John P. Thomas

John P. Thomas
Born(1886-03-30)March 30, 1886
Portland, Maine
DiedAugust 9, 1944(1944-08-09) (aged 58)
Harpswell, Maine
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
Deering High School in Portland, designed by Poor & Thomas and built in 1922.
The Sprucewold Lodge annex in Boothbay Harbor, built in 1927.
The United States Post Office in Sanford, designed by Thomas and built in 1932.
The Maine Publicity Bureau Building in Portland, built in 1936.

John P. Thomas (March 30, 1886 – August 9, 1944) was an American architect in practice in Portland, Maine.

Life and career

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John Pickering Thomas Jr. was born in Portland, Maine, in 1886 to John Pickering Thomas and Susan Clifford (Ross) Thomas. He was a grandson of William W. Thomas, one-time mayor of Portland, and nephew of William W. Thomas Jr., the diplomat. He was educated at Milton Academy and graduated from Harvard University in 1909, followed by postgraduate work in the Harvard School of Architecture[1] and travel in Italy. After his return to Boston, Thomas worked for C. Howard Walker and William Welles Bosworth, before joining the office of Wait & Copeland in 1913. Boston architects with Portland connections, their works included a house for Thomas' cousin, William W. Thomas, on the Western Promenade.[a] He resigned in 1917 to serve in World War I, spending his time in the Naval Reserve.[2][3]

In 1919, Thomas returned to Portland permanently, forming a partnership with architect Charles O. Poor, successor to the practice of Frederick A. Tompson. In 1922, Poor died in a railroad accident, and Thomas continued the business alone. In 1923 he incorporated the firm under his own name, in association with Murray Crosman Binford and Albert Cyprian Hobbs.[4][5] Thomas continued in independent practice for almost twenty years, closing his office in late 1941 upon the United States' entry into World War II. During the war, Thomas, still in the Naval Reserve, was attached to the local Naval Intelligence office.[2][6][3]

Thomas joined the American Institute of Architects in 1921.[7]

Personal life

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Thomas was married in 1913 to Alice Kimber McCandless of St. Louis. They had three children, including two daughters and one son.

Death

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Thomas died in 1944, at his summer home in Harpswell, Maine. He was 58.[2][6][3]

Legacy

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During his lifetime, Thomas was known as a talented designer of buildings in revival styles. His works in the Colonial Revival and Gothic Revival styles in particular were intended to invoke the English heritage of both Thomas and Portland.[3] Four of Thomas' works have been listed on the United States National Register of Historic Places, and others contribute to listed historic districts.

The noted Maine architects Royal Boston Jr. and Josiah T. Tubby both worked for Thomas as drafters and designers.[3]

Architectural works

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Built for the son of Thomas' uncle, Elias Thomas, in 1910 at 120 West Street.
  2. ^ As supervising architect for William Lawrence Bottomley of New York City.
  3. ^ a b c d e A contributing resource to the Western Promenade Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1984.
  4. ^ In association with consulting architect Thomas Marriott James of Boston.
  5. ^ A contributing resource to the Federal Street Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1976. Now Ladd House of Bowdoin College.

References

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  1. ^ "John P. Thomas". Maine Memory Network. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c "John Pickering Thomas" in Maine: Resources, Attractions and People 3, ed. Harrie B. Coe (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1928): 40–41.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Roger G. Reed, "John P. Thomas, 1886–1944" in Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Maine 7, ed. Earle G. Shettleworth Jr. (Augusta: Maine Historic Preservation Commission, 1996)
  4. ^ "New Corporations" in Daily Kennebec Journal, December 24, 1923, 10.
  5. ^ Architectural Record 53, no. 4 (April 1923): 380.
  6. ^ a b "Lt. Comdr. J. P. Thomas" in New York Times, August 10, 1944, 17.
  7. ^ John Pickering Thomas, AIA Historical Directory of American Architects.
  8. ^ a b c d Western Promenade Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1984)
  9. ^ Thirty-eighth Report of the Librarian of the Maine State Library for the Period July 1, 1924 to June 30, 1926 (Augusta: State of Maine, 1927)
  10. ^ Sprucewold Lodge NRHP Registration Form (2014)
  11. ^ Federal Street Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1976)
  12. ^ Danny D. Smith, Gardiner (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2008)
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