Charles Witsell Jr.
Jun 10th, 1944 - Jun 28th, 2025- Birth Date: Jun 10, 1944
- Death Date: Jun 28, 2025
- Funeral Date: Aug 29, 2025 at 10:00 am
- Location: Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Little Rock Arkansas
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Biography:
Charles Witsell Jr., 81, was born in Little Rock on June 10, 1944, and died June 28, 2025 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was a renowned architect, author, and public speaker, and was a passionate advocate for historic preservation, especially the restoration of historic buildings. A leader in the state’s historic preservation movement, he was generous with his time and energy, freely sharing his knowledge and expertise with anyone interested.
The only child of Charles Sr. and Elizabeth “Dink” Witsell, Charles was a fifth-generation Arkansan. He grew up in Little Rock and knew by the second grade that he wanted to be an architect. He attended public schools until the summer of 1958, when the high schools were closed for a year during the desegregation crisis. Just entering high school at that time, Charles left Arkansas to attend Sewanee Military Academy in Tennessee, where he graduated in 1962 as the senior cadet officer. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Architecture (1966) and a Masters of Architecture (1968), both from Washington University in St. Louis. He married his junior-high sweetheart, Becky Rogers, a gifted artist, in 1967. They returned to Little Rock the following year when he was hired as an architect by the Cromwell Firm, where he was mentored by Ed Cromwell.
In 1971, much to his parents’ chagrin, Charles and Becky bought the Hanger House at 1010 Scott Street, the first of five dilapidated historic homes they would purchase and restore in Little Rock’s Quapaw Quarter neighborhood. Built in 1889, it is considered one of the finest restorations of a Queen Anne-style home in Arkansas. Becky’s expertise re-creating historic interiors fit perfectly with Charles’s knowledge of historic architecture and they would spend the next four decades helping save and restore countless historic homes and buildings, inside and out.
In 1978, Charles and his friend Don Evans started their own firm, Witsell and Evans, out of two rooms in the back of the Hanger House. In 1984 they were joined by Terry Rasco and became Witsell, Evans and Rasco (now WER), which became a leading firm in both new construction and historic preservation projects. Charles was senior principal of the firm from its founding until his retirement at the end of 2007.
Charles believed firmly in public service and advocacy. He volunteered on many boards and commissions, including those overseeing the Historic Arkansas Museum, Old State House, Historic Preservation Alliance of Arkansas, Quapaw Quarter Association, Governor’s Mansion Association, Little Rock Historic District Commission, and the Mayor’s Task Force on Historic Preservation. He served three terms on the Board of Advisors of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He was a long-time member of Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, where he held many lay offices including senior warden of the Vestry.
Both an intellectual and a hands-on craftsman, Charles was an avid collector of antique tools and books, and was a lifelong student of history, archaeology, architecture, art, and the skills of historic artisans. He won numerous design awards for architectural projects, but also enjoyed working with his hands—tearing out plaster, scraping old paint, framing walls, and rebuilding old windows. He especially loved doing carpentry projects with his son Theo, building everything from treehouses and skateboard ramps to custom furniture and home remodels. They once saved an “architecturally significant” 1896 outhouse from imminent demolition, painstakingly disassembling and moving it to the backyard of the Hanger House, where it still serves as a storage shed.
Charles was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in 1987 and was inducted into the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame in 2008. He received many awards for his contributions to both architectural history and historic preservation including the Fay Jones Gold Medal, two AIA commendations, the Virginia C. Ledbetter book award, the Quapaw Quarter Association’s Jimmy Strawn Award, the Preservation Alliance’s Westbrook Award, the Arkansas Archeological Society’s McGimsey Award, and was honored with the creation of the Becky and Charles Witsell Endowment for Preservation Education and Training.
A scholar and a lifelong learner, he enjoyed research and writing, authoring or co-authoring 37 articles and two books: How We Lived: Little Rock as an American City (August House, 1984) and Architects of Little Rock: 1833-1950 (UA Press, 2014). He delivered more than 100 lectures and taught classes at the University of Arkansas and UA Little Rock. He was a member of the XV Club for more than two decades and prepared and read papers on many topics before its members.
Charles worked on more than 200 National Register buildings, and dozens of others over his career. He was a major force in the restoration of buildings at Historic Washington State Park in southwest Arkansas and a trustee of the Pioneer Washington Restoration Foundation. Other notable restoration projects include Lakeport Plantation, the Old State House, the Confederate State Capitol in Hempstead County, Bath House Row in Hot Springs National Park, multiple county courthouses, and multiple projects at the State Capitol. New construction projects he worked on include the Richard Sheppard Arnold U.S. Courthouse addition and remodel; Episcopal Collegiate School; First United Methodist Church in Fort Smith; Episcopal churches in Conway, Jacksonville, Russellville, and Little Rock; and buildings on seven college campuses in Arkansas.
Charles was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Rebecca (Becky); two children, Charles Theodore and Alexandra Rebecca Witsell; daughter-in-law Tanya Miller-Witsell and son-in-law Benjamin Studevent; and four grandchildren, Annaleah Estelle Witsell, Daniel Sylvan Witsell, Charles William Witsell Studevent, and Alexander Olin Witsell Studevent. Throughout his life, he surrounded himself with a wide circle of dedicated friends and collaborators. As a father, he led by example, encouraging his children to make their own paths and turn their passions into careers. His steadfast encouragement and interest in ancient Egyptian architecture inspired his daughter Ali to pursue her career in archaeology at the Giza Plateau. In his retirement he traveled, read, wrote, did extensive genealogical research, and built a screened camping pavilion on the Saline River with his family. He was our moral anchor, a peacemaker, and an exceedingly proud son of Arkansas.
In honor of Charles, we encourage readers to have honest conversations with family and loved ones regarding their plans for end of life care, noting especially the increasing challenges of long-term and elder care and the emotional, physical, and financial tolls of caregiving. Our family is grateful for the skilled work of many caregivers during Charles’s illness but wish to highlight the companionship and comfort that Jimmy Lynn, Luther Williams, Melvin Wilson, Thomas Chapman, and Lonnie Phillips brought to his final years of life.
A memorial service will he held on August 29th at 10:00 am at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Little Rock.
Donations in Charles’s memory can be made to the Historic Arkansas Museum (https://www.arkansasheritage.com/historic-arkansas-museum/support-us/donate) or the Becky and Charles Witsell Endowment for Preservation Education and Training through the Arkansas Community