Archie Julian Streat
(“AJS” or “Streat” 9/1911 to 5/1917)
Archie Julian Streat (8/6/1893 to 6/15/1956 (Forest Lawn Cemetery)) was a very important early employee of the firm. He was born in Richmond, Virginia to Julian Glendover and Amelia Casci Streat, but an exhaustive search of City of Richmond directories has no documented presence of him in Richmond until 1910 when he is listed as living at 515 North 27th Street, but with no place of employment. The 1911 City Directory lists him simply as “apprentice” with the same address—one he would have until 1916.
Mr. Streat appears to have left the firm at the time that John Binford Walford and Custer Robinson were arriving. He left the Firm in early 1917 to work as a draftsman for the Richmond Office of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, but soon thereafter worked for Carneal and Johnston for at least a year and then tried his hand as a sole-practitioner architect and then went to work for a prominent builder in Richmond – John T. Wilson – and no doubt worked on projects with Charles M. Robinson Architects after his employment.
The 1912-1917 directories list him as “Draftsman, Charles M. Robinson, Inc.” The 1917 directory lists him living at 502 North Meadow. An article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch dated September 9, 1917 lists him as a Private in the Richmond Light Infantry Blues [Reserves]. His WWI draft card dated June 5, 1917 states that he has been in the Virginia State Militia for four months and that he claims exemption from the draft because he is supporting his mother and grandfather. The Card stated that he was short and slender and had blue eyes and Brown hair. The 1918 and 1919 Directories list him simply as “draftsman” and living at 502 North Meadow and 11 South Dooley, respectively—for these years he was probably employed by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway as a draftsman. The 1920 Directory lists him as “Draftsman, Carneal & Johnston” and living at 11 South Dooley. The 1921 Directory does not list him. The 1922 Directory lists him as “Architect” and living at 12 South Auburn, where he will live until at least 1928. The 1923 directory includes him being listed under the “Architects” section and having a sole-practitioner office at 909 East Main, Room 1226.
The 1924-1926 Directories list him as a “Superintendent” for John T. Wilson, Inc.—a construction company. The 1928-1929 directories list him as “Estimator” for Wilson. There is no subsequent listing for Mr. Streat in the Richmond Directories. Mr. Streat died on June 25, 1956 at Johnston-Willis Hospital where he had been for 41 days, while living at 817 Forest Avenue in Henrico, and is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery. He died of pancreatic cancer. His June 27, 1956 obituary in the Richmond Times-Dispatch states:
“As a young man Mr. Streat worked for the map department of the Chesapeake & Ohior Railway, had been associated with the John T. Wilson Company, Inc. and with the firm of Carneal & Johnston, Architects. Mr. Streat had been instrumental in the construction of many of Richmond’s large buildings and for a time was associated with Charles M. Robinson, Architects. [At the time of his death] he was associated with Doye & Russell, contracting, where he had been employed since 1940. He is survived by his wife, Pearl Glenn Streat (born 1897 in North Carolina (they married 12/8/1933 in Washington DC), a son, Charles Murrow Streat (12/15/1934-9/29/1995), and a sister, Mrs. Mabel Streat Braithwaite, all of Richmond.”