Jack O. Boyte papers

Collection

Identifier: MS0367

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection concerns primarily architectural work of Jack O. Boyte, in and around Charlotte, North Carolina in the latter part of the twentieth century. Boyte’s career in architecture centered on historic preservation, and this collection contains the building specifications for several of his restoration projects. In addition to building specifications, the collection also includes a significant quantity of photographs of Charlotte street scenes, public buildings and residences dating from the late nineteenth century. Other items of note concern Charlotte’s Central High School (Boyte and his future wife, Martha Moore Yandle, both graduated from Central High) and a booklet concerning the fifty year high school reunion, dated 1991. There is also a letter from Floyd Macon Simmons, concerning several photographs of Fort Caswell on the southeast coast of North Carolina from the 1930s (the photographs of Ft. Caswell are also a part of the collection). Lastly, there is a scrapbook containing newspaper clippings of several different historic sites in and around the Charlotte area, dating from 1968 to 1972. Included in these clippings is a considerable amount of information about Lady Bird Johnson’s visit to Charlotte in 1968.

Dates

Creation: 1938 - 1991
Creation: 1968 - 1985

Creator

Boyte, Jack O. (Jack Orr) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Some material may be copyrighted or restricted. It is the patron's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other case restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials found in the collections.

Biographical / Historical

Jack Orr Boyte, the son of William Franklin and Daisy Viola Boyte, was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, on March 16, 1920. After graduating from Central High School in 1938, he moved in with his elder brother, Harry in Charleston, South Carolina. By 1940 he landed a job with the US Department of Agriculture, earning $29.00 a week. When war broke out, he was soon drafted into the army. In the service he was trained to fly B-17s and B-24s and spent the duration flying in the Pacific theatre. On his way back home he met an architect in Manila—a chance meeting that would influence the rest of his life. Once he returned state-side, he and Harry moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Jack applied for and was accepted into the Georgia Tech School of Architecture, using money provided from the GI Bill which paid for both his tuition and living expenses. In 1946, Jack married Martha Moore Yandle, and the couple had two children—John and Betsy. After Jack graduated from Georgia Tech in 1951, he returned to Charlotte to work for the Louis Asbury Architectural firm, and later for Walter Hook’s firm. Eventually, he and another architect founded their own firm, Boyte-Williams. In addition to his passion for architecture, Jack also acquired an interest in historic preservation. As a result of this interest, Boyte became acquainted with Walter Toy and Dan Morrill, who organized the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission. Boyte’s first work in historic preservation was the development of the architectural drawings for the restoration of the Bogan-Hammond House in Wadesboro. Another well-known historic landmark in the Charlotte area was the restoration of the Latta Plantation House. With these and other architectural restoration projects, Boyte eventually accumulated enough projects to compile his work into a book, which he first published in 1992, entitled “Houses of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.” Boyte later published an updated edition in 1998. This book was a great success and earned him a number of awards, including a merit award from the North Carolina Historical Society and a commendation from the American Association for State and Local History. Jack Boyte died in Charlotte on August 2, 2005. [Sources: Around Carolina. http://features.aroundcarolina.com/architecture/jackbio.asp]

Extent

0.4 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Contains a small arrangement of papers, concerning primarily Jack Boyte’s career in architectural preservation in Charlotte, North Carolina in the late twentieth century.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into four series, one of which (Photographs - Prints and Slides) is further divided into subseries. There are also several files that do not belong to any series. The four series are: Architectural Specifications (1979-1988), Central High School Papers (1938-1941), Photographs - Prints and Slides (1880-1970) and Wood block craft.