UT Press Releases “William Macy Stanton: Architect of the Cumberland”

The University of Tennessee Press has released William Macy Stanton: Architect of the Cumberland by Delos D. Hughes. The title is available in hardcover and ebook formats.

When President Roosevelt launched the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Subsistence Homestead Division in 1933, the federal government needed architects to bring to life the key initiatives of the New Deal program. Architect and professor William Macy Stanton, who designed buildings for two government-funded planned communities in Tennessee, became a significant figure of this era. 

Working with the TVA, Stanton helped design Norris, Tennessee, a planned community for dam workers. He later moved to Crossville, Tennessee, to lead the design of the ambitious Cumberland Homesteads, a model settlement aimed at economic recovery and self-sufficiency in the wake of the Great Depression. In William Macy Stanton: Architect of the Cumberland, Delos D. Hughes traces the Ohio-born architect’s role in designing communities and infrastructure during one of the most transformative periods in American and Tennessee history. 

Born in 1888, William Macy Stanton worked as an architecture instructor for years before opening his own firm in Pennsylvania. Beyond his contributions to New Deal programs, Stanton was also known for his work on the Lafayette and James Madison hotels in Atlantic City, as well as restoring several Quaker meetinghouses, a nod to his parental heritage and lifelong values.

In this detailed biography, Hughes explores Stanton’s architectural vision through the lens of social policy and historical context, discussing his life before, during, and after these government projects. With archival photographs, original drawings, and other preserved documents from that period, this book is a compelling and educational read for both specialists and general readers. 

William Macy Stanton: Architect of the Cumberland is available for purchase at utpress.org and wherever books are sold.

For more information, review copies, or course adoption inquiries, please contact Stephanie Phillips, publicity and promotion coordinator for UT Press (sphill36@utk.edu or 865-974-6106).

The University of Tennessee Press is the Volunteer State’s book publisher, committed to preserving and promoting the rich cultural and intellectual heritage of Tennessee and the region. Through its focused publishing program, UT Press strives to deepen appreciation for the communities, ecosystems, and histories that make the state unique. Its mission is to enlighten readers, foster cultural dialogue, and improve the quality of life for the people of Tennessee and around the world. UT Press is a division of the University of Tennessee Libraries. For more information, visit utpress.org.