Harold J. Riddle

Harold J. Riddle was born in Lakeland, Fla. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force in the Pacific Theater. He was educated at Clemson University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture in 1949. He practiced architecture in Myrtle Beach from 1953 until his retirement in 1984, principally with the firm of Harold J. Riddle, AIA, which later changed to Riddle and Wilkes.

Riddle was one of the most prolific architects in the Myrtle Beach area, designing dozens of buildings, homes, churches and hotels. Many of the buildings on the campus of Coastal Carolina University were designed by Riddle, including the Edward M. Singleton Building, Atheneum Hall, the Williams-Brice Building, the Lib Jackson Student Center and Wheelwright Auditorium. He also designed many public school buildings throughout Horry County. Some of his outstanding designs include the Rivoli Theatre, the original Myrtle Beach Convention Center, The Dunes Golf and Country Club, the octagonal Bay Tree Club House and the Ocean Drive Theatre. Riddle was a member of the Myrtle Beach Planning and Zoning Board and the First Presbyterian Church.

Riddle died in 1991.

He was named an honorary founder of Coastal Carolina University in 2008.