Clyde H. Woodruff: Notable Architect of Fort Worth (1889–1963)
By: Blake Gandy
Published: July 18, 2024
Updated: July 18, 2024
Clyde H. Woodruff, architect, son of Wilbur A. and Martha Amelia (Humphrey) Woodruff, was born on October 3, 1889, in Binghamton, New York. In 1909 Woodruff formed an architecture firm in Binghamton with Elmer Van Slyke. They relocated to Oklahoma City in 1910. After being commissioned to design the First Christian Church (1914) in downtown Fort Worth, the pair relocated their firm to Fort Worth in 1915. Van Slyke and Woodruff designed an annex to the building in 1928. The Texas Historical Commission granted the church a Texas Historical Marker in 1970, and the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. On July 5, 1928, Woodruff married Catherine Patton “Katie” Straiton, Scottish-born daughter of Reverand John Straiton and member of the Daughters of Caledonia, at the First Christian Church.
Other notable buildings designed by Woodruff and Van Slyke include Terrell City Hall (1914), Ross Avenue Baptist Church (1917) in Dallas, Miller Mutual Fire Insurance Company (1920) in downtown Fort Worth, Texas Christian University (TCU)’s gymnasium (1920), and Denton City Hall (1927). Independently, Woodruff also designed the College Avenue Baptist Church Sunday School Building (1925) in Fort Worth and the TCU Memorial Arch (1923), which commemorated students who served in World War I. In 1949 the arch was relocated to allow for the expansion of University Drive and rededicated to those who died in both World War I and World War II.
Woodruff and Van Slyke ended their partnership in the late 1920s. During the Great Depression, Woodruff was one of ten architects contracted by the Fort Worth Independent School District, with funds from the Public Works Administration, to design two new elementary schools and additions to existing schools. Woodruff designed the 1937 addition to North Side Colored School, which later became the I. M. Terrell High School. In 1943 he began teaching drafting at Fort Worth Technical School on Park Street. In 1948 Woodruff became the liaison architect for the Fort Worth Board of Education and, guided architects employed by the board in drafting projects. Woodruff oversaw preliminary planning for all building projects across three school bond programs. He also designed the new M. G. Ellis Elementary School (1953) and 1955 additions to the J. P. Elder Junior High School.
Woodruff and his wife were both engaged members of First Christian Church, where Woodruff was a member of the Young Men’s Bible Class. The two later became early members of Fort Worth’s Central Christian Church, established in 1955. Additionally, Woodruff was a member of the Fort Worth Civitans Club. Upon his retirement from the Fort Worth school system in 1960, Woodruff was hailed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram as an “architect’s architect.” He died March 13, 1963, in Fort Worth and was buried at Greenwood Memorial Park in Fort Worth.
Bibliography:
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, July 6, 1928; June 9, 1960; March 13, 14, 1963; July 7, 1968. “History of FWISD,” Fort Worth Independent School District (https://www.fwisd.org/Page/14238), accessed June 17, 2024. “Texas SP First Christian Church,” National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form, United States Department of the Interior, National Park Service (https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973480), accessed June 17, 2024.
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The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this entry.
Blake Gandy, “Woodruff, Clyde H.,” Handbook of Texas Online, accessed March 09, 2026, https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/woodruff-clyde-h.
Published by the Texas State Historical Association.
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- July 18, 2024
- July 18, 2024
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