2008 - Erin Sterling of Frank Harmon Architects Named "Green Goddess"

FRANK C. 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.  He started to practice architecture in 1968 in Greensboro, moved to New York to work with Richard Meier for three years, was a principal in the firm of Harmon & Simeloff 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 well over 20 years.  He is still active at NCSU as a Professor of Practice.   He was very close to Harwell Hamilton Harris.  See his remembrances 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 the design competition for the AIANC headquarters in downtown Raleigh, which starts construction in May 2010.

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.

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 lovely house, 114 Brooks Avenue, Raleigh, right across from NCSU. 
Built by Greg Paul. 

1995 - The Ron Rozelle Residence, aka Artist's Studio and Apartment, Saxapahaw NC.  Won an AIANC Award in 1997.  Featured in Architectural Record.

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 answer is a kitchen revolving around a kidney-shaped island of Brazilian tuba granite. It is a functional work surface set on furniture-quality, custom maple-veneer cabinetry that also serves as a dining counter. The kitchen area flows uninterrupted into the home’s great room where a Count Rumford-style slate fireplace comfortably heats the public and entertaining areas. 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.

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, 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--stucco, wood, and concrete block, for example--from local sources.   Contractor:  Ivar Unhjem Construction, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas.  Bottom two photos by James West.

2000 - The Rich and Amy Podurgal Residence, 2700 Webb Street, Raleigh. They turned this old 50's brick ranch (above left) into an exciting new home.  4573 square feet.  Five bedrooms.

 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.  Built by Greg Paul.  Featured on the TMH April 2009 Tour.

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

2005 - The Joseph Harmon Residence, aka the Low Country Residence, along Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant SC.  1.5 acres.  2500 square feet.  Won a National AIA award in 2009.  Scuptor Christian Karkow did the galvanized steel screens.  Top two photos by Richard Leo Johnson.  Bottom five photos by Beth Broome.   See a short video from the News and Observer about the house here.

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

2009 - The Jarrett Residence, Apex.  Unbuilt.

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