"A Practical Architect": Frank P. Milburn and the Transformation of Architectural Practice in the New South, 1890-1925

The career of Frank P. Milburn illustrates the changes in architectural practice that occurred in the South between Reconstruction and the Great Depression, as industrialization and urbanization transformed towns and cities across the region. Milburn was among the first architects in the South to use modern methods of business organization in his practice. His entrepreneurial approach to architecture embodied the commercial spirit of the New South, and his firm rose to prominence specializing in commissions for municipal governments and corporate clients. Despite his considerable accomplishments, Milburn has drawn little interest from scholars. Like most architects who practiced in the postbellum South, he remains obscure.