William S. Hull (1848-1924) was an architect based in Jackson, Mississippi who designed over twenty county courthouses in the American South.
Life and career William Sharkey Hull was born April 3, 1848, in Jackson to John T. Hull and Anna M. (Blair) Hull. He attended the Jackson public schools, and in 1865 became a telegraph operator for the Western Union Telegraph Company. In 1876 he changed professions, joining his elder brother Francis Blair Hull's contracting company, established two years earlier. They formed a partnership, F. B. & W. S. Hull, which quickly developed a specialty in public buildings."Hull, William S." in Mississippi: Comprising Sketches of Counties, Towns, Events, Institutions and Persons, Arranged in Cyclopedic Form, ed. Dunbar Rowland, vol. 3 (Atlanta: Southern Historical Publishing Company, 1907): 362-363. By the 1880s, the younger Hull had emerged as an architect, having learned on the job. In 1887 he was admitted to the Western Association of Architects, which merged with the American Institute of Architects in 1889.W. S. Hull He may have been the first Mississippi architect to be a member of the AIA. The brothers dissolved their partnership in 1904, and W. S. Hull opened his own office as an architect. He practiced for at least ten more years.
Personal life Hull lived in Alabama during part of the 1880s and 1890s. He was involved in the incorporation of Sheffield, Alabama in 1885, and served as an alderman for five years. In 1893 he was appointed commissioner from Alabama to the World's Columbian Exposition by President Benjamin Harrison. He was an amateur inventor, and experimented with flying machines.
The architect Emmett J. Hull was his nephew and worked for Hull before opening his own office.
Hull died August 4, 1924, in Jackson.
Legacy Hull's buildings were designed in the popular styles of his times. Until about 1903 most of his buildings were designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, and afterwards in the Beaux-Arts style. He was instrumental in the preservation of the Mississippi Governor's Mansion, then at risk of demolition. He built at least twenty courthouses, spread over five southern states.
Although many of his major buildings have been demolished, others survive and have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, with others contribute to listed historic districts.
Architectural works Pike County Courthouse, Magnolia, Mississippi (1883, altered)John Deacon, "Pike County," American Courthouses. Winn Parish Courthouse, Winnfield, Louisiana (1892–96, burned 1917)John Deacon, "Winn Parish," American Courthouses. Bienville Parish Courthouse, Arcadia, Louisiana (1895–96, demolished)Benjamin Brad Dison, Bienville Parish (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2014) Llano County Jail (former), Llano, Texas (1895, NRHP 1977)Llano County Courthouse and Jail NRHP Registration Form (1977) Titus County Courthouse, Mount Pleasant, Texas (1895, altered)E. Barry Gray, Victorian Texas Courthouses and County Histories in Post Cards (2017) Austin County Jail, Bellville, Texas (1896, NRHP 1980)Austin County Jail NRHP Registration Form (1980) Clarke County Courthouse, Grove Hill, Alabama (1899, demolished)John Deacon, "Clarke County," American Courthouses. Greene County Courthouse, Leakesville, Mississippi (1899, demolished)John Deacon, "Greene County," American Courthouses. Bolivar County Courthouse, Cleveland, Mississippi (1900–01, demolished)"Contracting News" in Engineering Record 41, no. 24 (June 16, 1900): 582. Grant Parish Courthouse, Colfax, Louisiana (1901–02, demolished)John Deacon, "Grant Parish," American Courthouses. Hinds County Courthouse, Jackson, Mississippi (1901–02, demolished)"Construction News" in Engineering News 46, no. 12 (September 19, 1901): 92. Bibb County Courthouse, Centreville, Alabama (1902–03)John Deacon, "Bibb County," American Courthouses. Rapides Parish Courthouse, Alexandria, Louisiana (1902, demolished)"Building Intelligence" in American Architect and Building News 77, no. 1391 (August 23, 1902): x. Sharkey County Courthouse, Rolling Fork, Mississippi (1902–03)John Deacon, "Sharkey County," American Courthouses. Tallahatchie County Courthouse, Sumner, Mississippi (1902–03, burned and rebuilt 1909–10, NRHP 2007)Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (2007) Ayer Hall, Jackson State University, Jackson, Mississippi (1903, NRHP 1977)Ayer Hall NRHP Registration Form (1977) Franklin Parish Courthouse, Winnsboro, Louisiana (1903, demolished)"Building Notes" in Manufacturers Record 44, no. 15 (October 29, 1903): 294. Perry County Courthouse, New Augusta, Mississippi (1904–05)John Deacon, "Perry County," American Courthouses. Columbia County Courthouse, Magnolia, Arkansas (1905)Magnolia Commercial Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2008) Forrest County Courthouse, Hattiesburg, Mississippi (1905–06)John Deacon, "Forrest County," American Courthouses. Choctaw County Courthouse, Butler, Alabama (1906–07)John Deacon, "Choctaw County," American Courthouses. Covington County Courthouse, Collins, Mississippi (1906–07, NRHP 1991)Covington County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1991) Jefferson Parish Courthouse (former), Gretna, Louisiana (1906–07)Richard Campanella, The West Bank of Greater New Orleans: A Historical Geography (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 2020) Jefferson Davis County Courthouse, Prentiss, Mississippi (1907, NRHP 1994)Jefferson Davis County Courthouse NRHP Registration Form (1994) Noxubee County Jail (former), Macon, Mississippi (1907, NRHP 1979)Old Noxubee County Jail NRHP Registration Form (1979) Tangipahoa Parish Courthouse, Amite City, Louisiana (1907, demolished)"Building Notes" in Manufacturers Record 51, no. 11 (March 28, 1907): 323. Washington County Courthouse, Chatom, Alabama (1907, demolished)"Building Notes" in Manufacturers Record 51, no. 14 (April 18, 1907): 423. Y. M. C. A. Building, Jackson, Mississippi (1907, demolished)"Building Notes" in Manufacturers Record 51, no. 13 (April 11, 1907): 390. Central High School (former), Jackson, Mississippi (1911, altered 1925)"Industrial and Construction News" in Tradesman 65, no. 17 (April 27, 1911): 51.
Gallery of architectural works
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