Henry C. Hibbs (1882–1949) was an American architect. He designed many buildings on the campus of

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 ...

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 ...

as well as

Davidson College Davidson College is a private liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after Revolutionary War general William Lee Davidson, who was killed at the nearby Battle of Cowan� ...

Davidson, North Carolina Davidson is a suburban town located in northern Mecklenburg and Iredell counties, North Carolina, United States, on the banks of Lake Norman. It is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The population was 10,944 at the 2010 census, and in ...

. He also designed the libraries of

Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...

in Nashville and the

University of Tulsa The University of Tulsa (TU) is a private research university in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It has a historic affiliation with the Presbyterian Church and the campus architectural style is predominantly Collegiate Gothic. The school traces its origin to ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

. He was the recipient of several awards for his architectural work.

Early life

Henry Closson Hibbs was born on January 26, 1882 in

Camden, New Jersey Camden is a city in and the county seat of Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Camden is part of the Delaware Valley metropolitan area and is located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At the 2020 ...

.Nashville Public Television: Nashville Architects
James A. Hoobler, ''A Guide to Historic Nashville, Tennessee'', The History Press, 2008, p. 14

/ref> He graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

, where he received a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. Vandyconfederatehall

Career

Hibbs moved to

to design

Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. ...

in 1914. He also designed the original campus of the

Scarritt College for Christian Workers Scarritt College for Christian Workers was a college associated with the United Methodist Church in Nashville, Tennessee, USA. The campus is now home to Scarritt Bennett Center. History of Scarritt College (1892–1988) The Scarritt College for C ...

, now the Scarritt Bennett Center, as well as several buildings on the campus of

: the original Library, the Neely Auditorium,

Confederate Memorial Hall The Confederate Memorial Hall (sometimes calling itself the "Confederate Embassy") was a museum, library, and social club owned by the Confederate Memorial Association and located at 1322 Vermont Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The brownstone that ...

, Buttrick Hall, Calhoun Hall and Garland Hall. Additionally, he designed the private home of

James Hampton Kirkland James Hampton Kirkland (September 9, 1859 – August 5, 1939) was an American Latinist and university administrator. He served as the second chancellor of Vanderbilt University from 1893 to 1937. Early life James Hampton Kirkland was born a ...

, second Chancellor of Vanderbilt University. In Nashville, Hibbs went on to design many buildings, including the Nashville Electric Building and the

Library in Nashville. Meanwhile, he designed the campus of Southwestern University (now known as Rhodes College) 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 ...

, the

Library in

, and

. Hibbs was 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 ...

and the first president of its Tennessee chapter. In 1921, he was the author of the first bill regulating architectural practice in Tennessee. In 1929, he received the Milton S. Binswanger gold medal for excellence in ecclesiastical architecture with Scarritt College and the Dr.

Charles Diehl Charles Diehl (; 19 January 1859 – 1 November 1944) was a French historian born in Strasbourg. He was a leading authority on Byzantine art and history. Biography He received his education at the École Normale Supérieure, and later taught cla ...

gold medal in excellence in educational institutional buildings with Southwestern University, a.k.a. Rhodes College.

Personal life and death

Hibbs was married to Agnes Hibbs, and they had four daughters: Elizabeth Burton, Isabel Robertson, Harriet Twinning, and Agnes Allison. Hibbs was a thirty-second degree Mason. In 1916, he was elected a Deacon of the First Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the Old Oak Club, an

eating club A dining club (UK) or eating club (US) is a social group, usually requiring membership (which may, or may not be available only to certain people), which meets for dinners and discussion on a regular basis. They may also often have guest speakers. ...

in Nashville started in 1887 by Herman Justi and still active to the current day. He served as its president in 1930. He was also a member of the Coffee House Club in Nashville and he sat on the Board of Directors of the Nashville

Y.M.C.A. YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

Hibbs died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

at the Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville on March 3, 1949.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hibbs, Henry C. 1882 births 1949 deaths People from Camden, New Jersey People from Nashville, Tennessee University of Pennsylvania alumni Architects from Tennessee Vanderbilt University people Davidson College Fellows of the American Institute of Architects University of Tulsa people American Presbyterians American Freemasons Burials at Mount Olivet Cemetery (Nashville)