Background: Charles Menefee is a native
of the Carolina coast south of Charleston, South Carolina. He studied
at Carnegie Mellon University, where he received a professional degree
in architecture in 1977. In 1981, Menefee formed the Charleston Architectural
Group, and, in 1985, he joined W.G. Clark in practice as Clark & Menefee
Architects. In the fall of 1989, Charles Menefee served as the Distinguished
Visiting Critic at Clemson University. With the moving of his practice
from Charleston, SC, to Charlottesville, VA, in 1991, came the opportunity
to teach on a regular basis at the University of Virginia. Menefee served
as a Lecturer in Architecture at UVa from 1991-1994, and is currently
an Associate Professor of Architecture teaching design studios and building
courses at the graduate and undergraduate levels.
Charles Menefee's academic and professional interests revolve around common
issues, specifically those concerning the construction and occupation
of the juncture of building and landscape. Clark & Menefee Architects
received critical mention of its work in numerous national and international
journals, won two first prizes in national design competitions, and has
received three national honor awards from the American Institute of Architects.
The work is documented in a book titled Clark and Menefee by Richard Jensen.
Charles Menefee currently practices as Charles Menefee, Architect, following
the dissolution of Clark & Menefee Architects at the end of 1998.