(Click image to purchase from Amazon)

D. O. Whilldin-Alabama Architect

This richly illustrated volume on the work of D. O. Whilldin documents the legacy of one of Alabama’s most accomplished architects. Born and trained in Philadelphia at Drexel Institute and the University of Pennsylvania, Whilldin practiced architecture in the growing cities of Birmingham, Gadsden, and Tuscaloosa from 1904 to 1962. His more than 400 projects include scores of municipal and county schools, civic and governmental structures, theatres, commercial buildings, and fine residences-in styles ranging from Beaux-Arts to International. This book represents the first study of this early 20th-century Southern architect, whose work transformed the cities in which he practiced. Still-standing Whilldin structures include Phillips High School, Ensley High School, the Dr. Pepper Plant, and the Sims-Florentine Building in Birmingham; the Merchants Bank and Trust (now the RBC Building), Tuscaloosa High School, and City Hall and Bama Theatre in Tuscaloosa; and the Pitman Theatre, Reich Hotel, and Litchfield and Mitchell schools in Gadsden. Written by Thomas Mark Shelby, published by Birmingham Historical Society, 2009, 232 pages.