Lang & Witchell was a prominent architectural firm in Dallas, Texas, active from 1905 to 1942.
History Senior partner Otto H. Lang was born in Freiburg in 1864. He graduated in 1888 with a degree in structural engineering from the University of Karlsruhe, also studying architecture. He then relocated to the United States, eventually settling in Dallas, where he worked for the Texas and Pacific Railroad,Marcel Quimby, "Shaping the Dallas Skyline," Legacies: A History Journal for Dallas and North Central Texas 9, no. 2 (Fall 1997): 13-20. eventually becoming its senior architect and engineer."In General," Brickbuilder, September 1905, 213. Frank O. Witchell was born in South Wales in 1879. As a child, his family relocated to San Antonio, Texas. As a teenager he entered the office of J. Riely Gordon, one of the best-known architects in the state. In 1898 he began work as a designer with Sanguinet & Staats in Fort Worth.
In 1905, the two men separated from their employers, founding the new firm of Lang & Witchell. This firm would rise to become the most esteemed architectural firm in Dallas.
The partnership was dissolved in 1938, when Witchell retired duo to failing health. Lang continued to operate the firm until 1942, when he too retired. He continued on in an advisory capacity with architect Grayson Gill."Lang Honored," Pencil Points, 1942, 48. Lang would die in 1947, and Witchell in 1952.
Legacy The firm is credited with designing a number of buildings that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Architectural works + Caption Year Building Address City State Notes Image Reference 1905 Columbian Club S Ervay St and Griffin St E Dallas Texas Demolished. Mark Doty, Lost Dallas (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2012) 1906 Y. M. C. A. Building Commerce and S St Paul Sts Dallas Texas Demolished. Engineering News, July 26, 1906, 30. 1907 Dallas High School 2218 Bryan St Dallas Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1996. Dallas High School Historic District NRHP Nomination (1996) 1907 First National Bank Building S Main and W 3rd Sts McGregor Texas Manufacturers' Record, March 21, 1907, 293. 1907 Harris County Courthouse 301 Fannin St Houston Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1981. Harris County Courthouse of 1910 NRHP Nomination (1981) 1908 Howard County Courthouse 300 S Main St Big Spring Texas Demolished. American Architect, January 25, 1908, 17. 1909 Hotel Grace 102 Cypress St Abilene Texas St. Louis Lumberman, June 1, 1909, 58. 1909 Scurry County Courthouse 1806 25th St Snyder Texas Extant, but altered almost beyond recognition. Willard B. Robinson, The People's Architecture: Texas Courthouses, Jails, and Municipal Buildings (Texas State Historical Association, 1983) 1910 Cooke County Courthouse 101 S Dixon St Gainesville Texas Designed in association with Garrett & Collins of Gainesville. Listed on the NRHP in 1991.Cooke County Courthouse NRHP Nomination (1991) American Contractor, April 30, 1910, 65. 1910 Sanger Brothers Department Store 716 Elm St Dallas Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1975.Sanger Brothers Complex NRHP Nomination (1975) American Contractor, April 9, 1910, 50. 1910 Sears, Roebuck & Company Warehouse 1601 S Lamar St Dallas Texas 1910 Southland Life Insurance Company Building 1416-1422 Commerce St Dallas Texas Demolished. 1910 Wichita Falls Union Depot 500 9th St Wichita Falls Texas Demolished. 1911 Dallas Cotton Exchange Building 401 S Akard St Dallas Texas Demolished. Engineering Record, March 25, 1911, 66. 1911 House 1766 Pasadena Ave Houston Texas Nancy Hadley, Houston Architectural Guide (1990) 1911 Nacogdoches County Courthouse 101 W Main St Nacogdoches Texas Demolished. Tradesman, August 31, 1911, 54. 1911 Southwestern Life Insurance Company Building 1500 Main St Dallas Texas Demolished in 1972. Indicator, September 1911, 71. 1912 Didaco and Ida Bianchi House 4503 Reiger Ave Dallas Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1995. Didaco and Ida Bianchi House NRHP Nomination (1995) 1912 Busch Building 1509 Main St Dallas Texas Designed in association with Barnett, Haynes & Barnett of St. Louis. Now known as the Kirby Building, and listed on the NRHP in 1980. Busch Building NRHP Nomination (1980) 1912 Johnson County Courthouse 1 Public Sq Cleburne Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1988.Johnson County Courthouse NRHP Nomination (1988) American Architect, October 16, 1912, 15. 1912 Sears, Roebuck & Company Store 1401 S Lamar St Dallas Texas Presently a mixed-use development known as Southside on Lamar. Tradesman, May 2, 1912, 55. 1913 Riggins Hotel 801 Austin Ave Waco Texas Later known as the Raleigh Hotel and Raleigh Building. American Contractor, July 12, 1913, 79. 1913 Rufus W. Higginbotham House 5002 Swiss Ave Dallas Texas Considered to be one of the purest examples of Prairie School architecture in Dallas, this house is a contributing property to the Swiss Avenue Historic District, listed on the NRHP in 1974. Swiss Avenue Historic District NRHP Nomination (1974) 1913 Tannehill (Western Union) Building 2030 Main St Dallas Texas 1914 Higginbotham-Bailey-Logan Company Building 900 Jackson St Dallas Texas Presently a mixed-use development known as Founders Square. 1914 Sally Salzenstein House 2419 South Blvd Dallas Texas 1915 James W. Fannin Elementary School 4800 Ross Ave Dallas Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1995. James W. Fannin Elementary School NRHP Nomination (1995) 1916 American Exchange National Bank Building 1407 Main St Dallas Texas Designed in association with Alfred C. Bossom of New York, demolished. American Contractor, June 24, 1916, 106. 1916 Belford Apartments 260 S Main St Paris Texas Designed in association with Curtis, Broad & Lightfoot of Paris. Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record, June 15, 1916, 14. 1916 Fire Station No. 2 1011 Pine Bluff St Paris Texas Designed in association with Curtis, Broad & Lightfoot of Paris. Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record, June 15, 1916, 13. 1916 First Baptist Church 207 S Church St Paris Texas Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record, June 1, 1916, 15. 1916 First National Bank Building 104 Bonham St Paris Texas Designed in association with Curtis, Broad & Lightfoot of Paris. 1916 Gibraltar Hotel 265 S Main St Paris Texas Designed in association with Curtis, Broad & Lightfoot of Paris. 1917 Jefferson Hotel Wood and Houston Sts Dallas Texas Demolished in 1975. Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record, January 15, 1917, 14. 1917 Majestic Theatre 1925 Elm St Dallas Texas Designed in association with John Eberson of Chicago. American Contractor, September 1, 1917, 50. 1917 Y. W. C. A. Building 315 E Franklin Ave El Paso Texas Texas Trade Review and Industrial Record, May 1, 1917, 15. 1919 Magnolia Petroleum Company Building 108 S Akard St Dallas Texas Designed in association with Alfred C. Bossom of New York as the tallest building in Texas. Listed on the NRHP in 1978.Magnolia Building NRHP Nomination (1978) "Magnolia Petroleum Co. Is Building 'Skyscraper' In Dallas," Oil Trade Journal, May 1920, 121. 1922 Amarillo Municipal Auditorium 600 S Buchanan St Amarillo Texas Designed in association with Smith & Townes of Amarillo, demolished in 1968. "$250,000 Auditorium and Library," Manufacturers' Record, April 27, 1922, 61. 1922 Booker T. Washington High School 2501 Flora St Dallas Texas 1922 Paul N. Dunbar Elementary School 4200 Metropolitan Ave Dallas Texas Manufacturers' Record, July 20, 1922, 84. 1923 Chevrolet Motor Company Building 3221 Commerce St Dallas Texas Listed on the NRHP in 2003. Chevrolet Motor Company Building NRHP Nomination (2003) 1923 Dallas Athletic Club N St Paul and Elm Sts Dallas Texas Demolished in 1981. "Dallas Athletic Club to Erect $1,500,000 Building," Manufacturers' Record, March 15, 1923, 75. 1923 Highland Park Town Hall 4700 Drexel Dr Highland Park Texas Manufacturers' Record, July 5, 1923, 41. 1923 Lone Star Gas Company South Building 301 S Harwood St Dallas Texas "Lone Star Gas Company to Erect Office Building," Manufacturers' Record, July 5, 1923, 104. 1924 Hilton Hotel 1933 Main St Dallas Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1985. Hilton Hotel NRHP Nomination (1985) 1924 Nurses' Home 708 S College St McKinney Texas A contributing property to the Old McKinney Hospital, listed on the NRHP in 1987. Old McKinney Hospital NRHP Nomination (1987) 1925 Dallas Cotton Exchange Building 608 N St Paul St Dallas Texas Designed in association with Thomson & Swaine of Dallas. Demolished in 1994. Domestic Engineering, November 7, 1925, 88. 1926 Clarence R. Miller House 5112 Swiss Ave Dallas Texas A contributing property to the Swiss Avenue Historic District, listed on the NRHP in 1974. 1926 Crazy Water Hotel 401 N Oak Ave Mineral Wells Texas Designed in association with Withers & Morrell of Dallas. Power, 1926, 38. 1926 Dallas County Records Building 509 Main St Dallas Texas Domestic Engineering, October 23, 1926, 103. 1926 Episcopal Church of the Incarnation 3966 McKinney Ave Dallas Texas Domestic Engineering, October 23, 1926, 104. 1927 San Angelo Telephone Company Building 14 W Twohig Ave San Angelo Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1988. San Angelo Telephone Company Building NRHP Nomination (1988) 1927 Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Building 308 S Akard St Dallas Texas Designed in association with company architect Irving R. Timlin. Now known as Three AT&T Plaza. "Contract for $2,750,000 Unit of $4,500,000 Building," Manufacturers' Record, September 22, 1927, 78. 1928 Eastland County Courthouse 100 W Main St Eastland Texas 1928 Gulf States Insurance Company Building 1415 Main St Dallas Texas Now known as Third Rail Lofts. 1928 University Park Elementary School 3505 Amherst Ave University Park Texas Demolished in 2017. Cheryl Caldwell Ferguson, Highland Park and River Oaks: The Origins of Garden Suburban Community Planning in Texas (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2014) 1928 Waco Hall Baylor University Waco Texas Designed in association with Harry L. Spicer of Waco. "$350,000 Chapel and Auditorium for Baylor University," Manufacturers' Record, September 15, 1928. 1928 Wichita Falls City Hall and Memorial Auditorium 1300 7th St Wichita Falls Texas Designed in association with Voelcker & Dixon of Wichita Falls. Jack County Courthouse NRHP Nomination (2012) 1929 Dallas Power and Light Company Building 1506 Commerce St Dallas Texas Engineering News-record, November 7, 1929, 1325. 1929 Waco City Hall 300 Austin Ave Waco Texas Designed in association with Harry L. Spicer of Waco. 1930 First State Bank and Trust Company Building 100 W 25th St Bryan Texas Listed on the NRHP in 1987. First State Bank and Trust Building NRHP Nomination (1987) 1931 Lone Star Gas Company North Building 301 S Harwood St Dallas Texas Preservation Dallas. Dallas Landmarks (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008) 30. 1933 State Highway Building 125 E 11th St Austin Texas Designed in association with Adams & Adams of Austin. Listed on the NRHP in 1998.1918 State Office Building and 1933 State Highway Building NRHP Nomination (1998) Kirby Keahey and Allen McCree, Austin and Its Architecture, (Austin, TX: Austin Chapter, American Institute of Architects, 1976): 10. 1936 U. S. Post Office Terminal Annex 207 S Houston St Dallas Texas Manufacturers' Record, 1936.
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