User:JPRiley/CWLuther

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C. Warren Luther
Born(1920-11-18)November 18, 1920
DiedJanuary 20, 2014(2014-01-20) (aged 93)
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
AwardsFellow of the American Institute of Architects
PracticeWashburn–Luther Associates; Washburn, Luther & Rowley; Washburn, Luther & Nelson
The Murray Unitarian Universalist Church in Attleboro, designed by Washburn–Luther Associates and completed in 1957.
The Norton Municipal Center, completed in 1977.

C. Warren Luther FAIA (1920–2014) was an American architect and architectural educator. He was in practice in Attleboro, Massachusetts from 1951 to 1991 and was head of the department of architecture of the Rhode Island School of Design from 1963 to 1977.

Life and career[edit]

Charles Warren Luther Jr. was born November 18, 1920 in Wethersfield, Connecticut to Charles Warren Luther and Jean Whedon (Currier) Luther. He was raised and educated in Pawtucket, Rhode Island and attended the Wentworth Institute in Boston and the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in Providence, graduating from the latter in 1949.[1] In 1951 Luther entered practice as the partner of Harold E. Washburn in Attleboro.[2] The firm of Washburn–Luther Associates became Washburn, Luther & Rowley in 1961 with the addition of James S. Rowley, and returned to its former name in 1965 when Rowley left to open his own firm. In 1986 the firm was renamed Washburn, Luther & Nelson to reflect to addition of Stephen R. Nelson, who first joined the firm in 1978. Luther retired from practice in 1991, followed by Washburn in 1997. Nelson has continued the office under the name of Stephen R. Nelson Associates.[3]

Luther joined the RISD architecture faculty in 1950, and in 1963 was promoted to head of the architecture department by president Albert Bush-Brown.[1] As head Luther brought the department in line with the recommendations made by Robert Geddes in the Princeton Report to increase cross-disciplinary connections. Luther was popular with students, and in 1977 when he was demoted by president Lee Hall during a large-scale restructuring of the college, several hundred students protested the action. Luther was ultimately replaced as department head by Friedrich St. Florian. Luther remained a member of the faculty, receiving the Faculty Member of the Year Award in 1988 from the RISD Alumni Association and retiring in 1989.[4]

Luther joined the American Institute of Architects in 1958 and was elected a Fellow in 1976.[5]

Personal life[edit]

Luther was married in 1943 to Helen Christine Ladd, and they had two children: Charles Alan and Susan Louise.[1] They lived in Pawtucket until Luther's retirement, and thereafter divided their time between Harwich, Massachusetts and Sun City Center, Florida.[6] Luther died January 20, 2014 in Sun City Center.[7]

Architectural works[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Leslie L. Luther, The Luther Family in America (Lakeland: Marian Luther Lenser and George Luther, 1976): 1075–1077.
  2. ^ a b c "Luther, Charles Warren Jr." in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 437.
  3. ^ a b c d e https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/legacy/obituary.aspx?n=harold-e-washburn&pid=16987946&fhid=4933
  4. ^ https://alumni.risd.edu/connect/awards/alumni-association-awards
  5. ^ "Charles Warren Luther Jr., AIA Historical Directory of American Architects, no date. Accessed February 21, 2023.
  6. ^ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/west-harwich-ma/helen-luther-4412188
  7. ^ https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/chatham-ma/charles-luther-5830485
  8. ^ "Our History," Murray Unitarian Universalist Church, no date. Accessed February 21, 2023.
  9. ^ Norton Public Library, Norton, Massachusetts: Its History and Constitution (Norton: Norton Public Library, 1967)
  10. ^ Attleboro city reports
  11. ^ Norton town reports