Charles L. Hofmann
(“Hofmann” or “CLH” 5/1912 to 5/1918 and 5/1921-5/1922)
Charles L. Hofmann (7/11/1877 to 3/13/1940 (Cemetery in Colwyn, Pennsylvania), born in Beverly, New Jersey, was an important early employee of the Firm. He was the son of William A. and Lide Larzalere Hofmann of Philadelphia. Charles M. Robinson and Charles L. Hofmann may have met at some point in Pennsylvania—the timing and placing is right for such an assumption. A very copious search of Richmond City Directories beginning in 1906 does not show Mr. Hofmann as being a resident of the city until 1914. The directory for 1914 lists him as “Draftsman, Charles M. Robinson, Inc.” and living at 202 North Addison Street. An August 2, 1914 article in the Times-Dispatch states that he has been spending several days in Radford taking measurements for “the new dormitory.” The 1915 to 1917 directories list Mr. Hofmann as “Chief Draftsman, Charles M. Robinson, Inc.”
Mr. Hofmann may have exited the Firm upon the arrival of J. Binford Walford and/or Charles Custer Robinson to take advantage of what he felt was a tremendous opportunity in St. Helena, Maryland. His WWI draft card dated 9/10/1918 states that he is “Construction Foreman” for the “Construction Engineering Corporation” at St. Helena Dundalk, Maryland, an extensive housing and planned development community 1,000 acres of 815 government houses for Army and Navy Housing that was laid out by both Dundalk and Baltimore, Maryland. Soon thereafter, though, he returned to Richmond and formed another partnership with another former employee: Marcellus Eugene Wright, Sr. The 1918 city directory lists “Wright & Hofmann” as an architectural firm at 6 South 10th Street, Room 501 and also lists him personally as being employed for Wright & Hofmann. The 1919 directory only lists him with a personal listing as “Architect and living at 202 North Addison. The 1920 directory lists him as a sole proprietor architect with offices at 110 North 7th and living at 202 North Addison. The 1921 directory has a listing for “Barnham & Hofmann” at 530 East Main Street, Room 912-913.
This would be the second former Charles M. Robinson, Inc. employee that Mr. Hofmann entered into partnership, but it did not last long, as the 1922 and 1923 directories only list him as “architect” with no firm. The 1924 directory lists him as “Draftsman, M. E. Wright”—so back in partnership with Wright. The 1925 directory lists him as “draftsman” with no place of employment, but the 1926-28 directories list him as “architect, M. E. Wright. The 1930 Census lists Mr. Hofmann as living alone in a rented apartment in Roanoke on Shenandoah Avenue. Mr. Hofmann’s whereabouts in the 1930s are unknown except that he designed plans for the renovation and some alterations of the Hotel Richmond adjacent to Capitol Square. Mr. Hofmann died on March 13, 1940 in Philadelphia at his home at 5837 Hadfield Street of a cerebral hemorrhage brought on by hypertension. The death certificate states that he was divorced at the time of his death and was an “architect.” There was a 6-line obituary for him in the Philadelphia Inquirer on March 15, 1940 that only cited a Colwyn, Pennsylvania funeral home as handling private arrangements.