William C. Knighton
Encyclopedia
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect best known for his work in Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
. Knighton designed the Governor Hotel
Governor Hotel (Portland, Oregon)
The Governor Hotel, formerly the Seward Hotel, is a historic hotel building in downtown, Portland, Oregon, United States. The present name dates from 1932....
in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Johnson Hall
Johnson Hall (Eugene, Oregon)
Johnson Hall, located in Eugene, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-References:...
at the University of Oregon
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
, and the Oregon Supreme Court Building
Oregon Supreme Court Building
The Oregon Supreme Court Building is the home to the Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, and the Oregon Judicial Department. Located in the state’s capitol of Salem, it is Oregon’s oldest state government building...
and Deepwood Estate
Dr. Luke A. Port House
The Dr. Luke A. Porthouse, also known as Historic Deepwood Estate, or simply Deepwood, is a historic house in Salem, Oregon, United States. It was designed by William C. Knighton as his first residential commission and the landscape design was done by the Salem firm of Lord & Schryver. It contains...
in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
. He served as Oregon's first State Architect from 1913–1917. By 1917, Knighton had designed ninety building projects as State Architect.
Life
Knighton was born in IndianapolisIndianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
and later received his architectural training in Chicago and Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. He was the son of Charles J. Knighton and Mary
Hill.
Knighton moved to Portland, Oregon in the early 1890s and worked for architect George W. Marshall. In 1892 Knighton moved to Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
where he apprenticed as a draftsman with C. S. McNally
C. S. McNally
Cornelius Sarsfield McNally was an architect in Salem, Oregon, whose work included an 1892 remodel of the facade for the Capital National Bank Building that was originally built in 1880. It was remodeled again in 1950...
until 1893.
Knighton established his own Salem office in March 1893, as a result of McNally moving to Oakland, California, and practiced alone until 1896. In 1896, Knighton relocated to Los Angeles where he continued to practice until early 1898, before returning to Birmingham, Alabama in 1898 where he worked for George Wheelock & Company until 1902. Knighton then returned to Portland in 1902 to work alone for the second time, until 1904 when he began a partnership with William Travis, Jr. for the partnership known as Knighton and Travis.
Knighton and Travis operated as a partnership until 1906. From 1906 until early 1910 Knighton practiced alone in Portland until he briefly formed a partnership with J. Terry Wilding. With the partnership of Wilding only lasting a year, Knighton then entered a partnership with Edward T. Root in 1911.
Projects
- Capitol National Bank (1892 facade redesign) in Salem. Knighton was a draftsman with C. S. McNally while the redesign of the building's facade at 129 Commercial Street NE was carried out.
- Governor HotelGovernor Hotel (Portland, Oregon)The Governor Hotel, formerly the Seward Hotel, is a historic hotel building in downtown, Portland, Oregon, United States. The present name dates from 1932....
(aka Seward Hotel) at 611 SW 10th Avenue in Portland - Johnson HallJohnson Hall (Eugene, Oregon)Johnson Hall, located in Eugene, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-References:...
at the University of OregonUniversity of Oregon-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in Eugene, OregonEugene, OregonEugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S... - Oregon Supreme Court BuildingOregon Supreme Court BuildingThe Oregon Supreme Court Building is the home to the Oregon Supreme Court, Oregon Court of Appeals, and the Oregon Judicial Department. Located in the state’s capitol of Salem, it is Oregon’s oldest state government building...
in Salem - Bayne Building at 335-349 State Street in Salem
- Maud and Belle Ainsworth House at 2542 S.W. Hillcrest Drive in Portland
- Ashland Oregon National Guard Armory at 208 Oak St in Ashland, OregonAshland, OregonAshland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States, near Interstate 5 and the California border, and located in the south end of the Rogue Valley. It was named after Ashland County, Ohio, point of origin of Abel Helman and other founders, and secondarily for Ashland, Kentucky, where other...
- Frigidaire BuildingFrigidaire BuildingThe Frigidaire Building is a building in southeast Portland, Oregon listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
(later known as the R. J. Templeton Building) at 230 East Burnside in Portland (Knighton & Howell) - Joseph Gaston HouseJoseph Gaston HouseThe Joseph Gaston House is a house located in southwest Portland, Oregon listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located in the southernmost part of the Goose Hollow neighborhood....
at 1960 S.W. Sixteenth Avenue in Portland - Judge James Watson Hamilton House at 759 S. E. Kane Street in Roseburg, Oregon
- Johnson HallJohnson Hall (Eugene, Oregon)Johnson Hall, located in Eugene, Oregon, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.-References:...
at E. 13th between University and Kincaid Sts. in Eugene - Packard Service BuildingPackard Service BuildingThe Packard Service Building is a building located in northwest Portland, Oregon listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
at 121 NW. Twenty-Third Avenue in Portland - Dr. Luke A. Port HouseDr. Luke A. Port HouseThe Dr. Luke A. Porthouse, also known as Historic Deepwood Estate, or simply Deepwood, is a historic house in Salem, Oregon, United States. It was designed by William C. Knighton as his first residential commission and the landscape design was done by the Salem firm of Lord & Schryver. It contains...
(Deepwood Estate) at 1116 Mission St. in SE Salem - Portland Thirteenth Avenue Historic District at NW Thirteenth Ave. between NW Davis and NW Johnson Sts. in Portland
- Roseburg, Oregon National Guard Armory at 1034 SE. Oak Street in Roseburg
- Charles J. and Elsa Schnabel HouseCharles J. and Elsa Schnabel HouseThe Charles J. and Elsa Schnabel House is a house located in southwest Portland, Oregon listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
at 2375 S.W. Park Place in Portland - Trinity Place ApartmentsTrinity Place ApartmentsThe Trinity Place Apartments, located in northwest Portland, Oregon, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places....
at 117 NW. Trinity Place in Portland (Knighton & Root) - Whitney and Gray Building and Jake's Famous CrawfishJake's Famous CrawfishJake's Famous Crawfish is a seafood restaurant in Portland, Oregon, founded in 1892 by Jacob "Jake" Lewis Freiman.-History:In 1972, William "Bill" McCormick purchased Jake's Famous Crawfish and hired Doug Schmick as his manager...
Restaurant at 401-409 SW 12th Ave. in Portland (Knighton & Root)