Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr.

Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr.
Born	(1923-02-21)February 21, 1923 Portland, Maine, US
Died	September 23, 1997(1997-09-23) (aged 74) Portland, Maine, US
Alma mater	Syracuse University (B.Arch.)
Occupation	Architect
Awards	New York Society of Architects award for Excellence in Building Construction[1]

Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr., (February 21, 1923 − September 23, 1997) was an American architect from the state of Maine. Ingalls focused mainly on schools, but also designed other types of public buildings such as churches and banks.[2]

Early life

Wilbur R. Ingalls Jr. was the son of Laura Lewis Ingalls and Wilbur R. Ingalls Sr. He was born in Portland, Maine, and attended Portland Public Schools, graduating from Deering High School in 1942. Ingalls was a member of the United States Army and served in Europe during World War II. During his time in the Army, Ingalls attended the Arizona State Teachers College at Tempe as an aviation cadet. After the war, he returned to Portland, and attended the Portland Junior College. In 1952 Ingalls graduated from the School of Architecture at Syracuse University.[2]

Career

Shortly after graduating from Syracuse, Ingalls began his career as an architect at the firm of Alonzo J. Harriman, in Auburn, Maine. In 1956, he worked for Engineering Services of Portland, and in 1957 he opened his own private architecture firm, which he continued until retiring in 1995.[2]

In a 1989 letter to The Portland Press Herald, Ingalls wrote: "It is a matter of architectural philosophy to use a few quality exterior materials in a simple way and let the interiors unfold as a series of surprises."[2]

Ingalls designed more than sixty schools throughout Maine. He also designed several churches and banks.[2] According to Ingalls' wife, his favorite designs were the Howard C. Reiche Community School and the Portland Arts & Technology High School.[2]

Works

Schools

Wells High School.

Catherine McAuley High School.

Name	Location	Year built
Blewett Science Center at Westbrook College[1]	Portland, Maine
Bonny Eagle Middle School[3]	Buxton, Maine
Canal School[1]	Westbrook, Maine
Catherine McAuley High School[1]	Portland, Maine	1969
Field House at Hyde School[3]	Bath, Maine
Howard C. Reiche Community School[1]	Portland, Maine
MacDougall-Ginn Hall at Westbrook College[1]	Portland, Maine
The first Noble High School[3] (now Noble Middle School)	North Berwick, Maine	1969
Portland Arts and Technology High School[1]	Portland, Maine
Memorial Junior High School (now Memorial Middle School)[4]	South Portland, Maine	1967
The fourth Wells High School[5]	Wells, Maine	1977

Churches

Name	Location	Year built
Father Hayes Center at St. Joseph's Catholic Church[2]	Portland, Maine	1970
Grace Episcopal Church[1]	Bath, Maine
Holy Martyrs Church[3]	Falmouth, Maine
St. Andrew's Roman Catholic Church[3]	Augusta, Maine
Renovation and alterations to Trinity Episcopal Church[1]	Portland, Maine
Westbrook-Warren Congregational Church[6]	Westbrook, Maine	1977

Municipal buildings

Name	Location	Year built
Freeport Public Safety Building[7]	Freeport, Maine	1993
Freeport Public Works Building[7]	Freeport, Maine	1993
Memorial Branch of the South Portland Public Library[8]	South Portland, Maine	1976

Commercial buildings

Name	Location	Year built
Commercial Street branch of KeyBank[2]	Portland, Maine

References

1. "Obituary - Wilbur Ingalls". Bangor Daily News. 25 September 1997.
2. Bartlett, Will (25 September 1997). "Featured Obituary - Wilbur Ingalls - Architect, designed many public buildings". The Portland Press Herald.
3. "Bill Ingalls: A contemporary architect who relies on the past". Maine 70: Architecture and Construction. 3 (5). Down East Enterprise, Inc.
4. Onos DiPhilippo, Kathryn (19 November 2021). "Historical society 'memorializes' junior high/middle school with 2021 Christmas ornament". South Portland Sentry. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
5. Plaque in the front lobby of the school.
6. "Almost Ready For Worship". Portland Evening Express. 30 July 1977.
7. Monegain, Bernie (29 February 1992). "Freeport chooses Ingalls firm to design new town buildings". Times Record.
8. Plaque on the front of the building.