Richard Alfred Waite (May 14, 1848 – January 7, 1911) was a British-born American architect in the late 19th century.

Richard Waite's father moved to America in 1856 with his wife and children and settled in Buffalo, New York, to work in a printing company.

He studied mechanical engineering in New York City under John Ericsson, the inventor of the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor.

In 1876, he made architectural history by hiring Louise Blanchard Bethune as a draftsman.

Although Waite designed many homes in the Buffalo area, some of his best-known commissions were in Canada.