Title	Portrait of James Walker
Description	Portrait of James Walker now hanging on wall at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. James Walker, (1826-1901) was born in Scotland and came to the U.S. (New York), with his brother, at the age of 12. He started out as a stone mason, then later moved to Washington D.C. to help work on the Capitol and the Smithsonian Institute, where he earned the reputation of being the most competent in his profession in this region. He came to Wilmington in 1857 as the supervising architect and contractor of the Marine Hospital, previously located at Eigth and Nun Streets. He built the First Presbyterian Church, which was later destroyed by fire in 1925, the Murchison Home on Third St. (now the Episcopal Church Diocese), among many other structures in Wilmington and North Carolina. His most notable philanthropic gesture was the James Walker Memorial Hospital, which he gave $40,000 of his own money to build, as well as supervised it's construction. He died at age 73 in his home at 1602 Market St, 3 months before the hospital's completion.
Subject	Walker family, Architects, builders, philanthropists, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, portraits
Source	Dr. Robert M. Fales Collection 0049