Harold J Riddle

Born November 4, 1922, in Lakeland, Florida, Harold Joseph Riddle was one of Myrtle Beach’s most prolific architects during the mid-twentieth century. He was a graduate of Clemson’s School of Architecture, and he served in the Air Force during World War II. During the early part of his practice, which began under his own name in 1953, Riddle worked closely with William A. Faust, Jr., until Faust left sometime before 1962 to form his own practice in Florida. He served as President of the South Carolina Chapter of the AIA in 1966. Later, he partnered with Gene Cameron Wilkes (d. 1981) under the firm name of Riddle and Wilkes. Riddle retired in 1984 and passed away on December 8, 1991.

Although Riddle designed many buildings throughout the Carolinas, most were concentrated in the Myrtle Beach area. In addition to his work on the Myrtle Beach (1963) armory, Riddle is credited with designing several buildings on the campus of Coastal Carolina University (including the Edward M. Singleton Building, the Williams-Brice Arena, the Wheelwright Auditorium, the Lib Jackson Student Center, and Atheneum Hall), as well as the Rivoli Theatre, the Dunes Golf and Country Club, the Ocean Drive Theatre, the Bay Tree Club House, and the original Myrtle Beach Convention Center.