Raymond Birchett (1902 - January 17, 1974) was an American architect. He designed commercial and school 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 ...

, including several buildings on the campus of

Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Vicksburg, Mississippi Vicksburg is a historic city in Warren County, Mississippi, United States. It is the county seat, and the population at the 2010 census was 23,856. Located on a high bluff on the east bank of the Mississippi River across from Louisiana, Vic ...

. He attended 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. ...

from 1920 to 1922, and he earned a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from the

University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Universit ...

in 1925. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Birchett 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 ...

in Italy for two and a half years, and retired as a colonel.

Career

Birchett designed commercial buildings like the Coca Cola Bottling Company building in Vicksburg, or school buildings like the Carr Central High School, also in Vicksburg. Birchett designed several buildings on the campus of

Mississippi Valley State University Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU, The Valley or Valley) is a public historically black university in Mississippi Valley State, Mississippi, adjacent to Itta Bena, Mississippi.Leflore County, Mississippi Leflore County is a county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 census, the population was 32,317. The county seat is Greenwood. The county is named for Choctaw leader Greenwood LeFlore, who signed a treaty to cede his pe ...

, including. the College Cafeteria/Laundrette, the Fielding L. Wright Mathematics & Science Center, the Sophomore Women's Dormitory, the Home-Economics Building, the Assembly Building, the Trades Building, the Music Men's Dormitory, and the (old) Faculty Apartments. Birchett was a member 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 Association of Professional Engineers.

Personal life and death

Birchett married Emma Katherine Faser, the daughter of Ole Miss School of Pharmacy Dean Henry Minor Faser, in 1934. They resided at 2515 Eastover Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. He was a member of the Episcopal Church. Birchett died on January 17, 1974, at the Mississippi Baptist Hospital in Jackson, and he was buried at Lakewood Memorial Place.

References

1902 births 1974 deaths People from Vicksburg, Mississippi People from Jackson, Mississippi University of Mississippi alumni Grainger College of Engineering alumni Architects from Mississippi United States Army colonels {{US-architect-stub