Albert Lawrence West (1825 - 1892), known as A. L. West, was an American architect based in Richmond, Virginia. His work is in Virginia and North Carolina and includes the Pasquotank County Courthouse (1883) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. He began his career as a carpenter and builder. He worked as an engineer and architect for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. As an architect he designed several Methodist churches. He wrote The Architect and Builder's Vade-Mecum and Book of Reference in 1871. He became a fellow in the American Institute of Architects (FAIA) towards the end of his career and was the first native Virginian so honored. His son William C. West (1870-1950) was also an architect.[1]