Clarence Earl Richards (1864–1921) and Joel Edward McCarty (1856–1952) founded the firm as Richards & McCarty in 1898, Columbus, Ohio. George Henry Bulford (1870–1942) joined as partner in 1899 and the firm name became Richards, McCarty & Bulford. Richards, McCarty, and Bulford had previously apprenticed at the firm of Yost & Packard of Columbus. By way of McCarty's mother, Mary McCarty (née Mary Yost; 1834–1893), McCarty was a nephew of Joseph W. Yost.
The Wheeler-Kelly-Hagney building – 120 South Market Street, was built in 1920. The founding officers of Wheeler, Kelly, Hagney Trust Company were Howard Victor Wheeler (1874–1951), Harry Johnston Hagney (1865–1931), John Clark Kelly (1872–1956), and Henry Harrison Dewey (1841–1916) – all members of a real estate firm (NRHPInformation System ID:#82002671, March 11, 1982)
The First National Bank Building, at 105 North Main Street, opened in 1921 (northwest corner of Main Street and Douglas Avenue), caddy corner to the Beacon building; George H. Bulford was the architect.
Selected architects
The three firm name-sake architects all had worked at Yost & Packard in Columbus: