William Christmas Knighton (December 25, 1867 – March 14, 1938)[1] was an
American architect best known for his work in
Oregon. Knighton designed the
Governor Hotel in
Portland,
Johnson Hall at the
University of Oregon, and the
Oregon Supreme Court Building[2] and
Deepwood Estate in
Salem. He served as Oregon's first
state architect from 1911–1915, appointed by Governor Oswald West. By 1915, Knighton had designed ninety building projects as state architect. In 1919, Knighton was appointed by Governor Ben Olcott as the first president of the Oregon State Board of Architectural Examiners, a position he held until 1922. In 1920, Knighton was elected the sixth president of the Oregon Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects. He remained on the chapter's board of trustees for several years and was chair of the Chapter Legislative Committee into the 1930s.
He born on December 25, 1867, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He came to Salem, Oregon, in 1893 and apprenticed with C.S. McNally. He moved to Alabama in 1895 and returned to Portland, Oregon in 1902.[1]
In 1924 he formed a partnership with Leslie Dillon Howell, during which he designed buildings including
Grant High School.[3]