Roy Harrover

Roy Perkins Harrover, FAIA (November 23, 1928 – December 13, 2016) was an American architect who designed the Memphis International Airport as well as numerous civic buildings across the southern United States. His designs range in style from New Formalist to Brutalist and are characterized by their strictly linear forms. He is largely credited with having established a modern architectural identity for Memphis, Tennessee.

Early life Born in Dayton, Ohio on November 23, 1928, Harrover moved with his mother to Nashville at age two following his parents' divorce. At age 14, Harrover was hired by Vultee Aircraft to construct accurate models of their airplanes. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1946 to 1948, then attended Yale University on the G.I. Bill, studying under Vincent Scully, King-lui Wu, Louis Kahn and visiting critics Buckminster Fuller and Philip Johnson. In 1953, Harrover graduated first in his class.

Architecture Following graduation, Harrover worked briefly as chief designer under Paul Schweikher. In 1955, he moved to Memphis and established the architectural firm Mann & Harrover with partner William Mann. They won a design competition in 1959, judged by Philip Johnson and Paul Rudolph, for the new Memphis Art Academy (now known as the Memphis College of Art).

Mann died of lung cancer a year before Harrover finished designing the Memphis International Airport. It was unveiled in 1963 and was among the first airports to make use of jetways and a two-level system. It is particularly noted for its distinctive martini glass-shaped columns. Once all projects involving Mann were completed, Harrover renamed the firm Roy P. Harrover & Associates.

Harrover was awarded honorary Doctorates in Fine Arts by Rhodes College and the Memphis College of Art. Church of the River (First Unitarian Church of Memphis). (1965) U.S. Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria Weintraub Residence Addition (1990)