Some people in life are so talented and vibrant they touch the people who surround them and even the community in which they live. For Rutherford County, one of those people was Larry Schumaker. Born in 1938 in Detroit, Michigan, Schumaker graduated from the University of Missouri with a Bachelor of Science Degree majoring in Interior Design. Shortly after graduation he traveled to France and Italy where he continued his artistic studies in interior design, lighting, sketching, rendering, industrial design, landscape design, sculpture and architecture.
It was while Schumaker was in Europe he cultivated his love of the classical design look for which he is so renowned. Throughout his life Schumaker’s genius straddled various artistic disciplines, but it is primarily his architectural creativity that has made an everlasting impression in Rutherford County.
A new book by area residents Andrea Loughry, Susan Lloyd, Amy Jaramillo and Lisa Sims documents his impact on the look of Murfreesboro.
Authors Andrea Loughry, Amy Jaramillo and Lisa Sims and Rutherford County Library System Director Rita Shacklett
“Larry Schumaker, as much as anyone, has helped mold and create the creative atmosphere we enjoy in Rutherford County,” Sims said.
After having traveled and studied in Europe for several years, Schumaker came to Nashville as a designer, eventually landing as an associate designer at Dan Burton Interiors in 1968. Schumaker met Ed Delbridge while working for the company, designing and remodeling the Delbridge Building located at 125 N. Spring St. in Murfreesboro. A lifelong family friendship and business partnership was forged. It was Delbridge who then brought Schumaker in to design and decorate the new banking headquarters building for the Murfreesboro Bank and Trust (now SunTrust) on East Main Street, bringing his work to prominence and growing his reputation in the community.
Murfreesboro Bank and Trust
As a result of the beautiful work on the Murfreesboro Bank and Trust building, more projects came to Schumaker, specifically Murfreesboro’s City Hall, the new Linebaugh Library, the Rutherford County Judicial Center, the Center for the Arts renovation (formerly the Murfreesboro Post office and the first Linebaugh library) and Huddleston Oil Company on Old Fort Parkway. If not for Schumaker, the downtown area would have a very different look and feel, as the previous, more modern designs brought forth in direct contrast to the classical design and structures that Schumaker preferred. In fact, many say his columns, arches, rotundas and colonnades give the downtown Murfreesboro area a timeless appeal and a cohesive look that would have been otherwise missing had Schumaker not accepted the task when presented with the opportunity beginning in the 1980s.
“Larry created the exteriors of the bookends of our historic downtown. To the south, he influenced the façade of the City Hall and to the north, the entrance to the Rutherford County Judicial Building,” Loughry said. “Larry was the professional responsible for making our façade and our interiors blend into Rutherford County’s late 1800s Public Square.”
Though downtown Murfreesboro is a focal point, it is not the only area touched by Schumaker’s handiwork. Many prominent residences display his artistry throughout Rutherford County such as the the Haynes residence on Riverside Drive, the Swanholme house on New Salem Road, the Seddon house on Veterans Parkway, the Jones residence on Old Jefferson Pike, the Thomas residence on Oxford Drive and the Loughry townhouse on Maple Street, which was his last architectural project, being completed in 2011.
Loughry Townhouse
“Probably no creative endeavor shapes our social environment and our image of the world more intimately or more profoundly than architecture. Mr. Schumaker had a natural ease at partnering with his client to construct a harmonious and pleasing variety of styles,” Sims said.
Due to a decline in his health in 2011, Schumaker transitioned from architecture to painting. Finding success in this new venture, Schumaker was able to present his artwork in the Murfreesboro Center for the Arts where his was a “one man show” for a month.
Shumaker’s health went further into decline in late 2016. Loughry, Lloyd, Jaramillo and Sims decided to write a memoir about Schumaker and his artistic work, but after his death in May 2017, the project quickly became a memorial.
“Good local history grows out of the efforts of individuals who are inspired to recognize and share significant accomplishments of people with extraordinary talent and vision,” Sims said after the book authors presented a copy to Linebaugh Library. “Larry Schumaker’s contribution cannot be overemphasized when trying to understand and document our vibrant architectural landmarks.”
The book, Lawrence H. Schumaker Influenced the Look of Rutherford County, was presented to the Linebaugh Library this past January and is available for patrons to view in the Historical Research Room. As a part of the reference and research collection for Rutherford County, intended for in-house use only, it is not available for check-out.
“Our belief in the importance of creative atmospheres and stimulating environments is the inspiration to document the work of this designer’s contributions as an integral part of our vibrant community,” Sims said. “Our utmost hope is that you may share in the celebration of the work and art of Mr. Schumaker and hopefully we have documented the vast treasures left to our community.”
