Members

Our history began with one man who found his way to East Tennessee in the late 1800’s.  George F. Barber, an experienced builder and architect who came to Knoxville from DeKalb, Illinois, founded his largely residential practice in 1888. Barber developed an international following with his designs, which he published in a series of "plan books" created by his Knoxville studio staff. His son, Charles, followed in his father’s footsteps and, in 1915, joined with Ben F. McMurry to form Barber & McMurry Architects. Over time, the firm’s portfolio broadened to include additional project types. Churches, country clubs, office buildings, apartments and K-12 schools formed an important part of Barber & McMurry's practice starting in the mid-1920s. The work and reputation of the firm flourished during the 1930s and 1940s. A significant portion of their practice revolved around higher education architecture. In particular, a healthy share of the campus buildings at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, bears the signature of Barber & McMurry.  In the latter part of the 20th century, the firm embraced the opportunity to produce health care architecture- designing many new hospitals, medical office buildings and related facilities for regional health care systems.