William Dodge

1928 - 2014

William W. Dodge, III

Asheville - William W. Dodge III, a well-known and respected architect in Raleigh for many years, died April 25, 2014 at Givens Estates Retirement Community in Asheville, following a period of failing health.

A native of Asheville, Mr. Dodge was born October 8, 1928 to William Waldo Dodge Jr. and Margaret Wheeler Robinson Dodge. He attended the Asheville School for Boys, Cheshire Academy in Connecticut and the College of William and Mary in Virginia prior to serving in the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he earned the rank of first lieutenant as part of the Japan Construction Agency in Tokyo. In 1957, he earned a degree in architecture from North Carolina State University.

Mr. Dodge opened his office in Raleigh in 1962. Two projects provided him his greatest personal satisfaction: his design and completion of the first high-rise state office structure in Raleigh, the Albemarle Building, completed in 1970, part of the North Carolina State Government Complex; and his role in the restoration of the North Carolina State Capitol Building, completed in celebration of the United States Bicentennial. Many state and local governmental buildings throughout North Carolina are credited to him, along with the restoration of the Joel Lane House, Mordecai House, and the old Post Office in Raleigh as well as the design of many large residences in Raleigh, Durham and Wilson.

No locale, other than Raleigh, has seen as many successful projects headed by Mr. Dodge as the campus of UNC-Chapel Hill, where he was responsible for Fetzer Gymnasium, at the time the campus's largest building; the restoration of Old East, the oldest state university building in the United States, as well as Old West dormitory; he also was architect for the renovation of Saunders Hall, the President's home, Playmakers Theatre and an early renovation of Memorial Hall. The campuses at North Carolina State, East Carolina and Fayetteville University also contain examples of his work.

Following retirement from Dodge & Associates in Raleigh in 1992, Mr. Dodge and his second wife, Ann Weaver Clark Dodge, whom he married in 1990, moved to Blowing Rock. He served on the Appalachian State University library board and was the first to propose the building of the University's state-of-the-art Belk Library, opened in 2005. Additionally, he designed and oversaw the creation of the University's ceremonial mace, as well as a glass and steel case in which the mace is prominently displayed in the library.

Mr. Dodge was widely acclaimed for his work in historical preservation, having received awards for the State Capitol building, Mordecai House and the Joel Lane House in Raleigh, as well as the Brooks/Hollandsworth House at Asheville School. He was a member of the North Carolina chapter of the American Institute of Architects, a past president of its Raleigh chapter and a member of the board of its Asheville chapter. He had served as chair of historic district, site and property commissions for both Raleigh and the state, was the architect member of the state committee for the National Register of Historic Places and was a charter member of the State Capitol Foundation. Active in business and civic organizations, he had served on the board of the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the YMCA. A generous contributor to cultural, social and civic organizations, Mr. Dodge was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow with Rotary groups in both Raleigh and Blowing Rock. Although his health declined over the last several years, Mr. Dodge enjoyed active participation in AIA Asheville and the Asheville Design Center, as well as the Preservation Society of Asheville & Buncombe County and Asheville School.

William Dodge was predeceased by his first wife, Nell Hendon Ramsey, and a sister, Nancy Dodge Holloway.

Surviving are his wife Ann, a son William W. Dodge IV of Raleigh; a step-daughter, Ann Gill Clark Howell, of Raleigh; two nieces: Kirby Holloway Ruland of Fairview and Laurie Holloway of Swannanoa; and five step-grandchildren: Tony Clark of Chapel Hill; Benjamin Clark of Brooklyn, NY; Brian Howell of Charlotte; Rachel Clark of Savannah, GA; and Steven Howell of Durham.

A service will be held on Wednesday, April 30, 2014 at 3:00 PM at the Cathedral of All Souls in Biltmore. Private burial will be at the Columbarium at Givens Estates.

Contributions in memory of William W. Dodge III may be made to the Givens Estates Resident Assistance Ministry, 2360 Sweeten Creek Rd., Asheville, NC 28803 or CarePartners, 68 Sweeten Creek Rd., Asheville, NC 28803.

Morris Funeral Home, 304 Merrimon Avenue is in charge of arrangements. Condolences may be sent through the website www.morrisfamilyfuneralhome.com.