Edward Brickell White
Encyclopedia
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
and his use of Roman and Greek designs.
Life
Edward Brickell White was born on January 29, 1806 on the Chapel Hill Plantation of St. John's Berkeley Parish, South Carolina. His father was the planter and artist, John Blake White, and his mother was Elizabeth Allston White.In 1826, he graduated from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
where he studied engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. He was an artillery office in the U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. On April 8, 1832, he married Delia Adams in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
. In 1836, he returned to civilian life. He surveyed for several railroads. In 1836, he moved to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
to practice architecture, engineering, and surveying.
His first major work was the Greek Revival Market Hall
Market Hall and Sheds
Market Hall and the sheds of the City Market, or Centre Market, comprise a historic market complex in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, USA...
, which is a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
(NHL) in Charleston. The Greek Revival Robert William Roper House
Robert William Roper House
Robert William Roper House was built about 1838 in Charleston, South Carolina on land purchased by Robert W. Roper in May 1838. The authors of the nomination form for the National Register of Historic Places speculated that Edward B. White was the architect, although no evidence is given in...
(NHL) in Charleston is attributed to him.
He was the architect of many churches including the Gothic Revival Huguenot Church
Huguenot Church
The Huguenot Church, built in 1844 in Charleston, South Carolina, was the first Gothic Revival church in South Carolina and was designed by architect Edward Brickell White...
(NHL) in Charleston; the Gothic Revival Trinity Episcopal Church in Columbia
Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia is the state capital and largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. The population was 129,272 according to the 2010 census. Columbia is the county seat of Richland County, but a portion of the city extends into neighboring Lexington County. The city is the center of a metropolitan...
, which is on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
(NRHP); the wooden Gothic Revival Church of the Cross
Church of the Cross
Church of the Cross is a historic church on Calhoun Street in Bluffton, South Carolina.It was built in 1857 and added to the National Register in 1975.-References:...
(NRHP) in Bluffton
Bluffton, South Carolina
The weather in the Bluffton, SC area is typical of the Southeast with generally mild temperatures from Fall through Spring and a warm and humid Summer. There can be occasionally snow flurries in the winter but that is quite unusual....
; and the steeple of St. Philip's Episcopal Church
St. Philip's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
St. Philip's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church in the French Quarter neighborhood of Charleston, South Carolina. Its National Historic Landmark description states: "Built in 1836 , this stuccoed brick church features an imposing tower designed in the Wren-Gibbs tradition...
(NHL) in Charleston. In 1842, he designed the sanctuary of St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church
St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church
The German Evangelical Lutheran Church of Charleston, South Carolina was incorporated on December 3, 1840. Through usage and custom the Church is now known as St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church or St...
in the Ansonborough section of the city.
The 21 ft (6 m) granite Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
granite column for the Daniel Morgan Monument (NRHP) in Spartanburg, South Carolina
Spartanburg, South Carolina
thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...
was one of his projects. He designed the Charleston High School, which is currently a private residence, and the Grace Episcopal Church that are contributing properties to the Charleston Historic District
Charleston Historic District
The Charleston Historic District, also known as Charleston Old and Historic District, is a historic district in Charleston, South Carolina. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960....
(NHRP). He designed a portico with columns and wings for the main building and Gate Lodge of the College of Charleston
College of Charleston
The College of Charleston is a public, sea-grant and space-grant university located in historic downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States...
(NHL). He designed an expansion of a building at South Carolina Military College
The Citadel (military college)
The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, also known simply as The Citadel, is a state-supported, comprehensive college located in Charleston, South Carolina, USA. It is one of the six senior military colleges in the United States...
.
He was the superintending architect for the new Custom House in Charleston, which was designed by Ammi Burnham Young. Construction was halted in 1859 when the US Congress did not appropriate funding to cover cost overruns. A less ambitious design was completed in 1879.
During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, he served in the Confederate Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
. He served at James Island
James Island (South Carolina)
James Island is one of South Carolina's most urban Sea Islands. The island is separated from peninsular downtown Charleston by the Ashley River, from the mainland by Wappoo Creek and the Wappoo Cut, and from Johns Island by the Stono River...
and North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. He rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant Colonel (United States)
In the United States Army, United States Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a field grade military officer rank just above the rank of major and just below the rank of colonel. It is equivalent to the naval rank of commander in the other uniformed services.The pay...
.
After the war, finding new projects was difficult in Charleston. He supervised repairs of St. Michael's Episcopal Church
St. Michael's Episcopal Church (Charleston, South Carolina)
St. Michael's Episcopal Church is an historic Episcopal church and the oldest surviving religious structure in Charleston, South Carolina. It is located at Broad and Meeting streets on one of the Four Corners of the Law, and represents ecclesiastical law. It was built in the 1750s by order of the...
in Charleston. He designed a building for Charleston Gas & Light Co.
In 1879, he moved to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and died on May 10, 1882. He was interred in St. Michael's Episcopal Churchyard in Charleston.