Benton, Charles C., Sr. (1887/1888-1960)

Charles C. Benton, Sr., together with his partners including his brother Frank W. Benton, his sons Henry and Charles Collins Benton, Jr., and others, had a long-lived and regionally important architectural practice headquartered in Wilson, North Carolina. Encompassing much of eastern North Carolina and extending west into the foothills, Benton and his associates designed buildings of nearly every type—residences, banks, churches, hospitals, train stations, and civic buildings. His firms specialized in neoclassical and Colonial Revival modes especially favored by the founder—hence the nickname Charles C. (“Colonial”) Benton—but also ventured into modernist styles in the 1930s and later.

Charles C. Benton, Sr., was born in Wilson in 1887 or 1888, the youngest of at least seven children of Henry Benton, a mechanic (possibly a builder in the parlance of the day), and Margaret Whitaker Benton. Charles is said to have studied at MIT in about 1902, but this has not been documented, nor is it known how he or his older brother Frank gained training or experience in architecture. By 1910 Charles and Frank, both identified as architects, were living in Wilson with their widowed mother. In 1911 Charles wed Mary Powell, and by 1920 the couple had two children, Henry and Charles C., Jr., both of whom would work with their father. (Charles’s death certificate gave his birth year as 1887, but his World War II draft registration gave it as 1888.)

Charles C. Benton, Sr., listed as an architect in Wilson’s 1907 city directory, had been involved in a few building projects before that, and in 1908, the Rocky Mount city directory indicated that he was associated briefly with architect John C. Stout, but no works by Benton and Stout have been identified. In about 1910 Benton joined with architect Solon B. Moore to form Benton and Moore; their brief but prolific association produced numerous public and private buildings, especially hospitals. Benton and Moore dissolved their partnership in 1915, the same year that Charles C. Benton established the firm of Benton and Benton with his brother Frank, which lasted for twenty years. Because no records of the firm’s operation are known to survive, the division of work between the two brothers is not known.

The firm of Benton and Benton proved even more prolific than Benton and Moore. Taking advantage of the growing demand for substantial buildings in many small and middle-sized communities, the firm gained commissions that extended from Elizabeth City in the northeastern part of the state to as far west as North Wilkesboro and Morganton. Seldom taking projects in larger cities, the firm found a profitable niche in county seats and market towns, where their designs and services suited a wide range of clients from homeowners to civic officials. They planned handsome and relatively conservative versions of prevailing architectural forms and styles that accommodated local tastes and budgets. (According to research by John E. Wells, however, in 1921 Benton and Benton had an office in Richmond, Virginia, which became Benton and Bengston [for associate Luther Bengston] in 1922 and closed by 1925.)

Benton and Benton developed an especially strong reputation in various classical and Colonial Revival modes popular in the region. For the modestly budgeted courthouses in Montgomery and Washington counties and elsewhere they employed the symmetrical forms and prominent porticoes that were the norm in the period. The firm also designed a number of reassuringly monumental neoclassical banks that asserted a new presence in many towns: typically located on prominent downtown corners, these banks presented a columned, vault-like façade or entrance to the main street and had classical pilasters along the side street. Benton and Benton and later Benton and Son(s) also planned residences in a range of popular styles, including columned “Southern Colonial” and other Colonial Revival modes, as well as substantial bungalows with bold Craftsman detailing, such as the Lloyd and Lillian Turnage House in Ayden; Benton and Benton’s blueprints for the latter, held at the Special Collections Research Center at North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina, are among the few drawings by the Benton firms known to survive.

Despite the Great Depression, the partnership continued until 1935, at which time the brothers established separate practices. Frank worked on his own, while Charles C. Benton, Sr., formed Charles C. Benton and Son with his elder son, Henry, and when Charles Jr., joined the firm in 1940 it was renamed Charles C. Benton and Sons. Henry was trained as a civil engineer, and Charles, Jr. was an architect. The late 1930s and especially the post-World War II building boom brought Benton and Son(s) many projects including schools, health facilities, churches, and residences, mostly in North Carolina but a few in South Carolina. Possibly influenced by the younger members, the firm embraced the Art Deco and other progressive styles for certain projects: the glamorous Art Deco style Riviera Theater (1939) in Charleston, South Carolina, is among their best known works from the late 1930s. Benton and Sons’ post-World War II projects include various blends of modernist and traditional elements. A notable work of the period by Benton, Sr., is the Colonial Revival style Harper Hall (1950s) which helped define the mid-century architectural character at Wilson’s Atlantic Christian College (now Barton College), while the firm’s Brown Library in Washington, North Carolina is a symmetrical, red brick building with modernist simplicity of forms. Charles C. Benton, Sr., continued to be active in his profession until his health failed, and he died on October 25, 1960, predeceasing his brother Frank by less than two months.

After his father’s death, Charles C. Benton., Jr., practiced with architect John Ashe in Wilson until 1967. (The younger Benton’s work after his father’s death is not addressed in this entry.) After the dissolution of the firm its drawings and other records were stored with Stephenson Millwork of Wilson, where they were destroyed by fire in the late twentieth century. As a result, no job list for the Benton firms is known to exist, and scarcely any drawings or other records survive. The present building list presents only a fraction of the many projects by the Benton firms. Further information is sought.

  • Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (1996).
  • Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Piedmont North Carolina (2003).
  • Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern, and Jennifer F. Martin, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Western North Carolina (1999).
  • M. Ruth Little, Coastal Plain and Fancy: The Historic Architecture of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina (1998).
  • Manufacturers’ Record, various issues.
  • Kate Ohno, Wilson County’s Architectural Heritage (1981).
  • Kate Ohno and Robert C. Bainbridge, Wilson, North Carolina, Historic Buildings Inventory (1980).
  • Scott Power, The Historical Architecture of Pitt County, North Carolina (1991).
  • Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • John E. Wells and Robert E. Dalton, The Virginia Architects, 1835-1955: A Biographical Dictionary (1997).
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  • Albion Dunn House

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    Ca. 1919

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    707 W. 4th St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Michael Cotter, Kate Ohno, and Mary Hollis Barnes, The Architectural Heritage of Greenville, North Carolina (1989).


  • Arthur H. McIver House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Henry Benton, architect; Charles C. Benton and Son, architects; Leslie P. Cox, contractor
    Dates:

    1939

    Location:
    Sanford, Lee County
    Street Address:

    1020 Carthage St., Sanford, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    J. Daniel Pezzoni, The History & Architecture of Lee County, North Carolina (1995).

    Note:

    The imposing Colonial Revival residence features a tall portico inspired by that at Mount Vernon.


  • Ayden School

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Ayden, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    W. 3rd St., Ayden, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Educational

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 5, 1914.


  • B. J. Pully House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 19, 1914.


  • Bank of Farmville

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect; Joe W. Stout, contractor; Joe W. Stout & Co., contractors
    Dates:

    1921

    Location:
    Farmville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    129 S. Main St., Farmville, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (1996).
    Scott Power, The Historical Architecture of Pitt County, North Carolina (1991).

    Note:

    This is one of the firm’s several neoclassical banks designed to take advantage of their prominent corner locations, here with a full-height Doric portico in antis and pilasters along the side.


  • Bank of North Wilkesboro

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., attributed architect; Charles C. Hartmann, attributed architect
    Dates:

    1923

    Location:
    North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County
    Street Address:

    832 Main (formerly B) St., North Wilkesboro, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir, Michael T. Southern, and Jennifer F. Martin, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Western North Carolina (1999).

    Note:

    Showing the period’s favored bank format with a Doric columned portico in antis, this bank has been cited both to Benton and Benton and to Charles C. Hartmann. The bank currently serves as the town hall. In 1923 the Manufacturers’ Record reported that C. C. Hartmann had designed for the Bank of North Wilkesboro an office and store to cost $60-$70,000 and to be located at B and 9th St. in North Wilkesboro. Other sources cite the bank, and possibly the neighboring hotel, to Benton and Benton. Further information may come to light to clarify the authorship of these two notable buildings.


  • Bank of Washington

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    Ca. 1920

    Location:
    Washington, Beaufort County
    Street Address:

    192 W. Main St., Washington, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    Successor to the first, antebellum Bank of Washington, which still stands a short distance away, the four-story brick and stone bank features large Doric columns in antis.


  • Borroughs-Pittman-Wheeler Co. Building

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    Ca. 1915

    Location:
    Scotland Neck, Halifax County
    Street Address:

    Scotland Neck, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record of April 2, 1914, noted that Benton and Moore had planned a building for the Borroughs-Pittman-Wheeler Co., 50 by 106 feet, 3 stories.


  • Bowers-Tripp House

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1921

    Location:
    Washington, Beaufort County
    Street Address:

    1040 N. Market St., Washington, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    The large residence in tan brick shows the firm’s favored Colonial Revival style.


  • Brown Library

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Henry Benton, architect; Charles C. Benton and Son, architects
    Dates:

    1952-1954

    Location:
    Washington, Beaufort County
    Street Address:

    122 Van Norden St., Washington, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Educational

    Note:

    The library combines traditional symmetry and red brick with white trim with the simplified forms of modernism.


  • Caswell Center Buildings

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Jr., architect; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Charles C. Benton and Son, architects
    Dates:

    1950s

    Location:
    Kinston, Lenoir County
    Street Address:

    2415 W. Vernon Ave., Kinston vicinity, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Educational

    Images Published In:

    M. Ruth Little, Coastal Plain and Fancy: The Historic Architecture of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina (1998).

    Note:

    During the 1950s and 1960s the Benton firm and C. C. Benton, Jr., designed several buildings (dormitories and administrative buildings) at the Caswell Center, a facility established in 1911, which includes buildings from several eras and architects.


  • Cherry Hotel

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Joe W. Stout, contractor; Joe W. Stout & Co., contractors
    Dates:

    1919-1923

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    333 E. Nash St., Wilson, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Images Published In:

    Kate Ohno and Robert C. Bainbridge, Wilson, North Carolina, Historic Buildings Inventory (1980).


  • Citizens Bank

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., attributed architect
    Dates:

    1924

    Location:
    Edenton, Chowan County
    Street Address:

    216 S. Broad St., Edenton, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, Edenton, an Architectural Portrait: The Historic Architecture of Edenton, North Carolina (1992).

    Note:

    Representative of many neoclassically composed banks of the early 20th century, the stone edifice on a prominent corner features a Doric order in the first story and Ionic ones above.


  • Cooper Building

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Fayetteville, Cumberland County
    Street Address:

    Fayetteville, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 19, 1914.


  • E. B. Ferguson House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    607 W. 4th St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 5, 1914. This was one of a several houses reported in the journal of that date as designed by this firm, including those for F. J. Forbes and B. J. Pully, for which no further information has been located.


  • Elizabeth City Hospital

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914-1915

    Location:
    Elizabeth City, Pasquotank County
    Street Address:

    1301 Carolina Ave., Elizabeth City, NC

    Status:

    Altered

    Type:

    Health Care

    Images Published In:

    Thomas R. Butchko, On the Shores of the Pasquotank: The Architectural Heritage of Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County, North Carolina (1989).

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record of March 5, 1914, reported that Dr. John Soliba and Benton and Moore, architects, would receive bids to erected the Elizabeth City Hospital, 3 stories, steam heat, tile roof, to cost $25,000. As pictured by Butchko, the edifice was among the most imposing hospital buildings of its day, a massive, generally symmetrical brick building, two stories on a raised basement with a Corinthian portico and dome more typical of a courthouse than a hospital. It was greatly altered later in the 20th century. In 1988 the architects’ original rendering was on display at the Albemarle Hospital. Its present whereabouts is uncertain.


  • Enfield Masonic Temple

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1924-1925

    Location:
    Enfield, Halifax County
    Street Address:

    S.E. Railroad St. at Market St., Enfield, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Fraternal

    Images Published In:

    Henry V. Taves, The Historic Architecture of Halifax County, North Carolina (2010).

    Note:

    The 3 1/2-story building in blond brick overlooks the railroad and dominates the downtown streetscape.


  • F. J. Forbes House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 5, 1914.


  • Farmers and Merchants Bank

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1924

    Location:
    Kinston, Lenoir County
    Street Address:

    200 N. Queen St., Kinston, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Images Published In:

    M. Ruth Little, Coastal Plain and Fancy: The Historic Architecture of Lenoir County and Kinston, North Carolina (1998).

    Note:

    The lower portion of the bank displays an Ionic-columned entrance in antis typical of the firm’s banks of the period, but the building’s 5-story height reads as a small skyscraper, unusual in eastern North Carolina’s small towns and indicative of Kinston’s stature as a market town. In its day it was the tallest structure in town. Local accounts indicate that the building had the first registered elevator in the state, designated Elevator No. 1 by the State of North Carolina. The postcard view of Queen St. shows the bank as the tallest building on the left side of the street.


  • Fayetteville Infirmary

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Variant Name(s):

    Cumberland General Hospital

    Dates:

    1912

    Location:
    Fayetteville, Cumberland County
    Street Address:

    Fayetteville, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Health Care

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record, June 27, 1912, said that Benton and Moore were preparing plans for a 4-story hospital in Fayetteville. On Aug. 1 the journal said that the Fayetteville Infirmary Co. had awarded a contract to Wilkins Construction Co. of Wilson—a 58 x 88 foot, 3-story facility of “mill construction,” with hot water heat, electric lighting, and a hand-operated elevator, to cost $15,000. It later became Cumberland General Hospital and still later a hotel.


  • Fidelity Mutual Life Building

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1926

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    100 block Goldsboro St., Wilson, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    The large, columned building, a major work by the firm, was among the most imposing commercial structures in Wilson.


  • Fire Engine Company No. 2 Building

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect; D. J. Rose, contractor
    Dates:

    1924

    Location:
    Rocky Mount, Nash County
    Street Address:

    404 S. Church St., Rocky Mount, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Public

    Note:

    A brick building with stone-framed fire engine doors and a tile roof.


  • First Reformed United Church of Christ

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Charles C. Benton and Sons, architects
    Variant Name(s):

    First German Reformed United Church of Christ

    Dates:

    1940-1941

    Location:
    Burlington, Alamance County
    Street Address:

    513 S. Front St., Burlington, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Religious

    Images Published In:

    Allison Harris Black, An Architectural History of Burlington, North Carolina (1987).

    Note:

    The red brick church in Romanesque Revival style displays the strong forms and boldly contrasting white detailing that characterize many Lutheran and Reformed churches in the North Carolina Piedmont.


  • Greenville Banking and Trust Building

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    Ca. 1910

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    471 S. Evans St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Altered

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record of Jan. 2, 1913, reported that the Greenville Banking and Trust would erect a bank building from plans by Benton and Moore.


  • Halifax County Home and Tubercular Hospital

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1923

    Location:
    Halifax, Halifax County
    Street Address:

    NC 903, Halifax vicinity, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Public

    Images Published In:

    Henry V. Taves, The Historic Architecture of Halifax County, North Carolina (2010).

    Note:

    The firm employed a symmetrical design in Colonial Revival style for the building, one of several such facilities for care of the poor and the sick in the early 20th century.


  • Harper Hall

    Contributors:
    Dates:

    1950s

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    Barton College Campus, Wilson, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Educational


  • Hassell-James Building

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Variant Name(s):

    James and Hassell Office Building

    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    105 W. 3rd St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 5, 1914.


  • Hickory Drugstore

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1924

    Location:
    Hickory, Catawba County
    Street Address:

    Hickory, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record in 1924 noted that Benton and Benton were architects for a drugstore in Hickory, which was to feature ornamental terra cotta.


  • Kinston Union Station

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1924

    Location:
    Kinston, Lenoir County
    Street Address:

    E. Caswell St. at Davis St., Kinston, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Transportation

    Note:

    The postcard view of the station features a rare example of a drawing signed by Benton and Benton.


  • Lenoir High School

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect; Joe W. Stout, contractor; Joe W. Stout & Co., contractors
    Dates:

    1922

    Location:
    Lenoir, Caldwell County
    Street Address:

    100 Willow St., Lenoir, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Educational

    Note:

    Typical of the consolidated high schools of its era, the large brick building, 220 feet long, features classical detailing.


  • Lloyd and Lillian Turnage House

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1922

    Location:
    Ayden, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    811 W. 3rd St., Ayden, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Catherine W. Bishir and Michael T. Southern, A Guide to the Historic Architecture of Eastern North Carolina (1996).
    Scott Power, The Historical Architecture of Pitt County, North Carolina (1991).

    Note:

    The especially well-detailed bungalow has a deep porch that extends as a porte cochere. Drawings (blueprints) and specifications for the house are in the Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, North Carolina.


  • Lonnie L. Thomas House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Charles C. Benton and Son, architects; Leslie P. Cox, contractor
    Dates:

    1941

    Location:
    Jonesboro, Lee County
    Street Address:

    2002 Lee Ave., Jonesboro, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    J. Daniel Pezzoni, The History & Architecture of Lee County, North Carolina (1995).

    Note:

    Benton and Son’s Specifications for the Colonial Revival style house are in the Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC.


  • Mercy Hospital

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Variant Name(s):

    Wilson Hospital and Tubercular Home

    Dates:

    1912-1913

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    504 E. Green St., Wilson, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Health Care

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record, Jan. 1, 1912, reported that F. S. Hargraves, secretary of a company interested in building a hospital, had plans from Benton and Moore for a hospital 47 by 80, mill construction, electric lights, slate roof, steam heat, to cost $8,000. Built by Dr. Hargraves to serve black patients, the brick building with Doric portico was soon named Mercy Hospital. After years of being endangered, it has been rehabilitated for a new use.


  • Montgomery County Courthouse

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect
    Dates:

    1921

    Location:
    Troy, Montgomery County
    Street Address:

    SE corner of E. Main St. and S. Main St., Troy, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Public

    Note:

    Built of tan brick and cast stone, the courthouse features a full-height Doric portico.


  • Moore-Herring Hospital

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    SW corner of Douglas St. and Greene St., Wilson, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Health Care

    Note:

    The postcard view of the hospital features a rare example of a drawing signed by Benton and Moore.


  • Morehead City Hospital

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1918

    Location:
    Morehead City, Carteret County
    Street Address:

    9th St. and Shackleford St., Morehead City, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Health Care

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record of April 18, 1918, reported that the Morehead City Hospital had plans by Benton and Benton, Wilson for a general hospital building at 9th St. and Shackleford St.; 80 x 80 ft., brick; slate roof; wood floors; cost $15,000; steam heat; $3000; electric lights $1000; electric elevator $1200 bids to be opened April 23 or 24; construction to begin May 1. The hospital was founded by Dr. Ben Royal, who had begun a smaller facility in 1911. The red brick hospital overlooked the water.


  • North Wilkesboro Town Hall

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Jr., architect; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Charles C. Benton and Son, architects
    Dates:

    1939

    Location:
    North Wilkesboro, Wilkes County
    Street Address:

    801 Main (formerly B) St., North Wilkesboro, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Public

    Note:

    The WPA-assisted building shows the Benton firm’s use of simplified modernist design elements. After the town hall function moved to a former bank, the structure housed the police station.


  • Pitt Theatre

    Contributors:
    Dates:

    1935

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    509 S. Evans St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    The downtown theatre displayed Charles C. Benton, Sr.,’s favored Colonial Revival style. It burned about 1980. It is not clear whether it was designed by the firm of Benton and Benton or that of Benton and Son.


  • R. S. Wells House

    Contributors:
    Dates:

    1910

    Location:
    Elm City, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    301 E. Main St., Elm City, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Kate Ohno, Wilson County’s Architectural Heritage (1981).

    Note:

    The “Southern Colonial” style house features a portico with Corinthian columns. According to Kate Ohno, the specifications for the house, built for local merchant Redmond Stanley Wells, were dated 1909, and the house was built in 1910.


  • Rainey Hospital

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Variant Name(s):

    Alamance General Hospital

    Dates:

    1915-1916

    Location:
    Burlington, Alamance County
    Street Address:

    Rainey St., Burlington, NC

    Status:

    Altered

    Type:

    Health Care

    Images Published In:

    Don Bolden, Burlington (2009).

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record of Jan. 14, 1915, reported that Benton and Moore of Wilson were architects for a hospital to be erected in Burlington, 75 x 80 feet, electric elevator, to cost $20,000. Sponsored by Dr. Rainey Parker and known as the Rainey Hospital, it is similar to but somewhat simpler than the Elizabeth City hospital. Later known as Alamance General Hospital and succeeded in the mid-20th century by a new facility, the large neoclassical building has been converted to a new use and has been altered with the addition of large wings.


  • Selma Graded School

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect; Joe W. Stout, builder
    Dates:

    1922

    Location:
    Selma, Johnston County
    Street Address:

    W. Richardson St., Selma, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Educational


  • St. John's African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church

    Contributors:
    John Barnes, brickmason; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914-1915

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    119 S. Pender St., Wilson, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Religious

    Images Published In:

    Kate Ohno and Robert C. Bainbridge, Wilson, North Carolina, Historic Buildings Inventory (1980).

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record, of Feb. 5, 1914, reported that the firm had produced plans for an African Methodist Episcopal Church Building, 60 x 75 feet, $15,000. The handsome Gothic Revival church was erected in 1915 by local brickmason John Barnes.


  • Tate Block

    Contributors:
    Dates:

    1941

    Location:
    Morganton, Burke County
    Street Address:

    Corner of E. Union St. and N. Sterling St., Morganton, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Commercial

    Images Published In:

    J. Randall Cotton, Suzanne Pickens Wylie, and Millie M. Barbee, Historic Burke: An Architectural Inventory of Burke County, North Carolina (1987).


  • Van Dyke Furniture Company Building

    Contributors:
    Dates:

    Ca. 1920

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Commercial


  • W. E. Pace House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    Wilson, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record, of April 2, 1914, noted that Benton and Moore had planned a brick veneered house for W. E. Pace.


  • W. L. Best House

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1914

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    537 Evans St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    No longer standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Note:

    Manufacturers’ Record, Feb. 5, 1914.


  • Walter McCanless House

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, attributed architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect
    Dates:

    1929

    Location:
    Salisbury, Rowan County
    Street Address:

    204 Confederate Ave., Salisbury, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Davyd Foard Hood, The Architecture of Rowan County North Carolina: A Catalogue and History of Surviving 18th, 19th, and Early 20th Century Structures (1983).

    Note:

    The large and luxurious Renaissance Revival style mansion, built of buff brick with a green tile roof, is the grandest residence of its era in Salisbury.


  • Washington County Courthouse

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1918-1919

    Location:
    Plymouth, Washington County
    Street Address:

    NE corner of Adams St. and Main St., Plymouth, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Public


  • William H. and Jennie M. Long House

    Contributors:
    Benton and Benton, architects; Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Frank W. Benton, architect
    Dates:

    1917-1918

    Location:
    Greenville, Pitt County
    Street Address:

    200 E. 4th St., Greenville, NC

    Status:

    Standing

    Type:

    Residential

    Images Published In:

    Michael Cotter, Kate Ohno, and Mary Hollis Barnes, The Architectural Heritage of Greenville, North Carolina (1989).

    Note:

    Among the grandest residences in Greenville, the Colonial Revival style brick house features a large portico with columns in the Tower of the Winds order.


  • Williamston City Hall

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Charles C. Benton and Sons, architects
    Dates:

    1960

    Location:
    Williamston, Martin County
    Street Address:

    102 E. Main St., Williamston, NC

    Status:

    Altered

    Type:

    Public

    Note:

    One of Benton’s last projects, the modernist design contrasts with his predominantly revivalist work.


  • Wilson Hotel

    Contributors:
    Charles C. Benton, Sr., architect; Benton and Moore, architects; Solon B. Moore, architect
    Dates:

    1912

    Location:
    Wilson, Wilson County
    Street Address:

    Wilson, NC

    Status:

    Unknown

    Type:

    Commercial

    Note:

    The Manufacturers’ Record of June 27, 1912, reported that the Wilson Hotel Company had plans by Benton and Moore for a hotel with electric elevator and asbestos roof, to cost $45,000. It is not clear whether it was built or what name it was known by.


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