White, Streeter & Chamberlain - Public Buildings (1920 - 1939)

The work and career of Hugh E. White, Sr. (1869-1939), architect, did much to establish and define the architecture of Gaston and surrounding counties in North and South Carolina.  The original drawings of the projects designed by Hugh E. White, Sr. and the firm White, Streeter & Chamberlain exist and are maintained in the collections of Vintage Architectural Art.  In 2005, the works were compiled for The National Register of the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service by Davyd Foard Hood with the help of Lucy R. Penegar and June Alice Todd.  This collection includes the Public Buildings comprising of twenty commissioned works designed by the firm.  The projects range from the Classical Gastonia City Hall to the Gaston War Memorial.  The titles of some of the buildings reveal the segregation of that period of our history. See the Collection Index for a complete listing of the projects.

Hugh E. White, Sr - Biographical information
Born on the rural farm land of Fort Mill, South Carolina in 1869, Hugh E. White, Sr. lost his father, Leonidas Spratt White, at age 9 and his mother at age 17.  Orphaned at such a young age, White worked in a wood working plant, as a carpenter and advancing to foreman, he cultivated his gifts and love of mathematics and craftsmanship and took up architectural work by correspondence school.