Background
Charles W. Dickey was born in 1871 at Alameda, California, United States.
Charles W. Dickey was born in 1871 at Alameda, California, United States.
After a public school education in Oakland acquired professional training at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Upon his return to California Mr. Dickey began his career in San Francisco in the office of Reid Brothers, but left after a short time to join his family in Honolulu, where he subsequently opened an office to practice in association with the late Charles Ripley. The architectural problem of adapting modern forms to buildings on the tropical islands brought out all Mr. Dickey's originality and designing ability, and on the public and business buildings he planned left the stamp of his personality.
Returning to Oakland during the latter part of the century he re-joined the Reid Brothers in San Francisco. After a practice in that association for a time he withdrew in 1904 to establish his own office in the Central Bank Building in Oakland, and for twenty years continued to work under his own name. He designed the Savings Bank at Oakland and others in the Bay area; office building for Dentists in San Francisco; Market Street School in Oakland; the Claremont Hotel at Berkeley, several of the early "skyscrapers” in Oakland, and as Supervising Architect of the City School Department was connected with the erection of certain educational buildings.
In 1924 Mr. Dickey returned to Honolulu where he established a permanent home and continued practice until his death.
He was a charter member of the Hawaiian Chapter, A.I.A., which was organized in 1926.