E. William Martin

The Delaware Legislative Hall in Dover, designed by E. William Martin with consulting architect Norman M. Isham and completed in 1932. Kennett High School in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, designed by E. William Martin and completed in 1931 with funds from Pierre S. du Pont. The Zwaanendael Museum in Lewes, designed by E. William Martin and completed in 1932. The former P. S. Dupont High School in Wilmington, designed by E. William Martin and completed in 1935. The former United States Post Office in Wilmington, designed by the Associated Federal Architects and completed in 1936. The Delaware Public Archives in Dover, designed by Martin & Jeffers and completed in 1938. William Penn High School in New Castle, designed by Wason, Tingle & Brust and completed in 1966. E. William Martin (November 2, 1891 – December 10, 1977) was a Scottish-born American architect in practice in Wilmington, Delaware from 1926 to 1965. In part through personal and political connections to members of the wealthy du Pont family Martin was architect of many important public works in Delaware, including public schools, the Zwaanendael Museum and the Delaware Legislative Hall.

Life and career Edward William Martin was born November 2, 1891, in the village of Inverarnan, Scotland to Edward Martin and Sarah Ann Martin. As a child his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Wilmington, where he was educated in the public schools. He began work as a drafter in Philadelphia in 1910, and entered the University of Pennsylvania in 1912. He later transferred to the University of Delaware, graduating in 1916 with a BS. He returned to Philadelphia to work for Wilson Eyre and in 1920 traveled to England to complete his education. There he worked for architect Percy Worthington in Manchester and attended the University of Liverpool, from which he earned a BArch in 1922. For about eight years, from 1935 to about 1944, Martin worked in partnership with architect Ralph Aubrey Jeffers under the name Martin & Jeffers. Martin developed a specialty for school buildings designed in traditional revival styles, though his work transitioned towards modernism after World War II. This accelerated after he was joined in 1952 by Donald S. Wason, a former employee of Holabird & Root and a recent graduate of the architecture school of the Illinois Institute of Technology, then under the leadership of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. In 1961 they formed a partnership, Martin & Wason, which was shortly thereafter renamed Martin, Wason & Associates after the addition of Richard M. Tingle and James R. Brust. Martin retired in 1965, and the firm was succeeded by Wason, Tingle & Brust, which was active into the 1970s. In 1936 he was awarded an honorary MA from the University of Delaware. He died December 10, 1977, at the age of 86. The best known of these school projects is the P. S. Dupont High School (1935), named for du Pont. Martin's work for him extended outside of Delaware to Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, where he designed buildings on du Pont's Longwood estate and the Kennett High School (1931), funds for which were also given by du Pont. the former Wilmington federal building (1936) and several buildings for the University of Delaware.

At least two buildings designed by Martin have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts. His papers are collected at the University of Delaware.

Architectural works E. William Martin, 1926–1935 Holladay-Harrington House, 3705 Kennett Pike, Greenville, Delaware (1927, NRHP 2004) East Conservatory, Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (1928, altered) Irisbrook, the William F. Raskob house, 10 Montchanin Rd, Wilmington, Delaware (1928) Kennett High School, 100 E South St, Kennett Square, Pennsylvania (1931) Delaware Legislative Hall, 411 Legislative Ave, New Castle, Delaware (1932) Zwaanendael Museum, 102 Kings Highway, Lewes, Delaware (1932) United States Post Office, Courthouse and Custom House (former), 1100 N Market St, Wilmington, Delaware (1936)

Martin & Jeffers, 1935–1944 H. Fletcher Brown Vocational High School, N Market and W 14th Sts, Wilmington, Delaware (1938, demolished 1972) Delaware Public Archives, 121 MLK Jr Blvd N, Dover, Delaware (1938) Crawford H. Greenewalt house, 900 Old Kennett Rd, Wilmington, Delaware (1938) Milford Armory, 604 N Walnut St, Milford, Delaware (1938) George Read Middle School, 314 E Basin Rd, New Castle, Delaware (1959) Seaford Senior High School, 390 N Market St Ext, Seaford, Delaware (1966) St. Polycarp Church, 55 Ransom Ln, Smyrna, Delaware (1967)