Founded in 1915 by Charles Irving Barber (1887–1962) and Benjamin Franklin McMurry, Sr. (1885–1969), the firm designed dozens of notable houses, churches, schools, and public facilities in Knoxville and the surrounding region in the early 20th century, several of which have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Both Charles Barber and Benjamin McMurry studied at the University of Pennsylvania under Paul Cret, whose Beaux-Arts influence characterized much of the firm's early work.

Following his return, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied architecture under Paul Cret, a French-born architect widely credited with spreading the Beaux-Arts philosophy in America.

[1] The Barbers' partner, Benjamin McMurry, was born and raised in Blount County, Tennessee, and had attended Maryville College before enrolling in the University of Pennsylvania.

[3] The firm's earliest works included several elaborate mansions built for affluent Knoxvillians, many of which still stand in the Sequoyah Hills vicinity in West Knoxville.

[6] By the end of the 1950s, Barber & McMurry had designed over 50 churches,[7] 14 schools,[8] dozens of elaborate houses, several clubhouses, and more than a half-dozen buildings for the University of Tennessee campus, several of which surround Ayres Hall atop the "Hill.

[12] BarberMcMurry's early work (c. 1915–1940) reflected the Beaux-Arts influence that Charles Barber and Ben McMurry absorbed from Paul Cret at the University of Pennsylvania.

Beaux Arts elements were incorporated into historical styles, which ranged from Mediterranean and English Cottage-style houses, Gothic-style churches, and Neoclassical-style schools.