Harry D. Payne

Harry Daniel Payne (1891–1987) was an American architect and engineer; protégé of noted St. Louis Architect, William Ittner. Payne is most known for building designs in the U.S. State of Texas after 1926, but before this as a member of the Ittner Firm, he designed schools and hospitals in other states. Payne was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was trained at Washington University in St. Louis. Upon graduation, he attended Fort Sheridan Officers Training School, and served in World War I in Company H, 320th Infantry, 80th Division. On September 25–26, 1918 he fought in the Meuse-Argone Offensive, leading men of H Company to take Dead Man's Hill (Le Mort Homme). Payne received a battlefield commission to Captain just before the Armistice. He returned to St. Louis after the war to work with the Ittner form until 1926. That year he was recruited by Houston School Board to design all new schools for the city. After this contract was completed he went on to design schools, jails, office buildings, stadiums, houses and museums in Texas including for Anahuac ISD, Beaumont ISD, Corpus Christi ISD, Houston ISD, and Huntsville ISD.

After December 7, 1941, Payne tried to secure the renewal of his WWI Commission as Captain, but was refused because of disabilities resulting from injuries in the First World War. He found an outlet for his desire to serve by applying at Brown Shipbuilding in Houston where he worked on the design of destroyers, frigates escorts and landing craft. The USS Stewart is one surviving example of this work.

Payne was an active member of the American Institute of Architects, and was awarded the Edward C. Kemper Award by the organization in 1962.

List of works built

River Oaks Elementary (1926) Houston Wharton Elementary (1926) Houston DeZavalla Elementary (1926) Houston Eugene Field Elementary (1926) Houston Andrew P. Briscoe Elementary (1926) Houston Rufus Cage Elementary (1926) Houston Edgar Allan Poe School (1926) Houston Ashbel Smith Elementary (1927) Houston Robert Louis Stevenson Elementary (1927) Houston Hogg Junior High School (1928) Goose Creek (Baytown) Cedar Bayou High School (1928) Cedar Bayou Robert E. Lee High School (1928) Goose Creek (Baytown) Governor William P. Hobby House (1928, 1936, 1939) Houston M. C. Parker & Co. Offices (1928) Houston Richmond Home Economics Cottage (1928) Richmond, Texas Alta Loma/Santa Fe High School (1928) Santa Fe Gasow-Howard Motor Co. (1929) Beaumont Beaumont High School (1929) Beaumont Wheatley High School (1929) Houston William Gaston Love Elementary (1929) Houston El Campo Ag Shop and Laboratory (1929) El Campo Deer Park High School (1930) Charles Bender High School (1930) Humble Bay City High School (1930) Bay City Barbers Hill High School (1930) Midfield Common School No. 10 (1930) Midfield, Texas Clifford Smith House (1930) Houston Channelview Elementary (1930) Harris County Elementary School #18 (1930) Houston Edward Griffey House (1930) Houston Huntsville High School and athletic field (1931) Huntsville Harry F. Estill Home (1931) Huntsville A. C. Standley House (1931) Huntsville Bay City M. E. Church Educational Building (1931) Bay City Matagorda County Jail (1931) Bay City LaWard Elementary/High School (1931) LaWard Dodge Rural High School (1931) Dodge, Texas Edward Boettcher House (1933) Huntsville Crabbs Prairie School #1 (1933) Huntsville Markham High School (1934) Markham Nelson Stiles House (1934) Baytown William C. Holt House (1934) Angleton Blessing High School (1934) Walker County Jail (1934), Huntsville John Seale Junior High School (1934) Corpus Christi Markham High School (1934) Rusk State Hospital Ward Building (1935) Rusk August Kraft House (1935) Bay Villa (Baytown) Garwood High School (1935) Almeda High School (1935) Albert M. Ball House (1935) Houston Mirabeau B. Lamar High School (1935) Houston; with John F. Staub, Kenneth Franzheim, Louis A. Glover, and Lamar Q. Cato Palacios High School (1935,1936) Palacios H. Gillmore Webster House (1935) Houston Sam Houston Memorial Museum Rotunda (1936), Huntsville J. S. Palmer House (1935) Baytown W. W. Floyd House (1936) Huntsville Hockley Rural High School#3 Auditorium (1936) New Caney High School (1936) Center High School (1936) Center, Texas Anahuac High School (1936) C. M. Hurst House (1937) Baytown Don S. Freese House (1937) Baytown A. E. Lindquist House (1937) Baytown Raymond P. Elledge House (1937) Baytown Stuart MacKay House (1937) Baytown Fred Page House (1937) Houston W. O. Cox House (1937) Houston H. F. Ireland House (1937) Houston Sam Houston State College Chapel Improvements (1937) Huntsville Sam Houston State College Farm Boys Dormitory (1937) Huntsville Sam Houston State College open air theater (Greek amphitheater) (1937) Huntsville E. Q. Camp House (1937) Baytown Hugh G. Henderson office and warehouse (1937) Houston H. W. Wells House (1938) Ganado W. W. Harris House (1938) Baytown Angleton High School Gymnasium (1938) Huntsville M. E. Church south addition (1938) Huntsville Sam Houston State College Andrew Jackson Hall (1938) Huntsville N. D. Stiles Lumber Co. (1938) Baytown Deer Park Physical Education Building (1938) Max Rodgers House (1938) Huntsville, Texas Bering Memorial M. E. Church (1938) Houston A. A. Wells House (1938) Houston, Texas Harry D. Payne House (1939) Houston, Texas Whitehead House (1939) Houston, Texas Markham High School additions (1939) Sam Houston State College Stadium (1940) Huntsville Elizabeth Elliott Hall (1940) Huntsville F. H. Ireland House (1940) Houston Ben D. Ward House, (1940) Baytown Hugh Henderson House (1940) Houston Albert Wadsworth House (1941) Bay City Air Training Center (1941) Huntsville Jeppesen Gymnasium (1941) Houston John O'Quinn Field at Robertson Stadium (1941) Houston R. F. Parsons House (1941) Houston Sam Houston State College improvements to Old Main (1942) Huntsville Sam Houston State College Classroom Building (1942) Huntsville Sam Houston State College Halley Hall Science Building (1942) Huntsville Sam Houston State College Campus Development Plan (1943) Huntsville Rugley Motor Co. (19450 Bay City Sam Houston State College Apartments (1945) Huntsville Sam Houston State College Josey School of Vocational Arts (1945) Huntsville Bay City Bank and Trust Co. (1945) Smither Office Building (1945) Huntsville Palacios Hospital (1944) Sam Houston State College conversion of POW Camp to Country Campus (1946) Huntsville First National Bank of Bay City (1947) Bay City Deer Park Comprehensive Building (1947) W. W. Harris House (1947) Baytown Herbert C. May House (1948) Houston Deer Park Lynchburg Elementary (1948) Christ Presbyterian Church school building (1948) Houston Hugh Henderson Laundry Equipment office and warehouse (1948) Houston Deer Park High School swimming pool (1949) Deer Park Nelson D. Stiles Store Shop and Offices (1950) Baytown Deer Park lunchroom, music building, football field, auto mechanics shop (1950) Deer Park San Jacinto Elementary (1950) Christ Presbyterian Church Sanctuary (1952) Houston Robert Earl Wolters house (1952) Columbus Columbus State Bank (1952) Columbus Denver Presbyterian Church Sanctuary (1953) Denver, Co. Spring Branch Presbyterian Church fellowship hall (1954) Spring Branch F. H. Luther garden room (1955) Houston Henry Beck garden room and air conditioning (1955) Houston Norman Way plant room (1955) Houston Dr. T. P. Shearer House (1959) Houston Tyler C. Clark House (1959) Columbus Cohen Estates Abe Gollob (1959) Bering Bearing Service (1959) Houston Spring Branch Presbyterian Church classrooms (1960) Spring Branch Harold Steadman Credit Co. (1963) LaBranch, Texas Henry J. Beck Kitchen (1963) Bering Bearing Service Accounting Dept building and warehouse (1966) Houston