Clyde Eugene Harris

HARRIS Clyde Eugene Harris, the highly regarded Jacksonville architect and devoted husband of Kathryn ("Kitty") Harris, died on January 17, 2010 at Mayo Clinic Hospital following surgery for a broken hip. He was 99. Trained in the Beaux Arts system, Clyde was respected for his meticulous work, good humor and sensitivity to clients' needs. By the time he retired at age 87, he had designed more than 1,400 projects that ranged from the Timuquana Country Club to schools, churches, private homes and the State of Florida's original "Welcome" stations. He designed a number of the early houses in Ponte Vedra Beach and Deerwood. In addition to his Florida practice, he was a licensed architect in Georgia and North Carolina. In 2002, Clyde was honored by the Jacksonville Chapter of the American Institute of Architects with its Henry John Klutho Award for lifetime achievement. An avid golfer into his 90s, Clyde also enjoyed handball, boating and fishing in his earlier years. In 1957, he won the Predicted Log Cruise in the Gator Bowl Regatta. He was the senior golf champion at Timuquana Country Club in 1960. A Jacksonville native, Clyde was born on April 4, 1910, the eldest child of Charles Eugene and Daisy (Hayes) Harris. His father, a native of Harris County, Georgia, had moved to the city with the Seaboard Airline Railroad. Clyde was a member of the first graduating class of Jackson High School in 1928. He enrolled in the University of Florida to study architecture and was graduated in 1932. In the depths of the Great Depression, he worked as an unpaid apprentice to Mellon C. Greeley, one of the first Fellows of the Institute of Architecture to practice in the state. A commission to build the Bartram School for Girls provided the means for Clyde to propose marriage to Kathryn Loraine Kiker. The two were married in Reidsville, North Carolina on January 21, 1939. That same year, he designed their Monterrey-style home on Ortega Boulevard. On nearby lots, he designed four houses for friends who pooled their purchasing power to buy building materials. Clyde oversaw the unloading of lumber at the Yukon train station. After Pearl Harbor, Clyde worked for the Army Corps of Engineers to help design a program to camouflage potential targets of enemy fire on Florida's coastline. In 1943, he moved his family to North Carolina to oversee wartime construction projects. Returning to Jacksonville in 1946, Clyde reopened his practice. Over the next 50 years, he designed hundreds of custom residences and landmarks such as River Shore Village, the city's first condominium units, and Grace Episcopal Church in Orange Park. He also designed the high-rise Beau Rivage on St. Johns Avenue, where he and his wife lived before moving to Vicar's Landing in Ponte Vedra in 2000. At the time of his death, Clyde was the oldest living member of the Meninak Club of Jacksonville. He was a longtime communicant of St. Mark's Episcopal Church until he joined the congregation of Christ Episcopal Church in Ponte Vedra. In addition to his wife, survivors include son William Kiker Harris and his wife, Helen, of Annandale, VA; son Charles Eugene Harris and his wife, Susan, of New York City; daughter Kathryn Hayes Harris and her husband, Marvin Rudnick, of Pasadena, CA; grandchildren LT Robert Harris, USN; Amy Gwilliam and her husband Josh; Elizabeth Harris; David Harris; Virginia Rudnick; Charles Rudnick; great-granddaughter Kayla Harris and nephew Robert Harris Cleveland. In lieu of flowers, a gift may be made in Clyde's memory to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Christ Episcopal Church, the Vicar's Landing Scholarship Fund, the City Rescue Mission (P.O. Box 60291, Jacksonville FL 32236) or a charity of your choice. A memorial service will be held at a later date when family members can gather. Arrangements by HARDAGE- GIDDENS FUNERAL HOME, 1701 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250 (904-249-2374). Please Sign the Guestbook @ Jacksonville.com