John P. Thomas Explained

John P. Thomas
Nationality:American
Birth Date:30 March 1886
Death Place:Harpswell, Maine

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

Life and career

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. 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] [3]

Thomas joined the American Institute of Architects in 1921.[6]

Personal life

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

Death

Thomas died in 1944, at his summer home in Harpswell, Maine. He was 58.[7]

Legacy

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

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: John P. Thomas . Maine Memory Network . October 18, 2022.
  2. "John Pickering Thomas" in Maine: Resources, Attractions and People 3, ed. Harrie B. Coe (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1928): 40–41.
  3. 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. https://aiahistoricaldirectory.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/AHDAA/pages/36958271/ahd1044681 John Pickering Thomas
  7. "Lt. Comdr. J. P. Thomas" in New York Times, August 10, 1944, 17.
  8. https://catalog.archives.gov/id/88685942 Western Promenade Historic District NRHP Registration Form
  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. https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/14000837 Sprucewold Lodge NRHP Registration Form
  11. Federal Street Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1976)
  12. Danny D. Smith, Gardiner (Charleston: Arcadia Publishing, 2008)

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