The 25 – William H. Bates III, AIA, NCARB

During the ’80s, William H. Bates III was introduced to the wonders of architecture and design through a family business of the import and sale of 18th- and 19th-century English antiques. “At a young age, I learned how to disassemble, repair, and restore beautiful old mahogany furniture,” says Bates. “Those lessons ultimately led me toward design and architecture.”

One of the founding faculty of the American College of the Building Arts (ACBA), Bates arrived in Charleston in the summer of 2005 with a group of eager international professors and administrators. He promoted hand drafting, freehand drawing, architectural history, and design studio courses as critical parts of the Building Arts curriculum, which became the foundation of the program today. Beyond teaching those courses, Bates also designed the school’s crest, shield, and mantle and developed and led the first series of Italian summer study courses from 2009 to 2017. He also held the role of Chair of Architecture and Allied Arts at his retirement in 2020. Bates was honored with the title of Professor Emeritus for his long-standing and continued proponency of the college.

A registered architect, Bates is NCARB certified and an AIA member. He holds an undergraduate degree in interior design from Auburn University’s School of Architecture and a master’s in architecture from the University of Miami. He also studied at the Attingham Summer School and Sotheby’s Institute of Art, taking courses in French polish finishing and oil and water gilding. A longtime member of the ICAA, he has held the title of Fellow since 2000. Bates’ work has been noted in Vogue, Monocle, and Period Homes, among many other publications, and he has lectured in the U.S. and abroad.

Bates left ACBA and Charleston for New York City to lead Fairfax & Sammons Architects, where he had worked early in his career as a draftsman and construction administrator. Here, he continues to champion classical design.