Background
George H. Gray was born in 1874 at Redwood City, California, United States, the son of a Protestant clergyman.
George H. Gray was born in 1874 at Redwood City, California, United States, the son of a Protestant clergyman.
He was educated at the Friends' High School in Baltimore and in 1895 graduated at Johns Hopkins University. Having decided upon a professional career the young man entered Wyatt & Nolting's architectural office as a student. Later he spent four consecutive years in supplementary training in New York, with a subsequent period (1901-05) in advanced study in Paris at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
Following his return to the U. S., Mr. Gray settled at Louisville, and for a time worked as draftsman with D. X. Murphy Brothers. During the next ten years he practiced successively under the firm name of Gray & Hawes and Gray & Wischmeyer, identified with the design of a number of residences, several churches and various other buildings.
With the start of the first World War in 1917, Mr. Gray joined the U. S. Engineering Corps and served in France throughout the hostilities. As a part of his work he designed hospital buildings for the Army, and after the Armistice was appointed Commandant of the A. E. F. Training Center outside of Paris, established for the benefit of U. S. soldiers interested in Art or Architecture.
Upon his return to civilian life Major Gray established a residence in New Haven in 1920, and in professional practice planned a number of noteworthy buildings in the state, including the Little Theatre in New Haven, Home Telephone Buildings at Meriden and East Haven, and a number of churches and residences in various cities. In 1921 he was appointed architect of Brerea College in Kentucky, and in the course of seven years prepared a campus plan and designed six of the major buildings on the grounds, also Gymnasium, Women's Union Building and homes for the workmen.
A pioneer in the field of City Planning and Zoning regulation, his first success was in Louisville where he helped prepare measures for State Housing During later years he devoted much time to civic matters, and was largely responsible for the New Haven Zoning Commission which was established in 1921. In 1939 he was appointed Consultant to the New Haven Housing Authority, serving in that capacity four years. On the State Planning Board which he helped organize, and in 1933 directed its activities. Major Gray was also active in the affairs of the American Institute of Planning, the International Federation of House and Town Planning, and prepared a study of low-cost housing entitled "Housing and Citizenship" which was published in 1946, after his death.