William T. Warren, 1877-1962
Family Papers
AR 1006
Biographical Information
William
Tillman Warren was born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1877. He earned an
engineering degree from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University) in
1897 and a degree in architecture from Columbia University in 1902. Warren
practiced with the New York firm of McKim, Meade & White until 1906. In 1907,
Warren relocated to Birmingham where he practiced for the remainder of his
career. In Birmingham, Warren had several successful partnerships including
Warren and Welton (1906-1910), W.T. Warren (1911-1917), Warren and Knight
(1917-1921), and the most prolific, Warren, Knight & Davis (1921-1961). The firm
of Warren, Knight & Davis designed many downtown buildings and prominent private
residences in Birmingham. The firm made significant contributions to the
evolution of architecture and design in the City of Birmingham in the first half
of the twentieth century. Warren and his wife, Dorothea Orr Warren, had two
children, Dorothea (Dorothy) and William, Jr. (Bill).
Scope
and Content
This collection includes the personal and business papers of William
Tilman Warren, a prominent Birmingham architect, his wife Dorothea Orr Warren,
and their two children Dorothea and William, Jr. Warren’s business
correspondence traces his career as an architect beginning with his work in the
firm of in the firm of Warren and Welton and ending with his most productive
partnership of Warren, Knight & Davis. His personal papers include
correspondence with family members, notes about family properties outside of
Birmingham, poems written by Warren about his family members, clippings of
current events of his day, notes about Warren’s involvement with community
organizations such as “Birmingham’s Little Theater,” and the research materials
for a book titled The Practical Dreamer that Dorothea Orr Warren wrote about
John T. Milner, her grandfather and an early engineer and businessman that
influenced the location and development of Birmingham. The collection also
includes personal photographs and photographs of buildings in Birmingham and
around the state.
Gift of William T. Warren, Jr.
Sources
Satterfield, Carolyn Green. Historic Sites of
Jefferson County, Alabama. Birmingham, Alabama: Lowry Printing, 1985. Prepared
for the Jefferson County Historical Commission.)
Schnorrenberg,
John M. Remembered Past, Discovered Future: The Alabama Architecture of Warren
Knight & Davis, 1906-1961. Catalogue of Exhibitions at Birmingham Museum of Art,
Birmingham Public Library, and University of Alabama at Birmingham Visual Arts
Gallery. Birmingham, Alabama: Birmingham Museum of Art, 1999.)
Photograph of William T. Warren by J.F. Knox, undated. File #1006.5.55. Warren,
William T. Family Papers. Birmingham Public Library, Department of Archives and
Manuscripts.