Demosthenes Mccreight and Riley

Established in either 1956 or 1958 (sources vary), this Sumter firm was the successor to Demosthenes and Morgan, a partnership between Harry Joseph Demosthenes and Elbert Eugene Morgan. Other principals included Charles Randolph McCreight and Onan Beverley Riley, III. Buildings credited generally to the firm include Founders Hall at Francis Marion College, the Library and Fine Arts Center at Morris College in Sumter, and the SCARNG Armories at Clemson, Anderson, Chesterfield, and Lake City.

Born in Savannah on September 13, 1920, Demosthenes served in the US Navy from 1942-45, then completed his Bachelor of Science at Clemson in 1952. He worked as a draftsman for J. Whitney Cunningham, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, and the Bureau of Yards and Docks before establishing the firm with Morgan. His known works included the Mackie Spinning Inc. building in Sumter, the Bank of Beaufort, the Sumter Municipal Airport, Lake City High School, the Coca Cola Bottling Co. building Sumter, and Darlington Elementary School. He died on March 9, 1993.

Onan Beverley Riley, III, was born on April 15, 1924, and completed his education at Clemson in 1946. Projects attributed to him while working for the firm include the clubhouse building at Sunset Country Club in Sumter. Riley died on May 25, 1991.

Born in Columbia on October 16, 1926, Charles McCreight served in the Air Force from 1944 to 1946, then completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture at Clemson in 1951. He joined the firm in 1956, perhaps when it was still known as Demosthenes and Morgan. McCreight’s known projects include the buildings of Clemson University at Sumter, the Sumter Technical Education Center, and the 1967 SCARNG Armory at Andrews, although he is known to have designed literally hundreds of buildings in the Sumter vicinity. He enjoyed a particular fondness for designing schools. He retired from architectural practice in 2012.