The postcard above shows the Knights of Pythias Orphanage in Clayton, NC. It was built by North Carolina architect Henry Bonitz in 1909.
In 1893, Bonitz was part of the first graduating class from the recently opened College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (which would later become North Carolina State University). As such, Bonitz was one of the first trained-in-state professional architects. Bonitz was originally from Goldsboro, NC, but his family later moved to Wilmington. His office was located in Wilmington, and many of his projects were done in and around New Hanover County, but not exclusively.
You can read more about Bonitz’s life and work in his entry in NC Architects and Builders, an online biographical dictionary presented by NC State’s Libraries. Make sure to catch the anecdote about what became of his architectural drawings that were done on linen!
Many thanks for the image of the Orphanage by Bonitz, and for the citation of our web site, ncarchitects.lib.ncsu. Many of the illustrations on our site come from the NC postcard collection, thanks to your all’s gracious generosity. If you come across more postcards or other images that depict buildings we have listed, we’d love to know! I love checking on your postcard site to see what’s new.
Catherine Bishir
Bridget, thanks for the tip on the sad fate of Bonitz’s drawings — gonna wash that man right out of my tablecloth!… Makes “Mom threw out my baseball cards” look pretty mundane.
Thanks for the link to the NC architects and builders website. My son is an aspiring architect so I can’t wait to show him!