Charles Barber

The Candoro Marble Company of Knoxville Tennessee has provided for their office and garage marble structures which were conceived with the idea of demonstrating the proper and most effective use of the material which they manufacture.

— National Builder in 1924

Charles Barber, an esteemed architect, was commissioned in 1921 to build an office and showroom for Candoro Marble Company. Barber, the son of a talented architect, started his training early and, by his teenage years, had begun assisting in the design of buildings in his father's office. In 1907, Barber left for a three-month tour of Italy and Greece, to study architecture and Italian gardens. On his return, he briefly attended the University of Tennessee and afterward enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1911 with the highest honors. Paul Cret, a graduate of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts and a leading exponent of the Beaux-Arts movement, was one of his professors and greatly influenced Barber's subsequent designs. Barber returned to Knoxville in 1911 and started practicing architecture with his father. In 1915, he formed a partnership with Ben McMurry, who also graduated from the University of Pennsylvania. Barber's cousin, D. West Barber, also became a partner in the architectural firm.

One of Barber's early designs was the Southern States Building for the National Conservation Exposition held in Knoxville in 1913. The building, now demolished, was constructed in the classical style at Chilhowee Park. During the period between 1915 and World War II, Barber & McMurry played a significant role in designing new buildings not only in Knoxville, but also in Chattanooga, southern Kentucky, and western North Carolina.

"The Candoro Marble Company of Knoxville Tennessee has provided for their office and garage marble structures which were conceived with the idea of demonstrating the proper and most effective use of the material which they manufacture," wrote the magazine National Builder in 1924. Barber strove to set an example of the possibilities of marble as a building product, and his design worked to make a cohesive composition of the collective parts. The Candoro building is small, and stands in contrast to the massive marble processing plant adjacent to it, though Barber's plan gave the building a monumental scale. From the front, the showroom appears as a one-story building, with a marble facade consisting of rectangular blocks. From the rear, a lower level with a flat roof appears from beneath a planted terrace. Stepping back from the building, one can observe a small penthouse rising from the center, which was used as a blueprint room. To the west, there is a small court leading to an arcaded Spanish Colonial-style carport, which features a tiled roof and exterior walls that consist of marble and stucco.

The structures reflect the influence of Barber's teacher at the University of Pennsylvania, Paul Cret, whose grand "stripped classical" style became popular in the 1920s and 1930s. Barber chose the Italian style, with the simplification of such elements as the pilasters framing the entrance displaying Cret's influence. The architectural design, quality of materials, and attention to individual details, combined with the exquisite marble carving and elegant ironwork, make for a building worthy of protection. Restoration of this special place ensures that others can connect tangibly with Knoxville's history. Charles Barber died in 1962, but his firm endures as BarberMcMurry Architects.