Education: B.Arch., Carnegie Mellon University

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.