John Oxenfeld interviewed by Kate Walker in 2012.

 

  Haywood Newkirk interviewed by Kate Walker in 2012.

JOHN ROBERT OXENFELD, AIA (1927-)

Oxenfeld was born in St. Louis MO.  During early WWII the family moved to Savannah GA.  He enlisted in the Army at 17 and attended NCSU and the University of Minnesota briefly as a part of active duty.  He attended Georgia Tech, graduating with an Architecture degree in 1951.  He worked for Warren Taylor and Finch Alexander Barnes Paschal in Atlanta; also Pollard and Altobellis.  When Altobellis moved to Wilmington, Oxenfeld moved too and worked for Altobellis and Associates from 1954-1955. 

He started his own firm in 1955, taking on Haywood Newkirk as a partner in the early 1960's. Oxenfeld and Newkirk were the rock stars of Wilmington architecture, winning several state awards.  Their partnership lasted until the early 1970's.  Oxenfeld retired in 1992 and now lives in Greensboro.

HAYWOOD HOMAN NEWKIRK, AIA (1933-)

Newkirk grew up in Wilmington.  He graduated from the NCSU School of Design in 1959, working for Raymond Sawyer, Carter Williams and Charlie Davis in the summers. He also worked in Switzerland for a few years, designing one house. After graduation, he worked for Ballard McKim and Sawyer and in 1961 with John Oxenfeld in Wilmington. They had a successful partnership for more than a decade, brought on in part by early houses for Figure Eight Island. 

Newkirk left in the 1970's and ran a successful practice with clients such as Disney.  Since the 1950's, he has been a noted artist; see two paintings below.  Newkirk retired around 1995 and moved to Florida.  

While at NCSU, Newkirk painted "Black Nude." On the right, above, is his 1956 painting of the old Marina Area of Wrightsville Beach.  Newkirk's works have been displayed at the Guggenheim as well as other national museums.

1959 - The Bruce & Betty Cameron Residence, 2219 Blythe Road, Wilmington NC.  Mr. Cameron was an engineer.  He wanted pre-stressed concrete structural columns, beams, and double "T" floor and roof slabs which  made the house virtually hurricane-proof. terazzo floors.  Mrs. Cameron had the Modernist leanings.  Their house of 4,000+ square feet is still in good shape. Never sold, built for current owners.  Bottom two photo of Oxenfeld with Mrs. Cameron.  Color photos by George Smart.

 1963 - The Calvin and Shirley McKay Residence, 302 West Renovah Circle, Wilmington NC.  The L-shaped house faces inwards to a central courtyard that is the naturally lit focal point of the rooms.The habitable outdoor space blends the home’s interior with the landscape.  Sold to architect Ligon Flynn, who commissioned a sculpture by Michael Van Hout, "Oscar the Turtle."  Flynn has since passed away.

About 1964 - The Clarence Welker House, aka The Beach House, Circle Drive, Wrightsville Beach NC.  Top photo, right.  Won an AIANC 1965 Merit Award, middle photo.  Alex Fonvielle was the builder/realtor.  Newkirk was the primary architect.  Has been substantially renovated.

About 1964 - The Andy Bryant Residence, a beach house next door to the Welker's, Wrightsville Beach NC.  Built by Fred Murray.  Top photo, left.

About 1966 - The Thomas L. Avery Beach House, Wrightsville Beach NC.  Engineering by the client.  Built by J. W. Hunter Construction Company.

About 1969 - The Robert (Bobby) Cameron Residence, 2213 Middle Sound Loop Road, Ogden NC.  Overlooked the Intracoastal Waterway.  Steel frame construction.  Newkirk was the primary architect. 

1960's - The Sammy Brody House, Emerald Isle NC.  Do you know where it is?

1966  - The Joseph and Barbara Schwartz Residence, 1920 South Churchill Drive, Wilmington NC.  3600 sf, 4 bedrooms, 5 baths. 1.17 acres.  Constructed around a huge cypress tree which the owner cut down upon moving in.  Built by Fred Murray.  Sold in 2009 to Charmaine Lewis.  She upgraded the floors and kitchen with ILM Design Build, bottom photo, and kept most of the original cabinetry, hardware, and even the sink.  The contractors recycled the cabinets that were removed into open shelving.  The heatures an abundance of natural lighting via large sliding doors on the main level and 6 skylights on the upstairs level.  It has two courtyards (one wraps around the living room, the other is adjacent to the kitchen and dining room.

About 1969 - The Dan D. and Betty Cameron Beach House, Figure Eight Island, Wilmington NC.  Won a 1970 AIANC Merit Award.  Built by AF Lee Construction.  Property was sold.  House destroyed and replaced with a larger house.  Photo by Gordon Schenck.

1968 - The Doug Fleet House, 48 Beach Road South, next door to the Dan Cameron House, Figure Eight Island, Wilmington NC.  Won a 1971 AIANC Merit Award.  At the time, this and the Cameron house were the only adjacent AIANC award winners, an achievement that has never been matched (as of 2011).  Since then, a building has gone up between them.  B/W photo by Gordon Schenck.  Built by Fred Murray.  Landscaping by Dick Bell.  Appeared in the Raleigh News and Observer.

About 1971 - Originally owned by a dentist from Durham who never moved into it.  Was originally on the sound side of Harbor Island in Wrightsville Beach NC.  Later sold to the owners of Wrightsville Beach Plumbing. Sold  Ator boutht the lot.   In 2001 the house was donated to Habitat for Humanity.  They sold it to Sel Drish who moved it by barge and truck to a new location in sections over the course of nine months. The house had a huge reinforced concrete two-pedestal foundation, so the move was quite a feat.  One middle section had to be sacrificed but was rebuilt later.  New address:  112 Dogwood Lane, Hampstead NC, bottom photo.

1978 - The Rachel Cameron Fox (Camp) Residence, 64 Beach Road South, Figure Eight Island, Wilmington NC.  She is Dan Cameron's sister.  Renovated 1996.  Built for current owner.

About 1978 - The Dallas Harris Residence, Seapath Avenue, Motts Channel at Wrightsville Beach NC.  Newkirk also did his neighbors, the Bob Kings, and the Bob Yunaskas. 

1980 - The Albert Lowell Munsell Residence, 837 Inlet View Drive, Wilmington NC. 
Sold to Joanne Munsell Bryant.

About 1982 - The Pyramid House, made from aluminum.  Unbuilt. 
Designed by Newkirk, who tried to get it manufactured for the 1984 Olympics.

1985 - The Eleanor W. Beane House, 8 Saltmeadow Road, Figure Eight Island, Wilmington NC.  Designed by Haywood Newkirk.  Sold to B. D. and Patricia Rodgers.

2003 - The Haywood F. Newkirk IV Residence, 1403 Airlie Road, Wilmington.  Designed by Haywood Newkirk for his son's family of four. Newkirk's daughter-in-law was the general contractor.  Newkirk's other son Craig's firm, Smith Newkirk Drafting and Design, did the working drawings.  Passive solar, 4100 square feet.

Early 1980's - Single family condos, near the Coast Guard Station, south Wrightsville Beach NC.

Sources include:  History of The North Carolina Chapter of the AIA 1913-1998:  An Architectural Heritage
by C. David Jackson and Charlotte V. Brown, Haywood H. Newkirk, Craig Newkirk, Haywood F. Newkirk IV, John Oxenfeld, John Oxenfeld Jr, Charmaine Lewis, Ramani Mathew.

Many of Oxenfeld and Newkirk's houses were built by Fred Murray, the best Modernist builder in Wilmington, much like Frank Walser in the Triangle.