Fischetti, David C.

David Carmichael Fischetti (1946-2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Clemson University in 1969 and opened his firm, DCF Engineering, Inc., in Cary, North Carolina, in 1975. Fischetti's engineering projects often focused on historic structures, including covered bridges, churches, and historic properties. His best known project in North Carolina was the twenty-year-long effort to relocate the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, for which he was the engineer of record.

From the description of David C. Fischetti papers, 1962-2011 [manuscript]. (North Carolina State University). WorldCat record id: 777965923

David Carmichael Fischetti (1946-2011) was born in Brooklyn, New York, in a car on the corner of Albany Avenue and Glenwood Roadd. His interest in civil engineering began in high school, when he took art courses at the Pratt Institute and structural courses at Brooklyn Technical High School. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering from Clemson University in 1969. That same year, he took a job with Koppers Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he designed laminated timber structures. He transferred to the company’s Morrisville, North Carolina, location a year later. From 1973 to 1975, he worked for Lassiter Hopkins Engineers of Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1975, Fischetti opened his own firm, DCF Engineering, Inc., in Cary, North Carolina, and was registered as a Professional Engineer in nineteen states. He operated the firm until his death.

Fischetti’s engineering projects often focused on historic structures, including covered bridges and churches. Notably, he engineered the restoration of the Cornish-Windsor Covered Bridge on the Vermont-New Hampshire state line and the modern pedestrian footbridge in Old Salem, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Of historic churches, Fischetti worked on St. Philip’s Moravian and St. Paul’s Episcopal, both in Winston-Salem, and St. Helena’s Episcopal in Beaufort, South Carolina, among many others.

Fischetti also worked extensively on historic properties throughout North Carolina and the eastern seaboard. Projects of note include Charleston’s Market Hall and Clemson University’s Fort Hill (John C. Calhoun Mansion), both in South Carolina; James Madison’s Montpelier in Virginia; Shelburne Farms in Vermont; and the Eagle Block Hotel in New Hampshire. In North Carolina, Fischetti worked at length on Yates Mills (Raleigh), Page-Walker Hotel (Cary), the Single Sisters House (Salem College), and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial (Asheville). His best known project in North Carolina was the twenty-year-long effort to relocate the historic Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, for which he was the engineer of record. For his preservation work, Fischetti was lauded with scores of awards from various state preservation societies and national professional associations.

From the guide to the David C. Fischetti Papers, Bulk, 1975-2011, 1962-2011, (Special Collections Research Center)