian Malvaney (1896–1970) was an a ...

in Jackson in 1949. Gates was a co-founder of the Mississippi Association of Architects. He was also elected as the president of the Mississippi chapter 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 1937.

Personal life and death

Gates married Ruby Nichols in 1951. They resided at 4911 Old Canton Road in Jackson, Mississippi. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson and the

American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militi ...

. He was the "grand winner of the 1949 floral exhibits at the

Mississippi State Fair The Mississippi State Fair is the state fair of the U.S. state of Mississippi each October. History The fair was founded in 1858. In the 1950s, Medgar Evers led efforts to racially integrate the event. 2020 saw the fair operate under strict m ...

." Gates died on January 2, 1975, in Jackson, and he was buried at Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis.

References

External links

Frank P. Gates Architectural Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gates, Frank P. 1895 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American architects Architects from Mississippi United States Army personnel of World War I University of Mississippi people People from Memphis, Tennessee People from Jackson, Mississippi