Rev. Charles Hunter Brown (aka Rev. Charles H. Brown and Rev. C.H. Brown) (Feb. 2, 1907 - Jan. 17, 1996), an American building contractor, religious and community leader, did much to provide affordable housing, employment and on-the-job training, social and spiritual relief for many in Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia during the 1940s; and, during and after the Civil Rights Era.

Early years

Reverend Charles Hunter Brown, born February 2, 1907 to Lacy and Martha Brown in the Proffit Historic District, Virginia http://www2.vcdh.virginia.edu/afam/proffit/ was one of several sons born to the Browns. He often missed school to help out at home during the growing and harvesting season. As a young man, he sought employment away from the grueling life he had known as a farmer. His early employment included work with a company that laid Macadam

Macadam

Macadam is a type of road construction pioneered by the Scotsman John Loudon McAdam in around 1820. The method simplified what had been considered state-of-the-art at that point...

 roads. Rev. Brown’s call to the Ministry came in his late twenties. He fellowshipped with various Pentecostal churches even after he met and married Angie Loving. He later worked at odd jobs including the now defunct Arthur’s Grill in downtown Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville, Virginia

Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...

. It was then that the early seeds of entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is the act of being an entrepreneur, which can be defined as "one who undertakes innovations, finance and business acumen in an effort to transform innovations into economic goods". This may result in new organizations or may be part of revitalizing mature organizations in response...

 started to grow. In the meantime, he met Dr. John L. Manahan http://www.virginia.edu/topnews/releases2006/Century_Service.html who owned Fairview Farm in Scottsville, VA located in Southern Albemarle County. Dr. Manahan hired him to be caretaker for his dairy farm. Brown, along with his wife and children moved into the manor house

Manor house

A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...

. There he had no problem getting into the swing of farming. Milking cows and transporting the milk to the Monticello Dairy in Charlottesville provided an occasional break from the farm.

Master Builder

Farming was what Brown did to earn the money he needed to move his family back to Charlottesville and pursue his dream of becoming a builder

Construction worker

A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...

. He had frequently purchased tools and Audel manuals that he told his wife would one day make money for him. In the summer of 1945, Brown purchased a house on 10 ½ Street that he subsequently remodeled and added on a 3-room apartment. He moved his family of 3 daughters and 2 sons back to town. For a while, he worked for H. T. Ferron, a company that made cinderblock; and for R. E. Lee & Sons who would later become a major player in the construction

Construction

In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...

 industry in Charlottesville. Later, he hired himself out as a carpenter

Carpenter

A carpenter is a skilled craftsperson who works with timber to construct, install and maintain buildings, furniture, and other objects. The work, known as carpentry, may involve manual labor and work outdoors....

 remodeling houses and doing additions. Soon he had a contract

Contract

A contract is an agreement entered into by two parties or more with the intention of creating a legal obligation, which may have elements in writing. Contracts can be made orally. The remedy for breach of contract can be "damages" or compensation of money. In equity, the remedy can be specific...

 to build his first house. By the mid 1950s, Blacks

Black people

The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...

 who wanted to build in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties started to seek him out.

12th and Rosser

It was in the mid 1940s that Rev. Brown and a few others started to hold worship services from house to house. They most often met in a 2-story house on Henry Avenue across from Moseley’s Store. Rev. Brown and Rev. Moseley managed to secure a plat of land on the corner of 12th Street, NW and Rosser Avenue. In 1947, it was there that Rev. Brown constructed Holy Temple Church of God in Christ

Church of God in Christ

The Church of God in Christ is a Pentecostal Holiness Christian denomination with a predominantly African-American membership. With nearly five million members in the United States and 12,000 congregations, it is the largest Pentecostal church and the fifth largest Christian church in the U.S....

, his first major non-residential building. Soon after building the church, Brown met E. R. Martin. After doing a number of jobs for Martin who owned a lot of property, a deal was struck that made Brown the owner of several acres of land on 12th Street, NW.
It was there that he built what would become the “family home.” The land had been a dumping area on a dead end street. However, the location was ideally suited for Brown and his family that had swelled to 5 daughters and 5 sons. Brown seemingly could not get away from farming. He maintained huge gardens and several pigs until the late 1950s. The vegetables from the gardens were shared with church members and neighbors alike. Brown eventually built and sold 4 more houses on the same block. Most of the houses were constructed of cinder block

Cinder block

In the United States, a concrete masonry unit – also called concrete block, cement block, and foundation block – is a large rectangular brick used in construction. Concrete blocks are made from cast concrete, i.e. Portland cement and aggregate, usually sand and fine gravel for high-density blocks...

 with 2 front dormers for less than $10,000. In 2006, some 45–50 years later, the average market price was $190,000.

In April 2008, The Piedmont Area Preservation Alliance http://preservecva.wordpress.com/about/ and the Charlottesville Architectural Review Board of Charlottesville, Virginia, recommended that Rev. Charles H. Brown's first non- residential structure, the Holy temple Church of God in Christ, be added to its list of important historic city buildings. In September 2008 the recommendation was accepted.
http://preservecva.wordpress.com

Building Innovator

Rev. Brown became a licensed contractor in the city of Charlottesville in the mid 1950s. He built more than 50 residential and commercial structures as well as a dozen churches in Charlottesville and the surrounding counties. Because many were built for people with limited income and no means of financing such a project, Brown's challenge was to give his clients the best, as well as the most for their money. He became popular as a builder because he allowed his customers to make a small down payment and often financed the balance for them or sometimes even co-signed a note at the bank. His structure of choice was usually cinderblock. Many of his renovations or additions received a cosmetic coat of stucco. Brown’s reputation as a fair and honest man gained him the respect of both Whites and Blacks in the community. During his eulogy of Rev. Brown, Rev. Paul Coleman said "...Before there was urban renewal or redevelopment and housing, there was Rev. Brown."

Nearly all of his structures are still standing. Unlike houses that are constructed on a concrete slab today, Rev. Brown dug out the foundation; poured concrete footings and constructed the walls from the ground up. He studied drawings from books of plans that were available by mail. These books allowed him to use his natural artistic abilities sketch to out proposed house plans for his clients. He taught himself to read and interpret architectural drawings and blueprints. One of his most notable commercial structures is the EconoLodge, formerly the Econo Travel Lodge, at the University of Virginia http://www.econolodgeuniversity.com/. Having established himself in the business community as a master craftsman, Rev. Brown often did brickwork or concrete work for other contractors. As a skilled craftsman

Master craftsman

A master craftsman or master tradesman was a member of a guild. In the European guild system, only masters were allowed to be members of the guild....

, he spent time teaching his laborers how to perform carpentry tasks and how to lay brick.

Rev. Brown's Ministry

In 1960, Brown became Pastor of the church he had built some 13 years earlier. He and his sons, Ralph, an ordained Minister and Nehemiah Hunter Brown

Nehemiah Hunter Brown

Nehemiah Brown is an American Gospel music singer, songwriter, arranger, professional musician, teacher, vocal coach and choral director.-Musical career:...

http://www.fgcschool.com/, a musician (who became a minister in 1980); brought a community-oriented flavor to the worship experience. The elder Rev. Brown was extremely supportive of youth in and out of the church. He opened the doors of the church to Nehemiah and a contingent of University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 students as well as to local high school students who wanted to start a choir. The high school students formed an Interdenominational Gospel Choir which later became the Dimensions of Gospel who later bridged the gap between UVA students and local towns people. The University of Virginia students had been denied the use of facilities on the school grounds for rehearsals, but under the leadership that they found at Holy Temple Church of God in Christ http://cogic.net/cogiccms/default/, the renowned Black Voices http://scs.student.virginia.edu/~bvoices/history.php of the University of Virginia

University of Virginia

The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...

 were born. Of note is the selection of the Holy Temple Church site for consideration to be added to the Register of Historical Buildings. The building was selected because of its enduring architecture and its cultural significance to the community.

During his tenure as Pastor, Brown also served as the District Superintendent over other churches in the Charlottesville and Waynesboro, Virginia

Waynesboro, Virginia

Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....

 areas. Most notably, he was known as a Bible scholar and teacher. Being a mild-mannered, soft-spoken man gave him an air of aloofness that often gave way to a fathomless wisdom and generosity. He was active as a Pastor, attending State and National meetings until shortly before his death from the complications of congestive heart failure in 1996. In 1998, shortly after his death, a Virginia State House of Delegates Joint Resolution http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?981+ful+HJ408ER was issued recognizing Reverend Brown's work and contributions to the community.