SoldiersAndSailorsMemorialAuditoriuminChattanooga

Reuben Harrison Hunt (February 2, 1862 – May 28, 1937), also known as R. H. Hunt, was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who spent most of his life 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 is considered to have been one of the city's most significant early architects. He also designed major public building projects in other states. He was a principal of the R.H. Hunt and Co. firm. He came to Chattanooga in 1882 and within four years had established a successful architectural firm. Hunt designed a number of Chattanooga's homes and public buildings, including the

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium The Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium is a historic performance hall in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Built between 1922 and 1924 by John Parks (John Parks Company, General Contractors) at a cost of $700,000 and designed by noted architect R. ...

(1922), the Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (1934) with

Shreve, Lamb and Harmon Shreve, Lamb, and Harmon, founded as Shreve & Lamb, was an architectural firm, best known for designing the Empire State Building, the tallest building in the world at the time of its completion in 1931. History The firm was founded in 1920 as ...

, the Hamilton County, Tennessee Courthouse (1912), the James (1907) and Maclellan (1924) buildings, the Carnegie Library (1905) and the St. John's Hotel (1915). Hunt also designed churches throughout the South. This included well-known Chattanooga churches such as Second Presbyterian Church and First Baptist Church, as well as

The Tabernacle The Tabernacle is a mid-size concert hall located in Downtown Atlanta, Georgia. Opening in 1911 as a church, the building was converted into a music venue in 1996. It is owned and managed by concert promoter Live Nation Entertainment and has a c ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Numerous works by Hunt are preserved and 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 ...

, 21 of which are covered in one 1979 survey study. The U.S. Post Office and Courthouse in Chattanooga, Tennessee, built 1932–1933, was Hunt's last major work. Hunt designed every major public building constructed in Chattanooga between 1895 and 1935. He was also the architect of local churches, hospitals, and private office buildings, as well as similar public and private buildings throughout the South. In 1938 the Chattanooga building was recognized by 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 ...

as one of the 150 finest buildings constructed in the previous twenty years in the United States, and it was featured in an AIA photographic exhibit in America and Europe.

Works

Projects credited to Hunt or his firm include (with attribution): * Alexandria Hall-Louisiana College, Louisiana College, Pineville, LA (Hunt, R.H., Co.) NRHP-listed * Austin Avenue Methodist Episcopal South Church, 1300 Austin Ave, Waco, TX (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * Brainerd Junior High, 4201 Cherryton Dr., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed *Courthouse in Cadiz Downtown Historic District, Cadiz, KY (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, Asheville, NC (Hunt, Reuben H.) * Central United Methodist Church, 201 E. Third Ave., Knoxville, TN (Hunt, R.H. and Co.) NRHP-listed * Chattanooga Bank Building, 8th St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Chattanooga Car Barns, 301 Market St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * Chattanooga Electric Railway, 211-241 Market St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed *Court Street Baptist Church, Portsmouth, VA. * Elbert County Courthouse, Courthouse Sq., Elberton, GA (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed *Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, 1135 Fifth Avenue, Huntington, WV (Hunt, R. H.) *First Baptist Church, 2201 6th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL (Hunt, R.H.) destroyed *First Baptist Church, Durham, NC (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) * First Baptist Church, 538 Linden Ave., Memphis, TN (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * First Baptist Church, 418 E. Bute St., Norfolk, VA (Hunt, Reuben H.) NRHP-listed * First Baptist Church, 119 29th St., Newport News, VA NRHP-listed *

First Baptist Church Education Building First Baptist Church Education Building is a historic building at 317 Oak Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was built in 1928 to serve the congregation of the adjacent First Baptist Church, which had been built in 1886. Both buildings were d ...

, 317 Oak St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * First Methodist Church of Greenwood, 310 W. Washington St., Greenwood, MS (Hunt, Reuben Harris) NRHP-listed * First Presbyterian Church, AR 79B, Fordyce, AR (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * First Presbyterian Church, 300 E. Main, El Dorado, AR (Hunt, R. H., & Associates) NRHP-listed *First United Methodist Church, 309 Church St. NW, Lenoir, NC, *First United Methodist Church of Ensley, 1921 Avenue G, Birmingham, AL (Hunt, R. H.) *

Fountain Square A fountain square is a park or plaza in a city that features a fountain. It may stand alone or as part of a larger public park. In the United States, there are numerous fountain squares, many of which are actually called "fountain square." The ...

, 600–622 Georgia Ave. and 317 Oak St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * Grove, E. W. Henry County High School, Grove Blvd., Paris, TN (Hunt, R. H.) NRHP-listed * Hamilton County Courthouse, W. 6th St. and Georgia Ave., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * Henderson Hall, Tennessee Technological University, Dixie Ave., Cookeville, TN (Hunt, Reuben H.,& Co.) * Henry County Courthouse, Court Square, Paris, TN (1896) * Highland Park Methodist Episcopal Church, Bailey Ave., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * James Building, 735 Broad St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Rueben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Joel W. Solomon Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse (Hunt, R.H.,

) (1934) * Kimsey Junior College, 244 TN 68, Ducktown, TN (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed *

Lander College Old Main Building Lander College Old Main Building is a historic academic building located on the campus of Lander University at Greenwood, Greenwood County, South Carolina. It is a large masonry building, composed of three distinct sections with a blending of el ...

, Stanley Ave. and Lander St., Greenwood, SC (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Lawrence County Courthouse, N. side Broad St. between Jefferson and Washington Sts., Monticello, MS (Hunt, Reuben) NRHP-listed *Lenoir Presbyterian Church, 1002 Kirkwood St., Lenoir, NC (Hunt, R. H.) * Lookout Mountain Hotel (1927), now Carter Hall on

Covenant College Covenant College is a private, liberal arts, Christian college in Lookout Mountain, Georgia, located near Chattanooga, Tennessee. As the college of the Presbyterian Church in America, Covenant teaches subjects from a Reformed theological w ...

campus. NRHP-listed in 2019. * Maclellan Building, 721 Broad St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * McFarlin Memorial Auditorium, 6405 Hillcrest Rd., Dallas, TX (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed * Medical Arts Building (Chattanooga, Tennessee), McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Miller Brothers Department Store, 629 Market St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben H.) NRHP-listed *

Montgomery Hall Montgomery refers to: People For people with the name Montgomery, see Montgomery (name) Places Belgium * Montgomery Square, Brussels * Montgomery metro station, Brussels Pakistan * Montgomery (town), British India, former name of Sahiwal, Punjab ...

, Mississippi State University campus, Starkville, MS (Hunt, R.H.) NRHP-listed *

Municipal Building Municipal Building may refer to the following places: United States Arkansas * Crossett Municipal Building, Crossett, AR, listed on the NRHP in Arkansas * Municipal Building (El Dorado, Arkansas), El Dorado, AR, listed on the National Register o ...

, E. 11th St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Nathan L. Bachman School, 281 Anderson Pike, Walden, TN (Hunt, R.H. & Co.) NRHP-listed *North Alexander School, North Alexander Avenue, Washington, GA 30673 * Northside Presbyterian Church, 923 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed, the one known Greek Revival work by Hunt in Hamilton County * Old Library Building, 200 E. 8th St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Polk County Courthouse, Bounded by US 411 and Ward, Commerce and Main Sts., Benton, TN (Hunt, R.H. & Co. et al.) NRHP-listed * Polk Street Methodist Church, 1401 S. Polk St., Amarillo, TX (Hunt, R.H., Co.) NRHP-listed * Second Presbyterian Church, 700 Pine St. Chattanooga TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed *

, McCallie Ave., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed (1922) * Southside Baptist Church, 1016 19th St. South, Birmingham, AL (Hunt, R.H.) *Third Baptist Church, 527 Allen St., Owensboro, KY (Hunt, R.H.) 1896 * Tivoli Theater, 709 Broad St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, McCallie Ave. Chattanooga TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * Frances Willard House, 615 Lindsay St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed * University Baptist Church, 102 S. Columbia St., Chapel Hill, NC (Hunt, Reuben H.) * Wisteria Hotel, Central Ave., Winona, MS (Hunt, R.H. & Co.) NRHP-listed * Wyatt Hall, 865 E. Third St., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben H.) NRHP-listed *One or more works in Missionary Ridge Historic District, N. and S. Crest Rd. from Delong Reservation to 700 S. Crest Rd., Chattanooga, TN (Hunt, Reuben Harrison) NRHP-listed *One or more works in Paris Commercial Historic District, Along sections of E. and W. Wood, W. Washington, N. and S. Poplar, N. and S. Market, Fentress and W. Blythe Sts., Paris, TN (Hunt, Rueben H.) NRHP-listed *One or more works in South Main Street Historic District, 200–422 S. Main St., Pikeville, TN (Hunt, R. H.) NRHP-listed *One or more works in

Winona Commercial Historic District The Winona Commercial Historic District comprises six downtown blocks along 3rd Street in Winona, Minnesota, United States. It comprises 65 contributing properties mostly built in the 1880s and 1890s. The district was listed on the National ...

, Roughly bounded by Magnolia St., Central Ave., Carrollton St. and Sterling Ave., Winona, MS (Hunt, R. H.) NRHP-listed

References

External links

Cornerstones, Inc.R.H. Hunt's buildings
at Emporis {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunt, R. H. 1862 births 1937 deaths Architects from Tennessee People from Chattanooga, Tennessee People from Elbert County, Georgia Architects from Georgia (U.S. state) National Sculpture Society members