page_title: Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff
section_title: Organization
hierarchical_section_title: Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff / Organization
caption_attribution_description: English: Organization chart from 1955 of LBC&amp;W
context_page_description: Lyles, Bissett, Carlisle, and Wolff, an architecture firm based in Columbia, South Carolina, was the region's most prominent firm from 1948 until 1975. While the roots of the firm stretch back to 1938, LBC&W was officially incorporated in 1948 as William G. Lyles, Thomas J. Bissett, William A. Carlisle, and Louis M. Wolff. LBC&W's streamlined operational structure, atypically high employment numbers, and varied portfolio contributed to the success of the firm. The firm had satellite offices in Richmond, Virginia; Washington, D.C.; Spartanburg, South Carolina; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Rockville, Maryland. At its height, over 350 architects, engineers, and other staff members were employed by LBC&W. The firm completed over 7,000 projects in its 30-year span, many of which were on the cutting edge of Modern architecture. From Clemson University's library that reflects the influence of Edward Durell Stone's Embassy at New Delhi to the Bankers Trust Tower in downtown Columbia that mimics the Seagram Building by Mies van der Rohe, LBC&W incorporated the methodologies and designs of the great architects of the twentieth century.
context_section_description: The sheer size and organizational structure of LBC&W was impressive. Each of the firm's senior partners functioned as the heads of four separate operational departments, which created an assembly line mechanism during the design process. This structure allowed LBC&W to take on multiple projects at one time. Bill Lyles oversaw administration and legal services. T.J. Bissett organized production and engineering. Bill Carlisle functioned as an on-site supervisory agent. Louis Wolff directed design. It was unusual for an architectural firm to be broken up this way. One source alludes to the fact that the divisions applied at the firm sprang from the senior partners’ days in the military. With each step of the process handled by a designated sector, LBC&W had the ability to address every detail in planning more fully than a smaller, more conglomerate firm could do.
caption: LBC&W Organizational Chart
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