Hook and Sawyer (1898-1905)

The large, Romanesque Revival building was erected as an addition to First Presbyterian Church built in 1892 and designed by L. B. Volk and Son. The pair of brick edifices now houses the local history museum. The congregation subsequently built and moved to First Presbyterian Church (1928-1929), designed by Hobart Upjohn and Harry Barton and located in the Fisher Park suburb (see entries for Hobart Upjohn and Harry Barton).

Spencer Hall is the principal surviving building by Hook at present University of North Carolina at Greensboro (the State Normal and Industrial College), where he also planned other buildings including an auditorium, a library, and other dormitories. When completed it was described as largest women's dormitory in the country under one roof. The Julius Isaac Foust Papers at University of North Carolina at Greenboro University Archives & Manuscripts includes correspondence with the firm of Hook and Rogers (1910s) and Thomas Sears (1920s) about construction of campus buildings and landscaping. Attached to a 1904 Hook letter is a photograph of a rendering of Spencer Hall by Hook. Spencer Hall was named for Cornelia Phillips Spencer, advocate of education for women.

The Manufacturers' Record (July 21, 1904) announced that S. L. Patterson, commissioner of agriculture, was to open bids on August 2nd for construction of the agriculture building for the N. C. College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Potential bidders could view plans at the commissioner's office or "at the office of Hook and Sawyer, architects, Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh." This is a recent link with the architects for this prominent building at the university. Patterson Hall is said to have been modeled after the agriculture building at Ohio State University.

Hook and Sawyer's drawing for the boldly composed 3-story building of rusticated stone is featured in Some Designs of Hook and Sawyer (1902). It is one of the landmarks of downtown Concord.

The drawing for the Concord City Hall featured in Hook and Sawyer (1902) showed an eclectic blend of Renaissance and Italianate motifs, including a campanile-like fire tower on the right. As shown in a photograph (Kaplan, Cabarrus County), however, the building had the tower on the left.

The Romanesque Revival brick building is said to incorporate the walls of the 1840 meeting house that preceded it.

The Southern Conservatory of Music was established in 1898 and in 1900 the Duke family sponsored construction of a substantial building in memory of Mary Duke Lyon, the only daughter of Washington Duke, who died in 1893.

According to the Manufacturers' Record (Feb. 25, 1904) Hook and Sawyer designed this commercial building for contractor Norman Underwood. When it was built, the 6-story building was one of the tallest in town. The Trust Building is pictured on the left.

In 1899 and 1906 the Manufacturers' Record carried news of Hook's firms designing office buildings for John Love, which may be these.

The street level façade has been replaced, but the upper stories of the façade remain as designed by Hook and Sawyer.

Hook and Hook and Sawyer planned several buildings for Davidson College, but none of them is known to survive. The Martin Chemical Laboratory, which housed science facilities, stood until 1941.

The ornate 6-story office building, featuring classical and Chateauesque details, was one of the largest and tallest in downtown Charlotte at its completion. It contained an opera house known as the Academy of Music. It burned in 1922.

The architects provided a more elaborate composition for the college main building than was actually built.

The Spray Inn, shown in a photograph in Hook and Sawyer (1902) was built for the textile industrial community of Spray, which became part of the town of Eden. It was a long, gambrel roofed building combining Shingle and Colonial Revival styles, with a full-length 1-story porch with stout columns.

The grand Châteauesque stone and brick residence was built for Egbert Barry Cornwall Hambley, a Cornish-born civil and mining engineer who came to North Carolina to work in gold mining before becoming involved in development of hydroelectric power on the Yadkin River.

The Carnegie Library was one of several projects for Hook at present UNCG, where he also planned dormitories and other facilities. It was damaged by fire in 1932 and rebuilt and enlarged in 1933, expanded in 1955, and renovated in the early 21st century.