Renowned Charlotte architect Murray Whisnant dies
He was in many ways the designer who introduced Modern Architecture to post-war Charlotte.
Fresh out of the N.C. State School of Design in 1956 Murray Whisnant was inspired by the latest trends in building — clean lines, no applied decoration, broad use of glass.
He thought he could use them to make a statement.
“Most of us in architecture are influenced by what we see,” said Charlotte architect David Furman. “Murray was the rare guy who could have a creative idea on his own.”
After a short illness, William Murray Whisnant died Sunday at home, attended by his wife, Kathleen Posey. He was 92 years old.
He is survived by son Thomas Whisnant and wife, Cynthia Whisnant, and children Rex and Raven Whisnant, all of Chapel Hill. Also, daughter Ena Whisnant Swansea and her son, Dylan Siegel, of New York City. A family-only funeral will be held Thursday, with a celebration of life gathering for friends in the spring.
Along with numerous houses, he designed the Red Cross Administration Building on Park Road; Mecklenburg County Office Building on E. 4th Street, and the Oliver Rowe Fine Arts Building at UNC Charlotte.
In 1990, he won the Kamphoefner Prize, given to the N.C. architect who made a “sustained contribution to the modern movement.” He was voted one of the top 50 architects in America by Town and Country Magazine.
He liked to tell the story of a man who called him to say that after a big storm in the mountains, a house he’d designed was still standing. “But Mr. Whisnant all your ‘architecture’ got blowed off.”
As personalities go, Whisnant was an introvert. It was his former wife, Charleen Swansea, who asked him out for their first date when they were at Central High.
Whisnant also had a sense of humor.
Furman remembered a time when Whisnant showed up for a party at his house and he pranked him, hustling him upstairs and telling him (wrongly) he’d forgotten to mention it was a costume party.
He helped Whisnant into one of his wife’s dresses and brought him downstairs to much kidding and laughter.
Whisnant kept it on the whole night.
Richard Maschal is a former Observer reporter and architecture critic.
This story was originally published November 12, 2024 at 1:35 PM.