Architect and civic leader Phoebe Patton Randolph is leading a charge to better the Huntington community for generations to come.
By Jean Hardiman
HQ 94 | SUMMER 2016
In life, there occasionally comes along a person who can see things that perhaps others do not. It might be a bright future when others only see roadblocks. It might be the brilliance of fellow community members, when others see only faces. It might be a path to join the two.
Phoebe Patton Randolph is one of those people. A Huntington native who is a principal at Edward Tucker Architects, Inc. in her hometown, Randolph is one of the bright, young professionals who is taking an active role in transforming her city for the better.
She’s doing it by choosing to live in Cabell County with her husband, Justin, owner of Cardinal Builders Inc., and raising their young sons, Ben and Noah, here. She’s doing it through her accomplishments in architecture, which include Marshall University’s new Visual Arts Center downtown, renovations to the Marshall University president’s home on 13th Avenue, the Isabelle Gwynn and Robert Daine Gallery at the Huntington Museum of Art and many others.
Randolph also serves on the boards and committees of several organizations and meets regularly with like-minded optimists in Huntington who participate in the Create Huntington organization. They collaborate on plans for brightening the city’s future.
Her efforts aren’t limited to Cabell County either. West Virginia Executive named Randolph one of its 2015 “Young Guns” for her efforts to improve her home state, and in March of 2016 she became the first female president in the 94-year history of the American Institute of Architects, West Virginia Chapter.
Ask her about receiving that distinction and —after half-joking that it’s about time a woman was elected — she’ll say it’s an honor to be both the first woman and one of the youngest architects in West Virginia to hold that position.
“My main goals are to engage and attract younger members and to promote the fact that we have amazing, top-notch architects here in our state and there is no reason to go outside our borders for those services,” she says.
Randolph says she attributes her path toward architecture to her grandfather, who was an artist and inventor and encouraged her to try architecture to combine her mathematical and artistic talents.
After graduating from Huntington East High School, Randolph studied architecture at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, graduating in 2000. She spent a semester in Krakow, Poland, and spent breaks and summers in the Huntington office of Edward Tucker, absorbing as much of his expertise as she could.
She joined his staff full time in 2003.
“In 2014, (Ed Tucker) finalized partnership agreements with me and Nathan Randolph (my brother-in-law) in order to solidify a long-term sustainability plan for the firm,” she says. “Ed has built an incredible culture in our firm of volunteerism and civic engagement. He also is incredibly generous with allowing young architects to take on the design and management of projects, under his watchful eye. In 2014 we also celebrated our move to our newly renovated office building at 1401 Sixth Ave., which clearly displays our investment in the city we love.”
She’s thrilled to be working in her hometown and home state.
“Huntington is an incredibly supportive community, and, because of the university, there is a great intellectual base here,” Randolph says. “I like being able to be involved and feel that I’m making a difference. Being involved with Create Huntington was a game-changing experience and connected me with a diverse network of people and organizations.”
The daughter of Gail and Paul Patton, she’s a self-described economic development nerd. Volunteerism is a way to help community groups benefit from her skill set as an architect. She also offers perspectives as a mother and a Huntington native. Along with her AIA service, Randolph now volunteers with the Huntington Museum of Art, River Valley Child Development Services, the Mayor’s Council for the Arts and the Boys and Girls Club of Huntington, with a string of other organizations in her past.
She likes helping groups that are struggling.
“I want to make the city a better place for my kids,” she says. “When my husband and I decided to build our house here and settle in here, I decided that I didn’t want my kids to grow up in a place they weren’t proud of. This was a time when there was a lot of negativity and despair about the state of things in Huntington. I hope that one day, they will look back and be proud of what’s been done to turn things around.”
Ask her about the people who inspire her, and you’ll get a lengthy list. She sees countless good things going on in many corners of Huntington, from the city administration to economic development to the arts and yoga communities.
And others appreciate her vision and hard work in return.
“Phoebe has not only immersed herself in various development projects in which her architectural and design skills are a tremendous resource, but she has also become involved in many challenges that face our community,” says Huntington Mayor Steve Williams. “Whether it’s improving the housing stock in Huntington, cultivating entrepreneurship or providing more opportunities for childhood education, she is devoted to making Huntington a place where families and young professionals want to live, work and play.”
Randolph also has an invaluable understanding of her hometown’s history and values, says Ginny Painter, Marshall’s senior vice president for communications and marketing. Painter worked closely with Randolph throughout the renovation of the Marshall president’s home, completed this year.
“She was completely in tune with the university’s desire to maintain the historical integrity of this beautiful house while also making it more functional for hosting events,” Painter says. “She was truly a kindred spirit with an amazing eye for detail and creatively working with the university’s budget.”
During the project, Randolph took setbacks in stride and demonstrated a brilliant understanding of what the house symbolized in the community — and how to represent that within, says Brandi Jacobs-Jones, Marshall’s senior vice president for operations and chief of staff.
“Phoebe is an inspiration to women in our community,” Jacobs-Jones says. “She is a dedicated wife and mother, a leading professional in her field and a committed community leader who serves in a variety of roles for a multitude of causes. She is meticulous in every facet of her life. Somehow, she manages to do so with kind words and a continuous smile.”
