George Franklin Barber (July 31, 1854 – February 17, 1915) was an American architect known for the house designs he marketed worldwide through mail-order catalogs.

[5] Barber began designing houses in his native DeKalb, Illinois, in the late 1880s, before permanently moving his base to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1888.

2, contained designs and floor plans for 59 houses, mostly in the Queen Anne style, as well as Barber's architectural philosophy and tips for homebuilders.

[3] While still a young child, he moved to Marmaton, Kansas, where he lived on the farm of his sister, Olive, and her husband, William Barrett.

[4][7] The earliest buildings constructed from Barber's designs include the Charles E. Bradt House (1887) and the Congregational Church (1888), both in DeKalb.

[8] In late 1888, Barber relocated to Knoxville, Tennessee, in hopes that the city's mountainous climate would be better for his declining health.

[4] Barber also became a partner in the Edgewood Land Improvement Company, which was developing a suburb east of Knoxville known as Park City (modern Parkridge).

[3] That year, Barber began publishing a magazine, American Homes, which advertised the firm's latest house plans, offered tips on landscaping and interior design, and published a multi-part history of architecture by Louisville architect Charles Hite-Smith.

Graham in East Brady, Pennsylvania;[4] and one of his grandest designs, the $40,000 "Mount Athos" for Barboursville, Virginia, tycoon Walter G.

[14] In the early 1900s, Barber began to phase out his mail-order business and with the help of his brother, Manly, focused on Knoxville-area building projects.

[9][15] The publication of American Homes was moved to New York in 1902, though Barber remained a regular contributor for several years afterward.

[4] Barber houses constructed in this period are characterized by features such imposing turrets, projecting windows, verandas flanked by circular pavilions, and Syrian arches.

[4] These were often characterized by projecting porticos supported by large columns, symmetrical facades, and flat decks with balustrades.

[4] While he occasionally supplied builders with manufactured windows, doors, staircases and other components, and millwork companies advertised in Barber's magazine, it is unclear whether entire houses were sold as kits by anyone prior to 1900.