William T. McCarthy collection

William Thomas McCarthy (d. 1952) was a Brooklyn architect known for his large-scale apartment houses located throughout Brooklyn, as well as for his large-scale housing projects.

McCarthy attended Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA, 1896 to 1900, where he earned a BS in Architecture from the Department of Civil Engineering. While at university, McCarthy played on the Lehigh University football team. Upon graduation, McCarthy opened his first office in Brooklyn in 1900 and began to build his reputation as an architect of large-scale apartment buildings in Brooklyn. Some of his designs include the Cathedral Arms Apartments located at 540 Ocean Avenue and the Chateau Frontenac Apartments located at 35 Tennis Court, both in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn. McCarthy also designed some of the last single-family homes located along Prospect Park West in Park Slope. Later in his career, McCarthy moved on to design large-scale housing projects in three Brooklyn neighborhoods, notably, Concord Village in Brooklyn Heights, the Red Hook Houses in the Red Hook, and the Gowanus Houses in Boerum Hill. For these projects, McCarthy worked with other architects including Rosario Candela on Concord Village and the Gowanus Houses, Alfred Easton Poor on the Red Hook Houses, and Ely Jaques Kahn on the Gowanus Houses.

Throughout his career, McCarthy was often interviewed by local newspapers, such as the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, where he was able to address New York City building, planning, and zoning related issues. McCarthy advocated for the New York State Multiple Dwellings Law of 1929 and was a proponent of elevated pedestrian sidewalks which would place sidewalks on the second-story level, thus enabling the entire street level to be used for cars and parking. McCarthy was a member of the American Institute of Architects, a member of the Brooklyn Real Estate Board, and served as chairman of the board of housing committee of the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities.

McCarthy married Anna L. McCarthy and they had one daughter, Madlyn A. Haemer. McCarthy died on April 18, 1952 in Rockville Centre, Long Island, N.Y.