Charles C. Wilson (November 20, 1864 – January 26, 1933) was an American architect in practice in Columbia, South Carolina, from 1896 until his death in 1933.
Life and career Charles Coker Wilson was born November 20, 1864, in Hartsville, South Carolina, to Furman Edwards Wilson, a physician, and Jane Lide Wilson, née Coker. James Lide Coker, the founder of Sonoco and Coker University, was his uncle."Wilson, Charles Coker" in The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography 33 (New York: James T. White & Company, 1947): 340-341. He was educated at South Carolina College, now the University of South Carolina, graduating in 1886 with an AB. He then joined the Columbia, Newberry and Laurens Railroad as first assistant engineer. While employed by the railroad he supervised the construction of the bridge over the Broad River at Columbia. This enabled him to pursue post-graduate study at his alma mater, and in 1888 he was awarded a degree in civil engineering from the reorganized University of South Carolina. In 1890 Wilson left the railroad to establish an independent practice in Roanoke, Virginia, which in 1891 became the partnership of Wilson & Huggins with architect H. H. Huggins. In 1893 this was dissolved, and Wilson returned to independent practice as both architect and engineer. In 1895 he briefly joined architect Walter P. Tinsley in Lynchburg, and in 1896 moved his office to Columbia, where he was appointed city engineer.
In 1899 after his retirement from that office he formed the partnership of Wilson & Edwards with William Augustus Edwards, an employee since 1893. Wilson then left the office under Edwards' management and went to Paris, where he studied in the Beaux-Arts atelier of Henry Duray, a patron popular with American students. In 1900 he returned to the United States and in 1902 dissolved his partnership. His year in Paris had a major influence on his work, which for the rest of his career exhibited the formal principles of Beaux-Arts architecture. During the next several years he was assisted by Joseph F. Leitner, though they were not partners. In 1905 he formed the new partnership of Wilson & Wendell with Henry Ten Eyck Wendell, but this was dissolved after a year. In 1907 he completed the South Carolina State House, originally begun in 1851, and formed a longer-lived partnership, Wilson, Sompayrac & Urquhart, with Edwin D. Sompayrac and James B. Urquhart. Urquhart withdrew in 1910, but Wilson & Sompayrac continued until its dissolution in 1919."Personals" in American Architect 115, no. 2255 (March 12, 1919): 389. Wilson & Sompayrac served as supervising architects for the Palmetto Building, designed by Julius Harder and completed in 1913.
From his Columbia office Wilson became the leading architect in South Carolina and developed a practice that extended north into North Carolina and Virginia and south into Alabama, Florida and Georgia. In 1918 Wilson established a branch office in Gastonia, North Carolina, under the management of Hugh Edward White, and in 1919 a third office was established at Wilson under the management of George R. Berryman. In 1923 the new partnership of Wilson & Berryman was formed,"Personals" in American Architect 123, no. 2416 (March 28, 1923): 14. and expanded in 1924 as Wilson, Berryman & Kennedy to include J. Robie Kennedy."Architects" in American Contractor 5, no. 6 (February 9, 1924): 28. In 1925 the branch offices at Gastonia and Wilson were closed and new ones opened at Charlotte and Raleigh. These too were closed in 1927 when the partnership of Wilson, Berryman & Kennedy was dissolved. In 1929 Wilson formed his last partnership, Wilson & Tatum, with Harold Tatum, a Philadelphian in practice in Columbia since 1920. This lasted until Wilson's death, after which Tatum chose to continue his practice in Charleston.
Wilson was an important figure in the professionalization of architecture in the Carolinas. In 1893 he joined the Southern chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), which soon faltered but is seen as a major step in the professionalization of architecture in the larger South.Paula Mohr, "Architecture" in The South: The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Regional Cultures, ed. Rebecca Mark and Rob Vaughan (Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004): 20. In 1905 he formally joined the AIA, and was chief mover behind the establishment of both the South and North Carolina chapters. He served as the first president of the South Carolina chapter. For his efforts he was elected a Fellow of the AIA in 1914. In 1917, when a licensure law for architects was passed by the South Carolina legislature, Wilson was appointed to the board of architecture examiners by governor Richard Irvine Manning III."Charles C. Wilson" in History of South Carolina 4, ed. Yates Snowden (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1920): 182-183. He was a member of this board until his death. He was an author of the South Carolina school building code in 1923 and the state building code in 1932. He was also a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Personal life Wilson was married in Columbia in 1889 to Adeline Selby, daughter of Julian Selby. They had three daughters, one of which died in infancy. He was a Democrat and was a deacon and treasurer of the First Presbyterian Church of Columbia.
Wilson died January 26, 1933, in Columbia at the age of 68.
Legacy A number of his works are listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places.
Architectural works All dates are date of completion.
Wilson & Huggins, 1891–1893 1896 – Fincastle Baptist Church (former), 45 E Main St, Fincastle, Virginia"Wilson, Charles Coker" in The Virginia Architects, 1835–1955: A Biographical Dictionary, ed. John E. Wells and Robert E. Dalton (Richmond: New South Architectural Press, 1997): 482-483.
Charles C. Wilson, 1893–1895 1895 – First Presbyterian Church, 234 E Main St, Rock Hill, South CarolinaFirst Presbyterian Church Inventory–Nomination Form (1992)
Tinsley & Wilson, 1895–1896 1896 – Central Graded School, 414 W Market St, Anderson, South Carolina"Tinsley, Walter P." in The South Carolina Architects, ed. John E. Wells and Robert E. Dalton (Richmond: New South Architectural Press, 1992): 180.
Wilson & Edwards, 1896–1902 1897 – Japonica Hall, S Main St, Society Hill, South CarolinaJaponica Hall Inventory–Nomination Form (1989) 1897 – Thomas Memorial Baptist Church, 308 W Main St, Bennettsville, South Carolina"Wilson, Charles Coker" in The South Carolina Architects, ed. John E. Wells and Robert E. Dalton (Richmond: New South Architectural Press, 1992): 209-219. 1900 – Ebenezer Lutheran Chapel remodeling, 1301 Richland St, Columbia, South CarolinaEbenezer Lutheran Chapel Inventory–Nomination Form (1979) 1900 – Masonic Temple, 1425 Main St, Columbia, South Carolina 1901 – Steward's Hall, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 1904 – First Baptist Church, 325 Lauderdale St, Selma, AlabamaOur History, First Baptist Church. Accessed December 29, 2023.
Charles C. Wilson, 1902–1905 1902 – Bank of Georgetown Building, Front and Broad Sts, Georgetown, South Carolina 1903 – Jerome Hotel, 1301 Main St, Columbia, South Carolina 1903 – Park in the Pines, Aiken, South Carolina
Wilson & Wendell, 1905–1906 1907 – Coppin Hall, Allen University, Columbia, South CarolinaWaverly Historic District Inventory–Nomination Form (1989) 1907 – Neville Hall, Presbyterian College, Clinton, South CarolinaThornwell–Presbyterian College Historic District Inventory–Nomination Form (1982)
Charles C. Wilson, 1906–1907 1907 – First Baptist Church, 1020 Boundary St, Newberry, South Carolina 1908 – First Baptist Church, 104 E Home Ave, Hartsville, South CarolinaEast Home Avenue Historic District Inventory–Nomination Form (1991) 1908 – Woodrow Memorial Presbyterian Church, 2221 Washington St, Columbia, South Carolina
Wilson, Sompayrac & Urquhart, 1907–1910 1908 – Bethel Park Methodist Church, 25 Beech Ave, Denmark, South Carolina 1908 – Winyah Indigo School, 1200 Highmarket St, Georgetown, South CarolinaWinyah Indigo School Inventory–Nomination Form (1988) 1909 – Davis College, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 1910 – Barnwell College, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 1910 – J. L. Coker Company Building, 111 E Carolina Ave, Hartsville, South CarolinaJ. L. Coker Company Building Inventory–Nomination Form (1983) 1910 – Davidson Hall, Coker University, Hartsville, South CarolinaDavidson Hall, Coker College Inventory–Nomination Form (1983) 1910 – Lydia Plantation, 703 W Lydia Hwy, Lydia, South CarolinaLydia Plantation Inventory–Nomination Form (2010)
Wilson & Sompayrac, 1910–1919 1911 – Mount Zion Presbyterian Church, 4544 Manville St Charles Rd, Bishopville, South CarolinaMt. Zion Presbyterian Church Inventory–Nomination Form (2003) 1911 – Port Royal School, 1214 Paris Ave, Port Royal, South CarolinaPort Royal School Inventory–Nomination Form (2014) 1912 – Bank of Bishopville Building, 140 N Main St, Bishopville, South CarolinaBishopville Commercial Historic District Inventory–Nomination Form (1986) 1913 – Bouchier Building, 1722–1724 Main St, Columbia, South CarolinaColumbia Commercial Historic District Registration Form (2014) 1913 – Logan Elementary School, 815 Elmwood Ave, Columbia, South CarolinaLogan School Inventory–Nomination Form (1979) 1913 – Memorial Hall, Coker University, Hartsville, South CarolinaMemorial Hall Inventory–Nomination Form (1989) 1913 – Palmetto Building, 1400 Main St, Columbia, South Carolina 1913 – Thornwell College, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 1914 – Latta Library, 101 N Marion St, Latta, South Carolina 1914 – Woodrow College, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina 1915 – House of Peace Synagogue (former), 1000 Hampton St, Columbia, South Carolina 1916 – Camden Public Library (former), 1314 Broad St, Camden, South Carolina 1916 – David R. Coker house, 213 E Home Ave, Hartsville, South Carolina 1917 – First National Bank Building, 168 W Main Ave, Gastonia, North CarolinaFirst National Bank Building Inventory–Nomination Form (1986) 1919 – St. Paul United Methodist Church, 102 E Butler Ave, Saluda, South Carolina
Charles C. Wilson, 1919–1923 1919 – Joseph H. Separk house, 209 W Second Ave, Gastonia, North CarolinaYork-Chester Historic District Inventory–Nomination Form (2005) 1920 – Providence Methodist Church, 4833 Old State Rd, Holly Hill, South CarolinaProvidence Methodist Church Inventory–Nomination Form (2009) 1921 – Farmers Commercial Bank Building, 100 W Main St, Benson, North Carolina 1923 – Siler City High School (former), 101 S Third Ave, Siler City, North CarolinaSiler City High School Inventory–Nomination Form (1998) 1924 – City Hospital (former), 401 N Highland St, Gastonia, North Carolina
Wilson & Berryman, 1923–1924 1923 – Braswell Memorial Library (former), 344 Falls Rd, Rocky Mount, North CarolinaEngineering and Contracting (March, 1923): 82.
Wilson, Berryman & Kennedy, 1924–1927 1925 – Carroll School of Fine Arts, Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina 1925 – Hamrick Hall of Science, Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina 1925 – Sanford High School (former), 507 N Steele St, Sanford, North CarolinaFormer Sanford High School Inventory–Nomination Form (1995) 1926 – Greenwood High School (former), 857 S Main St, Greenwood, South CarolinaOld Greenwood High School Inventory–Nomination Form (1985) 1926 – Andrew Jackson Hotel, 223 E Main St, Rock Hill, South Carolina 1926 – Johnson Hall, Meredith College, Raleigh, North Carolina 1926 – Planters Building, 312 N Chestnut St, Lumberton, North CarolinaPlanters Building Inventory–Nomination Form (1987) 1928 – Halifax Medical Center, 303 N Clyde Morris Blvd, Daytona Beach, Florida
Charles C. Wilson, 1927–1929 1927 – Granberry Hall, Limestone University, Gaffney, South Carolina