Gaines’s obituary stated that he was college architect at Mars Hill from 1932 to 1970. In addition to the Dr. W. F. Robinson Memorial Infirmary, the buildings he designed for the college include the following: Charles M. Walls Science Building (1939-1940), Edna Corpening Moore and Stroup Halls (1938; 1941), Treat Dormitory/Spillman Hall (1941), Huffman Hall (1946-1947), Memorial Library (1954-1955), Myers Hall (1954-1955), the Cafeteria, and Dormitory Number 3. These display various interpretations of the red brick Colonial Revival style combined with modernist elements.