Cecil Alexander Family Papers

Cecil Abraham Alexander, Jr. (1918-2013) was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Julia A. Moses and Cecil A. Alexander. The Alexander family Atlanta roots go back to 1848 when Cecil’s grandfather, Aaron Alexander, came to Atlanta from Charleston, South Carolina, one of the first Jewish families to arrive in Atlanta. His grandfather bought a lot for their family home on Peachtree Street, now Phipps Plaza in Buckhead. Cecil’s family belonged to the Temple, a Reform congregation.

Cecil attended Highland School, Bass High School, and Marist School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Yale University and earned a master’s degree in architecture at Harvard University. In World War II, he served in the Pacific Theater with Marine Corps as a dive bomber. After the war, he returned to Atlanta and started the architectural firm Finch, Alexander, Barnes, Rothschild and Paschal (FABRAP). Under his leadership, the firm designed Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, Coca-Cola headquarters, AT&T Midtown Center, and Georgia Power Company Corporate Headquarters.

Cecil was an active participant in the political and social fabric of Atlanta. Throughout his civil engagement he served as chair of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Urban Renewal, the Black-Jewish Coalition, and the Community Council of the City of Atlanta. He was also a King Center board member.

He was married to Hermoine Weil Alexander (1922-1983) until 1983 when she was killed in a car accident. After her death, he remarried Helen Eisemann (1922-2014). He and Hermoine had four children: Judith Alexander Augustine, Douglas Alexander, and Therese Alexander Milkey. Cecil Alexander died in 2013 at age 95.