User:JPRiley/Huntington

The partnership was established in Huntington in 1915 by architects Wilbur A. Meanor and James P. Sweeney as Meanor & Sweeney."Personals" in [https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_American_Architect/c6JDAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 The American Architect] 107, no. 2058 (June 2, 1915): iv. In 1918 the partnership was expanded to include Edward J. Handloser, another Ritter employee, to Meanor, Sweeney & Handloser. In 1919 Sweeney moved to Casper, Wyoming, where he joined the office of Garbutt & Weidner.Casper Daily Tribune, September 15, 1919, 3. The firm was then reorganized as Meanor & Handloser. The architectural design of the firm's buildings is generally attributed to Meanor, the more formally trained of the partners, leaving Handloser likely in charge of engineering and construction supervision. By 1925, the firm was regarded as the largest and most distingushed architectural firm in West Virginia.Jennings Randolph, "Successful Architect Who Started Work on a Kitchen Table" in The West Virginia Review (October, 1925)

In 1929 the firm was commissioned to design the regional headquarters of the Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company in Charleston, where Meanor moved to establish a second office of the firm. Charleston was at that time rapidly expanding. Handloser stayed behind in Huntington."$5,000,0000 to $8,000,000 Building Projected" in Manufacturers Record 96, no. 3 (September 26, 1929): 63. Meanor & Handloser dissolved their partnership in 1944, and Meanor formed the new partnership of Meanor, Greife & Daley with Robert P. Greife and Robert H. Daley. After Meanor's death in 1948 it continued as Greife & Daley."Greife, Daley Firm Designed New Building," Sunday Gazette-Mail, November 8, 1959, 2E.

In 1962 the partnership was expanded to include Alfred H. Hoblitzell."Architecture Partner Added," Sunday Gazette-Mail, January 7, 1962, 12D.

Greife retired in the mid-1970s. Hoblitzell and his partners continued the firm, which was known as Hoblitzell & Associates, Hoblitzell, Daley & McIntyre and as The HDMR Group before its dissolution in 2009.West Virginia corporate filings

A bit of info, BofWV 245-246

Wilbur Alpheus Meanor {{post-nominals|list=AIA}} (September 25, 1887 – May 6, 1948) was born in Pittsburgh to A. M. Meanor and Anna Meanor, née Wanamaker. He was educated at Washington & Jefferson College and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating in 1909. He worked for Alden & Harlow for two years before moving to Huntington in 1911, where he joined the office of Verus T. Ritter, for whom he worked until 1915."Wilbur A. Meanor" in [https://www.google.com/books/edition/West_Virginia_in_History_Life_Literature/2SoTAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 West Virginia: In History, Life, Literature and Industry] 4 (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1928): 131-132.

Meanor dead May 6, 1948."Deaths" in Technology Review 50, no. 8 (June, 1948): II.

Edward Julius Handloser {{post-nominals|list=AIA}} (January 14, 1885 – May 25, 1967) was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania to Julius Handloser and Marie Handloser, née Holschoe. He was educated in the Williamsport schools before joining the office of Meade B. Ritter, a local architect. After Ritter's death in 1906 he continued with his brother, Verus T. Ritter, who took over the office. When Ritter moved to Huntington in 1911 Handloser moved with him, where they were joined by Meanor. He remained with Ritter until he moved to Philadelphia in 1919, after which he joined Meanor as a partner."Edward J. Handloser" in [https://www.google.com/books/edition/West_Virginia_in_History_Life_Literature/2SoTAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 West Virginia: In History, Life, Literature and Industry] 4 (Chicago and New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1928): 147-148.

Note that both founder bios have portraits on facing pages.

Robert Preston Greife {{post-nominals|list=AIA}} (August 15, 1885 – July 17, 1981) was born in Higginsville, Missouri. He was educated at the Ohio Mechanics Institute, now part of the University of Cincinnati, and joined Meanor & Handloser in 1922 as an engineer. He left in 1925 to open his own office but returned to the firm in 1929."Greife, Robert P(reston)" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 210.

Greife was a member of the AIA and local fraternal organizations. He was a member of the Charleston Baptist Temple, the building of which had been designed by Ernest Flagg. He was married in 1948. He died in Boca Raton, Florida at the age of 95."Robert P. Greife," Boca Raton News, July 20, 1981, 8A.

Robert House Daley {{post-nominals|list=AIA}} (July 6, 1903 – October 3, 1977) was born in Chatham, New York. He was educated at Cornell University, graduating in 1929 with a BArch. He worked for Schultze & Weaver in New York City and for George Howe and William Lescaze in Philadelphia before joining Meanor & Handloser in 1938."Daley, Robert H(ouse)" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 122.

Daley was a member of the AIA. He was married in 1931 and had three children. He died in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the age of 74."Robert Daley, Ex-Architect, Dies at 74," The State, October 7, 1977, 10A.

Daley's son, Robert House Jr. (December 10, 1933 – January 2, 2024), was also an architect. He was educated at Virginia Tech and worked for I. M. Pei in New York City before joining the firm in Charleston. He was later a partner and managing partner of the successor firms, Hoblitzell, Daley & McIntyre and The HDMR Group."Robert House Daley, Jr.," Charleston Gazette-Mail, January 6, 2024.

• 1916 – St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 912 7th St, Moundsville, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 325-326.
• 1918 – Hotel Farr, 401 9th St, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1918 – Pence Springs Hotel,{{efn|name=Pence|Most recently the Greenbrier Academy, closed in 2023. A contributing resource to the Pence Springs Hotel Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1985.}} 158 Academy Ln, Pence Springs, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 169.

• 1922 – Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church Sunday school addition, 513 10th St, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 250.
• 1922 – Masonic Temple addition, 1108 3rd Ave, HuntingtonS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 252.
• 1925 – Coal Exchange Building, 401 11th St, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1925 – Fordson Coal Company Buildings, Pond Creek Rd, Stone, KentuckyFordson Coal Company Buildings NRHP Registration Form (2002)
• 1925 – Mountaineer Hotel, 31 E 2nd Ave, Williamson, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 230.
• 1925 – National Bank of Huntington Building addition, 945 4th Ave, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1925 – West Virginia Building, 910 4th Ave, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1926 – Ohev Sholom Temple, 949 10th Ave, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 261-262.
• 1929 – Memorial Arch,{{efn|name=DeYoung|Jerry DeYoung, designer.}} Memorial Park, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 263.
• 1931 – Morrow Library, Marshall University, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 259.
• 1932 – Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company office building, 816 Lee St E, Charleston, West Virginia
• 1932 – First Presbyterian Church religious education building, 16 Leon Sullivan Way, Charleston, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 70.
• 1934 – Subsistence Homesteads Division community, Eleanor, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 268-269.
• 1936 – Payne Building, 819 Lee St, Charleston, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 63.
• 1937 – Sidney L. Christie Federal Building expansion,{{efn|name=Christie|Designed by Robert I. Willett and Meanor & Handloser, associated architects. NRHP-listed.}} 845 5th Ave, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 249.

• 1949 – Stone & Thomas department store,{{efn|name=Stone|A contributing resource to the Downtown Charleston Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2006.}} 298 Dickinson St, Charleston, West Virginia[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/06000166 Downtown Charleston Historic District NRHP Registration Form] (2006)

• 1951 – Health and Physical Education Building, Glenville State University, Glenville, West Virginia
• 1951 – Woolworth Building, 205 Capitol St, Charleston, West Virginia
• 1952 – Riggleman Hall,{{efn|name=Riggleman|Designed principally by Meanor but not begun until after his death.}} University of Charleston, Charleston, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 89.
• 1954 – Elkins Middle School, 308 Robert E Lee Ave, Elkins, West Virginia
• 1954 – Richwood Area Community Hospital,{{efn|name=Dem|Demolished.}} 75 Ave B, Richwood, West Virginia"Memorial Phase Of Hospital Fund Drive Launched," Beckley Post-Herald, February 2, 1952, 2.
• 1958 – Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company office building, 1500 MacCorkle Ave SE, Charleston, West Virginia
• 1958 – First Presbyterian Church activities building, 1116 Kanawha Blvd E, Charleston, West Virginia"Daley, Robert H(ouse), Sr." in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 150.
• 1961 – Federal Center,{{efn|name=Silling|Designed by Greife & Daley and C. E. Silling & Associates, associated architects.}} 500 Quarrier St, Charleston, West Virginia"Speakers Stress Future Role Of Federal Building," Charleston Daily Mail, October 12, 1961, 16.

• 1964 – Lincoln County Courthouse, 8000 Court Ave, Hamlin, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 238.
• 1964 – Sissonville High School, 6100 Sissonville Dr, Charleston, West Virginia"Sissonville Dedication Set Tuesday," Charleston Daily Mail, September 24, 1964, 11.

• 1965 – Federal Building and United States Post Office, 400 Elk St, Gassaway, West Virginia"Two Postal Units To Be Designed," Charleston Daily Mail, April 24, 1964, 3.
• 1966 – Geary Student Center, University of Charleston, Charleston, West Virginia"Student Center Bids 'Excessive'," Charleston Daily Mail, April 2, 1965, 11.
• 1971 – South Charleston High School, 1 Eagle Way, South Charleston, West Virginia"S Charleston High School Bid Opening Set July 2," Charleston Daily Mail, June 25, 1969, 33.
• 1974 – Law Center, West Virginia University, Morgantown, West Virginia"New Law Center Roomy, Colorful," Weirton Daily Times, November 22, 1974, 7.

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

{{Infobox architectural practice

| name = Ritter & Shay

| logo =

| logo_size =

| logo_alt =

| logo_caption =

| image =

| image_size =

| image_alt =

| image_caption =

| caption =

| firm_type =

| architects =

| partners =

| founders = Verus T. Ritter; Howell Lewis Shay {{post-nominals|list=FAIA}}

| employees =

| city = Philadelphia

| coordinates =

| affiliations =

| founded = 1919

| dissolved =

| awards =

| significant_buildings =

| significant_projects =

| significant_design =

| website =

}}

File:Huntington City Hall, Huntington, West Virginia LCCN2015631822.tif, designed by Ritter and completed in 1915.]]

File:Old Huntington High School, a historic high-school building in Huntington, West Virginia LCCN2015631849.tif, designed by Ritter and completed in 1916.]]

File:Possum Hollow House Rose Valley PA.JPG, designed by Ritter & Shay and completed in 1926.]]

File:Residence Inn by Marriott Philadelphia.jpg, designed by Ritter & Shay and completed in 1929.]]

File:United States Custom House - Philadelphia (53571639452).jpg in Philadelphia, designed by Ritter & Shay and completed in 1934.]]

File:UDMorrisLibrary.jpg, designed by Howell Lewis Shay & Associates and completed in 1962.]]

Ritter & Shay was an American architectural firm established in 1919 in Philadelphia upon the merger of the individual practices of architects Verus T. Ritter of Huntington, West Virginia and Howell Lewis Shay of Philadelphia. They dissolved their partnership in 1934, with both returning to independent practice. Shay was the more active of the two, and in 1948 formed the new partnership of Howell Lewis Shay & Associates with his sons. Shay retired in 1970 and the successor firm, Shay, Schwartz & Associates, was dissolved a year later.

Shay retired from the partnership in 1970. Howell Lewis Jr. merged the firm with Bernard Schwartz & Associates, engineers, to form Shay, Schwartz & Associates.Philadelphia Inquirer, January 26, 1970, 22. The firm was out of business in 1971."Public sales," Philadelphia Daily News, July 23, 1971, 38.

Verus Taggart Ritter (June 27, 1883 – October 6, 1942) was born in Muncy, Pennsylvania to William L. Ritter and Amelia Ritter, née Spangler. He was educated in the public schools of Muncy and Bloomsburg and worked in the office of his brother, Meade B. Ritter, Williamsburg architect, and for architects in Philadelphia. When his brother died in 1906 Ritter took over the office, continuing it under the name of the M. B. Ritter Company.Thomas Condit Miller and Hu Maxwell, "Ritter" in [https://www.google.com/books/edition/West_Virginia_and_Its_People/Fnk_AAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 West Virginia and its People] 3 (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913): 1140.

In 1909 Ritter was hired by his cousin, Charles Lloyd Ritter, a lumberman based in Huntington, to design a large house,[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/07000786 Hawthorne Historic District NRHP Registration Form] (2007) and in 1911 relocated to Huntington, where he opened an office under his own name. He found quick success in Huntington, and designed its major civic buildings, including the Huntington City Hall (1915) and Huntington High School (1916).

After the dissolution of Ritter & Shay, Ritter returned to independent practice. In the latter years of his life he was much interested in the planning of a proposed tunnel crossing of the Delaware River. This project was slowed by the Great Depression and World War II and was ultimately made a moot point after the Walt Whitman Bridge was completed in 1957.

Ritter was married twice. He was married first in 1912 to Edith Keller of Bloomsburg. They had two children. She died in 1936, and Ritter was married second to Ruth Barnard in 1941. He died in Merion at the age of 59.

Howell Lewis Shay {{post-nominals|list=FAIA}} (December 24, 1884 – August 18, 1975) was born in Washington, D.C. to Aurelius King Shay and Julia Stanford Shay, née Lewis. He was educated at the University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1913 with an MS in architecture."Shay, Howell Lewis" in He worked between terms for McKim, Mead & White in New York City and for John T. Windrim in Philadelphia, and after graduation joined the office of Horace Trumbauer. While working for Trumbauer Shay was responsible for devising the parti and plan of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The final design was prepared in collaboration with Julian Abele, chief designer for the Trumbauer firm. Shay left to open his own office in 1917, the same year the design for the museum was formally approved, though construction did not begin until after World War I. Wartime restrictions meant that Shay built little before partnering with Ritter.

Shay was married in 1909 to Eunice Mabel Quinby. They had three children, two sons, who joined their father in practice, and one daughter.

• 1908 – Morning Press Building, 111 W Main St, Bloomsburg, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 498.
• 1910 – Charles L. Ritter house, 1820 McCoy Rd, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 265.
• 1911 – Masonic Temple, 217 Allegheny St, Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania[https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_American_Architect/o_wzAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 American Architect] 98, no. 1806 (August 3, 1910): 14.
• 1912 – National Bank of Huntington Building, 945 4th Ave, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1913 – Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, 513 10th St, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 250.
• 1913 – Virginian Hotel, 712 Church St, Lynchburg, Virginia
• 1913 – Westmoreland Country Club,{{efn|name=Dem|Demolished.}} Waverly Rd, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1914 – Park Hills Farm, the Freeman Estate,{{efn|name=NRHP|NRHP-listed.}} 1805 McCoy Rd, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 264.
• 1915 – Huntington City Hall,{{efn|name=NRHP}} 800 5th Ave, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 248.
• 1916 – Huntington High School,{{efn|name=NRHP}} 900 8th St, Huntington, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 261.
• 1917 – Williamson High School,{{efn|name=Dem}} Alderson St, Williamson, West VirginiaS. Allen Chambers Jr., Buildings of West Virginia (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004): 229.
• 1920 – Smith house,{{efn|name=Hawthorne|A contributing resource to the Hawthorne Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2007.}} 609 Hawthorne Way, Huntington, West Virginia
• 1939 – New Holland Arena, Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, Harrisburg, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 350.

• 1921 – National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, 1630 Latimer St, PhiladelphiaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 277-278.
• 1922 – Hotel Bethlehem, 437 Main St, Bethlehem, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 277-278.
• 1922 – Packard Building, 111 S 15th St, PhiladelphiaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 95.
• 1923 – Jefferson Elementary School,{{efn|name=NRHP}} Beech and Warren Sts, Pottstown, Pennsylvania[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/03000723 Jefferson Elementary School NRHP Registration Form] (2003)
• 1925 – Bloomsburg Public Library, 225 Market St, Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania
• 1925 – St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 123 Market St, Bloomsburg, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 499.
• 1926 – Howell Lewis Shay house, 221 W Possum Hollow Rd, Rose Valley, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 227.
• 1927 – 69th Street Terminal Title and Trust Company Building, 6908 Market St, Upper Darby, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 231.
• 1927 – Americus Hotel,{{efn|name=NRHP}} 541 Hamilton St, Allentown, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 291-292.
• 1927 – First National Bank Building, 1500 Walnut St, PhiladelphiaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 95-96.
• 1928 – David Rittenhouse Junior High School,{{efn|name=NRHP}} 1705 Locust St, Norristown, Pennsylvania[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/96000717 David Rittenhouse Junior High School NRHP Registration Form] (1996)
• 1929 – Drake Hotel,{{efn|name=NRHP}} 1512-1514 Spruce St. Philadelphia[https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/78002446 Drake Hotel NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form] (1978)
• 1929 – Market Street National Bank Building, 1 E Penn Sq, PhiladelphiaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 80-81.
• 1930 – Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania, 3300 Henry Ave, Philadelphia"Shay, Howell Lewis" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 636.
• 1934 – United States Custom House,{{efn|name=NRHP}} 200 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaGeorge E. Thomas, Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012): 63-64.

• 1941 – East Lansdowne Elementary School, 401 Emerson Ave, East Lansdowne, PennsylvaniaPhiladelphia Inquirer, October 8, 1940, 30.

• 1949 – William L. Sayre High School, 5800 Walnut St, Philadelphia"Shay, Howell Lewis" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 501.
• 1954 – Springfield Township High School, 1801 E Paper Mill Rd, Erdenheim, Pennsylvania
• 1955 – Conestoga High School, 200 Irish Rd, Berwyn, Pennsylvania
• 1955 – Mercy–Douglass Hospital,{{efn|name=Dem}} 5000 Woodland Ave, Philadelphia"Shay, William Dixon" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 501.
• 1960 – Fenske Laboratory,{{efn|name=Dem}} Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania"Shay, William Dixon" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1962): 636.
• 1962 – Morris Library, University of Delaware, Newark, DelawareJohn Andrew Munroe, The University of Delaware: A History (Newark: University of Delaware, 1986): 389.
• 1968 – Colburn Laboratory, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware"Shay, Howell Lewis" in American Architects Directory (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1970): 829.
• 1969 – William Cramp Elementary School, 3449 N Mascher St, Philadelphia

• 1972 – Silver Hall, Lebanon Valley College, Annville, Pennsylvania"New women's dormitory," Lebanon Daily News, July 8, 1972, 6.

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}