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FRANK CORNELIUS HARMON, FAIA (1941-)

Born in Georgia and raised in Greensboro, Frank Harmon attended the NCSU School of Design from 1959 to 1961.  He interned with Edward Loewenstein 1963-1964 then and moved to London to study at the Architectural Association School of Architecture, graduating in 1967. 

Harmon started to practice architecture in 1968 with McMinn, Norfleet & Wicker of Greensboro;  moved to New York to work with Richard Meier for three years; was a principal in the firm of Harmon & Simeloff RIBA in London until 1979;  then started his own firm in Raleigh in 1981.

Harmon taught at Auburn briefly and at the NCSU School of Design for 20+ years as a Professor of Practice.   He was very close to Harwell Hamilton Harris.  See Harmon's remembrances of Harris here.

Since 1992, Harmon’s firm, Frank Harmon Architect PA, has won more AIA Design Awards than any firm in North Carolina. 

In 1995 he was awarded the Henry Kamphoefner Prize.  In early 2008, he won a national design competition for the AIA NC Center for Architecture and Design in downtown Raleigh which was completed in late 2011, below.  Photo by John Morris.

1978 - The Clark and Bonnie Cramer Residence, 6008 Canadero Drive, Raleigh. 
Photo by Leilani Carter.

1989 - The Stephen A. Wainwright Beach House, 8414 Sound Drive, Emerald Isle NC. Built by Jerry Lawrence of Beaufort.  Structural Engineer, T. C. Howard of Faleigh.  Mechanical Engineer, Ernest Myatt of Greensboro.   Bottom photo by Gordon Schenck Jr.

1989 - The William B. Brown Residence, 3300 Morningside Drive, Raleigh.  Built in 1978 as a rather plain contemporary spec house by Westminster Homes of Cary.  Sold in 1980 to Austin and Lida Lowrey.  Harmon did an extensive renovation and addition resulting in the layout above.  Sold in 2000 to Rachel Clarke and Mark Cullifer.  Sold in 2007 to current owners Christopher and Sybille Ward.  Photos by Leilani Carter.

1994 - Frank Harmon's own house, 114 Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, right across from NCSU. 
Built by Greg Paul.  Structural Design, T. C. Howard.  Mechanial Engineer, Ernest Myatt. 

1995 - The Ron Rozelle and Rosa Ragan Residence, aka Artist's Studio and Apartment, Saxapahaw NC.  Won an AIANC Award in 1997.  The Structural Engineer was T. C. Howard.  Featured in Architectural Record.  Photos by Bryan Hoffman.

1998 - The Gigi and Warren Edwards Residence, 828 Runnymede Road, Raleigh.  2300 square feet.  From Metro Magazine:  "...they transformed the home’s former garage space into an apartment for Gigi’s mother.  The home features a kitchen revolving around a kidney-shaped island of Brazilian tuba granite that also serves as a dining counter. A dining alcove and a niche for listening to music complete the great room, which is open to the family office situated in a loft."  Top two photos by James West.  For sale 2009-2010, then withdrawn from the market. 

1999 - The Frank D. Thompson House, 817 Bryan Street, Raleigh.  This beautiful house is attractive even from the air (not easy to do!) and was built on the site of a previous house, bottom photo above.  Harmon and Thompson had a falling out midway through and the design was completed by architect Roger Cannon.  With Jessica Johnson Moore, Thompson renovated the 1951 house (also called 817 Bryan) just north of this one.

1999 - The James Franklin Taylor and Janice Taylor House, aka the Taylor-Hocking House, Scotland Cay, Bahamas.  3000 sf on 1/2 acre.  Cost $100 per sf.  Harmon came up with the idea of an inverted roof that would function like an upside-down umbrella, directing rain through a central spout that runs down the center of the house and into two 8,000-gallon cisterns on the ground floor. The roof's upside-down pyramid form also helps cool the home naturally: Its shape forces the air beneath it to flow more quickly than that above it. To avoid the 50 percent tax the Bahamas imposes on imported materials, the 10-person building crew obtained as much as it could from local sources. Vinny Petrarca and Quan Bahn were the project architects, with Petrarca spending several months onsite during construction.  The builder was Ivar Unhjem Construction, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas.  Middle two photos by James West.

2000 - The Rich and Amy Podurgal Residence, 2700 Webb Street, Raleigh. They turned this old 50's brick ranch (top photo, left) into an exciting new home.  4573 square feet.  Five bedrooms.  On and off the market from 2009 to 2011.

 2004 - The Lynda Strickland and Marty Ferris Residence, 4221 Laurel Ridge Drive, Raleigh.  The land was bought from the James Franklin Taylor family in 2003. The house uses glass that is 27 feet tall at its highest point.  Interior photography by Steve Wilson, Timothy Hursley and Jeffrey Jacobs.  Featured on the TMH April 2009 Tour.

2004 - The Ruth Guthrie House, 146 Lochwood West, Cary.  Photo by Carol Beaver.

2004 - The Elisabeth Lewis Corley and Joseph Megel House, 204 Harlands Creek Drive, Pittsboro NC.  Erin Sterling Lewis was project architect.  Built by Frank Cole of Carrboro.

2005 - The Joseph Harmon Residence, aka the Low Country Residence, 638 Rue De Muckle, along Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant SC.  1.5 acres.  2500 square feet.  Won a National AIA award in 2009.  4SE was the structural engineer.  Orbit Engineering was the mechanical engineer.  Landscape design by Judy Harmon.  Built by Design Build Corporation. Sculptor Christian Karkow did the galvanized steel screens.  Top two photos by Richard Leo Johnson.  Bottom five photos by Beth Broome.  Part of the TMH Auldbrass Tour in 2011.

2005 - The Barringer Guest House, Chatham County.  With growing families of their own, the children of the property's owner built a “guest house” on their mother’s farm to stay during holidays and other visits.

2006 - The Pom and Tracy Smith House, 3125 Darien Drive, Raleigh.  Erin Sterling Lewis was the project architect.  Built on the site of an old ranch, bottom photo.

2008 - The David and Victoria Jarrett Residence, 236 Markham Plantation, Apex NC.  Unbuilt. 

2010 - The Coates Residence, aka the Winterview Residence, Hendersonville NC. 
Matthew Griffith was the project architect. Unbuilt.

Sources include: The Independent, Frank Harmon Architect, Frank Harmon, Erin Sterling Lewis, Matt Griffith, AIANC, Residential Architect Online, Frank Thompson, Gigi Edwards, Debra Smith, Preservation North Carolina, Metro Magazine.