Lang & Witchell

Lang & Witchell

Company type	Architectural firm
Industry	Architecture
Founded	1905
Founder	Otto H. Lang, Frank O. Witchell
Defunct	1942
Headquarters	Dallas , United States
Area served	Texas, United States

Lang & Witchell was a prominent architectural firm headquartered in Dallas, Texas, active from 1905 until 1942.

History

Otto H. Lang, the firm's founder, was born in Freiburg in 1864. He completed a degree in structural engineering at the University of Karlsruhe in 1888 and pursued architectural studies before moving to Dallas. There, he rose to the position of senior architect and engineer with the Texas and Pacific Railroad. Frank O. Witchell, originally from South Wales (born 1879) and raised in San Antonio, Texas, apprenticed under the distinguished architect J. Riely Gordon and gained experience with Sanguinet & Staats in Fort Worth.

The partnership between Lang and Witchell began in 1905, rapidly becoming recognized as Dallas’s foremost architectural firm. The collaboration concluded in 1938 when Witchell retired due to health concerns; Lang maintained the practice until his own retirement in 1942 and subsequently served as an advisor to architect Grayson Gill. Lang died in 1947, while Witchell passed away in 1952.

Legacy

Lang & Witchell were responsible for designing many significant structures, several of which have been added to the National Register of Historic Places, highlighting their lasting impact on Texas's architectural landscape.

Architectural works

Year	Building	Location	City	State	Notes	Image
1907	Harris County Courthouse	301 Fannin St	Houston	Texas	Listed on NRHP (1981).
1907	Dallas High School	2218 Bryan St	Dallas	Texas	Added to NRHP (1996).
1910	Cooke County Courthouse	101 S Dixon St	Gainesville	Texas	Collaboration with Garrett & Collins; NRHP-listed (1991).
1910	Sanger Brothers Department Store	716 Elm St	Dallas	Texas	Included on NRHP (1975).
1911	Southwestern Life Insurance Company Building	1500 Main St	Dallas	Texas	Demolished in 1972.
1912	Busch Building (currently Kirby Building)	1509 Main St	Dallas	Texas	Designed alongside Barnett, Haynes & Barnett; NRHP-listed (1980).
1912	Johnson County Courthouse	1 Public Sq	Cleburne	Texas	Listed on NRHP (1988).
1913	Rufus W. Higginbotham House	5002 Swiss Ave	Dallas	Texas	Prairie School architectural style; part of Swiss Avenue Historic District on NRHP (1974).
1917	Majestic Theatre	1925 Elm St	Dallas	Texas	Co-designed with John Eberson.
1919	Magnolia Petroleum Company Building	108 S Akard St	Dallas	Texas	At completion, tallest building in Texas; designed with Alfred C. Bossom; NRHP-listed (1978).
1923	Chevrolet Motor Company Building	3221 Commerce St	Dallas	Texas	Registered on NRHP (2003).
1924	Hilton Hotel	1933 Main St	Dallas	Texas	Included in NRHP (1985).
1927	Southwestern Bell Telephone Company Building	308 S Akard St	Dallas	Texas	Collaboration with company architect Irving R. Timlin; currently known as Three AT&T Plaza.
1933	State Highway Building	125 E 11th St	Austin	Texas	Designed with Adams & Adams; NRHP-listed (1998).