Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr., (February 21, 1923 − September 23, 1997) was an American architect from the state of Maine. Ingalls focused mainly on schools, but also designed other types of public buildings such as churches and banks.
Early life Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr. was the son of Laura Lewis Ingalls and Wilbur R. Ingalls Sr. He was born in Portland, Maine, and attended Portland Public Schools, graduating from Deering High School in 1942. Ingalls was a member of the United States Army and served in Europe during World War II. During his time in the Army, Ingalls attended the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe as an aviation cadet. After the war, he returned to Portland, and attended the Portland Junior College. In 1952 Ingalls graduated from the School of Architecture at Syracuse University.
Career Shortly after graduating from Syracuse, Ingalls began his career as an architect at the firm of Alonzo J. Harriman, in Auburn, Maine. In 1956, he worked for Engineering Services of Portland, and in 1957 he opened his own private architecture firm, which he continued until retiring in 1995.
In a 1989 letter to The Portland Press Herald, Ingalls wrote: "It is a matter of architectural philosophy to use a few quality exterior materials in a simple way and let the interiors unfold as a series of surprises."
Ingalls designed more than sixty schools throughout Maine. He also designed several churches and banks. According to Ingalls' wife, his favorite designs were the Howard C. Reiche Community School and the Portland Arts & Technology High School.
Works
Schools
Name Location Year built Blewett Science Center at Westbrook College Portland, Maine Bonny Eagle Middle School Buxton, Maine Canal School Westbrook, Maine Catherine McAuley High School Portland, Maine 1969 Field House at Hyde School Bath, Maine Howard C. Reiche Community School Portland, Maine MacDougall-Ginn Hall at Westbrook College Portland, Maine The first Noble High School (now Noble Middle School) North Berwick, Maine 1969 Portland Arts and Technology High School Portland, Maine Memorial Junior High School (now Memorial Middle School) South Portland, Maine 1967 The fourth Wells High School Wells, Maine 1977
Churches Name Location Year built Father Hayes Center at St. Joseph's Catholic Church Portland, Maine 1970 Grace Episcopal Church Bath, Maine Holy Martyrs Church Falmouth, Maine St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church Augusta, Maine Renovation and alterations to Trinity Episcopal Church Portland, Maine Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church Westbrook, Maine 1977
Municipal buildings Name Location Year built Freeport Public Safety Building Freeport, Maine 1993 Freeport Public Works Building Freeport, Maine 1993 Memorial Branch of the South Portland Public Library South Portland, Maine 1976
Commercial buildings Name Location Year built Commercial Street branch of KeyBank Portland, Maine
References