Marcellus Eugene Wright, Sr.

(“Wright” and “MEW” 10/1911 to 5/1917)

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Marcellus Eugene Wright, Sr. (4/5/1881 to 12/7/1962 (Hollywood Cemetery) , the oldest brother of Oscar Pendleton Wright (later partner to J. Binford Walford and the founding partner of Wright, Jones and Wilkerson), is believed (by David B. Robinson (Charles M. Robinson’s Great-Grandson), to be the first employee of Charles M. Robinson in Virginia.  They may have met as early as about 1904-1905 while Mr. Wright was an architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania or even earlier while he was employed by the Philadelphia Firm of Cope & Stewardson.  The 1908 Richmond City Directory lists him as “Chief Draftsman, Charles M. Robinson.”  Though his name or initials do not appear on plans until October of 1911 (a custom was adopted in Spring of 1911 to place initials on plans), Mr. Wright was shown on the Firm’s letterhead as “Assistant” (along with Benjamin West Poindexter) as early as February 9, 1909:

 

A November 1909 letterhead shows Mr. Wright in the upper left-hand corner below Charles M. Robinson’s name with no title and Mr. Poindexter’s name has been removed from the letterhead:

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Mr. Wright was the son of Anthony Westley Wright (12/29/1844-6/28/1894) and Isabella Grainger Wright (9/20/1845-9/3/1933).  They were married on March 14, 1867 and lived in Hanover County.  The 1870 Census lists Anthony Wright as a Farmer and the 1880 Census lists him as a Laborer.  Isabella Grainger Wright had been married before, her first husband, William Austin Timberlake was killed-in-action while serving in the 24th Confederate Calvary; they had been married in 1862. Marcellus Wright was the next-to-last of nine children of Anthony & Isabella Wright.  Mr. Wright married Ritta Stoval Wright (8/15/1885-12/7/70) on January 31, 1906 in Richmond.

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After attending the Richmond Public Schools, Mr. Wright attended the Virginia Mechanics Institute to take Architectural Drawing Classes (as J. Binford Walford would later do).  The 1900 Census lists Marcellus Wright as a “clerk” (19 years old), living with his Mother (and four of his brothers) at 824 North 27th Street.  It is believed he was a clerk at “Noland & Baskervill,” clerking for them approximately 1897-1903, when he moved to Philadelphia and worked for Cope & Stewardson while attending the University of Pennsylvania, studying architecture where he graduated in 1905, when he returned to Virginia to briefly work in Newport News, then New Jersey and then back to Virginia to Associate with Charles M. Robinson.  His 1962 Obituary states that after his graduation he studied architecture in twelve European countries.

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Prior to 1908, there are no listings in Richmond City Directories for Mr. Wright, however the 1908 Directory shows him as “Chief Draftsman, Charles M. Robinson; Home 2706 East Franklin:

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He was one of the eleven founding members (along with Charles M. Robinson) of the Richmond Association of Architects, which was established in 1911.

A May 8, 1912 article in the Richmond Times-Dispatch states that “Huntt & Wright” took Third Place in the competition to design the new Richmond Armory Building.  This article is interesting insomuch as Mr. Wright still publicly associated himself with Charles M. Robinson, who also entered the competition, winning Second Place.

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An October 25, 1912 Richmond Times-Dispatch article states “Well-Known Architect Appointed First Deputy Building Inspector…the way was paved for his election as Building Inspector when Henry P. Beck retires on January 1 [1913]…Mr. Wright will assume the position of Chief Deputy on November 1st, having two months in which to familiarize himself with the routine of the office.

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It appears that Charles M. Robinson’s association with Mr. Wright ceased in 1912, but a search of the Richmond City Directories would prove the following.  Listings subsequent to 1908 are as follows (and confirm the relationship ending in 1912):

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1909 “Architect, Charles M. Robinson; Home 411 East Cary”

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1910 “Architect, Charles M. Robinson; Home 2816 East Franklin”

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1911 “Architect, Charles M. Robinson, 1024 Mutual Building”

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1912 “Architect 400 Travelers Building; Home 2621 Grove Avenue”

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1913 “Architect 400 Travelers Building; Home 2407 Kensington Avenue”

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1914 “Architect 20 Allison Building; Home 2407 Kensington Avenue”

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1915 “Architect 20 Allison Building” and with a separate listing under “Architects” as a sole proprietor with an office at 803 ½ East Main

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1916  Sole Proprietor Listing only under “Architects” with an office at 803 ½ East Main.

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1917 No Listing

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[His September 1918 WWI Draft card lists 200 4th Avenue as his residence, his occupation as “architect” and his place of employment as “Camp Abraham Eustis” as his employment.]

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The 1918 Richmond City Directory lists Marcellus Wright as being employed by Wright & Hofmann at 6 South 10th Street.  This partnership – one of three instances in which Mr. Hofmann partnered or associated with former Charles M. Robinson employees in the late 1910s and early 1920s after leaving the Firm himself – did not last long.  In the 1920 Richmond City Directory, Mr. Wright is listed on his own under “architects” at 1001 East Main Street and Mr. Hofmann is listed on his own under “architects” at 110 North 7th Street.

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The 1919 Directory Lists him simply as “Architect” living at 2409 Grove Avenue

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The 1920 Directory Lists him under “Architects” as a sole proprietor with an office at 1001 East Main #921.

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The 1921 Directory lists him as an “Architect and Engineer – Wise Granite & Construction Co., Inc.” and living at 2409 Grove Avenue.

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In April 1922, Mr. Hofmann served on the Grounds Committee with Charles Custer Robinson and Ben Ruffin for the design of the sets, amphitheater, lighting, scenery, engineering for “The Virginia Historical Pageant Association,” which put on a week-long celebration of Virginia history on 80 acres “opposite Joseph Byran Park.”

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The 1922-1930 Directories list him as sole proprietor with the exception of 1924 when he is listed as “Draftsman, M[arcellus] E. Wright, Architect.”

A look into the Robinson Plan Archives shows Mr. Wright Active until 1911 when he initialed the plans of the RJ Reynolds Warehouse (10/1911) and then a long absence, returning in 1915 (Spartans burg Hotel 7/1915; Luray Methodist Episcopal Church 8/1915; Portsmouth’s Woodrow High School (initials as reviewed with Charles Custer Robinson 7/1916—Charles Custer Robinson’s First Plans); Miller & Rhoades (initials as reviewed with Charles Custer Robinson 8/1916); Grace Hospital Addition (initials as reviewed with Charles Custer Robinson 8/1916) and Universal Motor Company (10/1916).

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It is – therefore – David B. Robinson’s Theory that Charles M. Robinson and Marcellus Wright ended their association in 1912 (Armory Competition and Building Inspector Appointment) but renewed it in 1915 out of mutual necessity for less than two years (WWI Draft Card as being an architect at Ft. Eustis) but that Charles M. Robinson used Marcellus wright to assimilate Charles Custer Robinson into the Firm – well before J. Binford Walford’s arrival in June 1919.

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In 1922, Robinson and Wright – both 32nd Degree Masons – began collaborating with ACCA Temple to design their national headquarter’s – Richmond’s Mosque (later “Landmark Theater” and later “Altria Theater).  Wright travelled around the United States with ACCA Temple officials to review other facilities.  In 1922 fundraising brochures, “Marcellus E. Wright & Charles M. Robinson” are listed as the architects.  Contemporaneous newspaper articles credit them as being “co-architects” or “associated architects.”  Charles Custer Robinson is contemporaneously credited as “Construction Supervisor” and recognized as the structural engineer.  There were ast least three renderings for the Mosque.  Sets of architectural plans show both Marcellus E. Wright & Charles M. Robinson’s name.  The final rendering shows both signatures with Mr. Wright’s listed first:

 

Charles M. Robinson and Marcellus Wright collaborated again in 1927 for the design of The Wright Pavilion at Blue Ridge Sanatorium which was sponsored by the Grand Lodge of Virginia and named in honor of Masonic leader George C. Wright. With capacity for sixty beds, the Pavilion was built to aid treatment of tuberculosis as part of the state-run tuberculosis sanatorium. In exchange for funding, members of the Grand Lodge obtained preference in admittance to the state-run facility.

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As a sole practitioner for the balance of his life up until the time that he began partnership with his son, Mr. Wright designed many Virginia buildings, including the following highlights:

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• In April 1925, a collaboration between Marcellus Wright, Paul Phillippe Cret, and Berthold Nebel produced the winning entry for a contest to design the Virginia War Memorial. Construction proceeded to the point of laying foundations before the project was scrapped. A carillon designed by Ralph Adams Cram was erected in its stead.

• The William Byrd Hotel (1925), the first hotel designed by Marcellus E. Wright. Located across from Broad Street Station, the William Byrd Hotel was described by the Richmond News Leader as "a monument to Richmond energy, talent, and progressiveness."

• The Chamberlin (1928), formerly known as the Chamberlin Hotel and originally as the Chamberlin-Vanderbilt Hotel due to financial backing from the Vanderbilt family. Designed in the Beaux-Arts style and opened as a luxury resort at Old Point Comfort in Hampton, Virginia, fronting the Chesapeake Bay

• The Hotel John Marshall (1929), an upscale fixture of downtown Richmond. Its main U-shaped structure originally was topped by a terracotta cornice and rests upon a three-story limestone base

• The Terminal Building of Richmond International Airport (1950)

• Johnston-Willis Hospital (1940s)

• Federal Building, Seventh & Marshall (1950s)

• Grace Street Bank and Trust Building

• Christian Science Church of Richmond

• Grace Securities Building (later Reynolds Metals Building), Downtown Richmond

• City of Richmond Public Schools:  George Washington Carver and Baker Elementary

 

The 1930 Census lists the Wrights living at 2409 Grove Avenue with their son, Marcellus, Jr. and their Daughter, Francis Stovall Wright (later Mrs. Joseph E. James, Jr.).

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Ultimately, Mr. Wright’s firm became known in the 1980s as “Marcellus Wright, Cox & Smith.”

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Mr. Wright died on December 7, 1962 at home age 81 of a heart attack.  His wife survived him.  His occupation at the time of his death was “architect” with “Marcellus Wright & Son, Architect.”  Only one of his siblings survived him—O. Pendleton Wright

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Mrs. Wright died on December 7, 1970 (exactly eight years after her husband of 56 years) at Stuart Circle Hospital and is also buried at Hollywood Cemetery.