Doug McCarty, FAIA (’73) has his architectural signature across Knoxville and East Tennessee. 

He has played a role in designing many campus buildings, including the Art + Architecture Building, Neyland Stadium, the Student Union, the John C. Hodges Library, the Mossman Laboratory Building, the Zeanah Engineering Complex, and renovations and addition to the UT Winston College of Law building, as well as many iconic city structures, including Knoxville Convention Center and the Tennessee Theatre. In addition, McCarty has been active in the community and a long-time supporter of UT and its College of Art + Architecture. 

To celebrate his illustrious career, McCarty (’73), chairman emeritus of McCarty Holsaple McCarty (MHM) Architects, has been honored with the American Institute of Architects, Tennessee (AIA TN)’s William Strickland Award for Lifetime Achievement. 

The award adds to a lengthy list of McCarty’s professional honors, which includes the AIA East TN Gold Medal Award for outstanding community service in 2009 and induction into AIA’s College of Fellows in 2021. 

Despite his many accolades, McCarty said receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award is especially significant. 

“This one is closer to home,” he said. “A jury of AIA Tennessee selected me.” 

‘Serious about Architecture’ 

Even when he was studying architecture at UT, there were times that McCarty imagined a far different career. 

“I was infatuated with auto racing,” he said. He transformed a used Triumph TR3 into a racecar and won an East Tennessee autocross championship in his class. 

But that dream faded when he rolled his car during a race. 

“After that, my dad, who was very interested in cars too, decided no more money for Doug for cars. It was time for me to get serious about architecture.” 

McCarty said his love for architecture was cemented during two experiences he had while attending UT: A study abroad trip to Italy to study Venetian palaces and a summer internship in New York with I.M. Pei, whose designs include the famous Louvre Pyramid, the metal-and-glass entryway to the Paris museum and the addition to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. 

After graduating in 1973, Doug McCarty went to work with his father, Bruce McCarty, at MHM (then McCarty Bullock Holsaple). 

With his dad, McCarty designed the UT Art + Architecture Building. He also served as design coordinator for the 1982 World’s Fair. 

Doug McCarty became president and director of design at MHM in 1984 at age 34. 

When he took charge, the firm had six employees and gross revenues of $1.1 million. By 2021, when McCarty transitioned to chairman emeritus, the firm had 45 employees and gross revenues upwards of $10 million. 

In 2007, to celebrate AIA’s 150th anniversary, the East Tennessee chapter asked its members to select the region’s Top 15 architectural achievements. The list was dominated by MHM projects: the Tennessee Theatre, the Art + Architecture Building, Lawson McGhee Library, L & N Station, the Knoxville Museum of Art, Hamilton Bank, Western Plaza, and the Tennessee Amphitheatre. 

Today McCarty is “semi-retired,” spending about five hours a week at the firm, working on business development and advising on complex projects. He devotes considerable time to working with the East Tennessee Community Design Center (ETCDC), a nonprofit organization that serves as a resource for community improvement efforts through pro bono professional expertise.  

Involvement with UT, Community 

McCarty and MHM are strong supporters of UT and its College of Art + Architecture.  

McCarty was a founding member of the college’s Board of Advisers and served on the board for upwards of 10 years. He also served as a college campaign chair for UT’s 21st Century Fundraising Campaign, and as a UTK Chancellor’s Associate. Additionally, in April, MHM partnered with the college and supported its 60th anniversary gala as a Gold Sponsor.

MHM donated the cost of designing and renovating the Art + Architecture building’s auditorium, now named the McCarty Auditorium.  

The firm also created the MHM International Travel Endowment, which supports student travel, and the MHM Endowed Professorship, which helps the college retain highly talented faculty. Most recently, McCarty was part of a group that helped endow the Estabrook Legacy Scholarship which honors the memory of the building that once housed the architecture program. That fund provides scholarships for fourth-year architecture students. 

The firm also supports career preparation events for students and provides internships, and MHM has hired numerous UT graduates into entry-level positions. 

For the lasting impact he’s had on campus, through his architectural work and support, McCarty was honored with the university’s Alumni Service Award in 2018. 

Labors of Love 

Amid all of the work he’s done, McCarty has a few favorite projects. 

The Art + Architecture Building was special, he said, “because I went to school there, and I designed it with my father.” 

The McCartys’ design was selected through a statewide competition. The building was designed to be a learning tool, with exposed mechanical systems that allow students to see how the structure works. 

McCarty said he loved devising the plan that transformed the historic Tennessee Theatre from a movie house to a performing arts center in 2005. The puzzle was figuring out how to expand the “stage house” on a constrained site. While some architects suggested impractical ideas and others said the project was impossible, McCarty conceived a structure that replaced the existing stage house with a larger structure that cantilevered over the adjacent street. 

The Student Union, completed in 2019, was designed in phases to allow part of the facility in the heart of the campus to remain open during construction. MHM designed the UT Student Union in a Joint Venture with BarberMcMurry Architects.  

Reflecting back on his busy career, McCarty said he’s enjoyed the constant challenges architecture provides.  

 “I’ve always been very competitive,” he said, harkening back to his racing days. “I loved pursuing the work and, once we were awarded the project, searching for the right solution. 

“And I’ve also loved all of the people that I’ve work with.”