Charles L. Thompson and associates explained

Charles L. Thompson and associates is an architectural group that was established in Arkansas since the late 1800s. It is now known as Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc.. This article is about Thompson and associates' work as part of one architectural group, and its predecessor and descendant firms, including under names Charles L. Thompson, Thompson & Harding, Sanders & Ginocchio, and Thompson, Sanders and Ginocchio.

The firm was the "most prolific architectural firm" practicing in Arkansas in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and produced more than 2,000 buildings. The architectural group used standard and custom designs that both led and evolved with changing architectural taste in Arkansas. The group built a wide range of types of works, including large public buildings, commercial buildings, mansions, and small houses. Many works by Thompson and the associated firms survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Charles L. Thompson

Charles Louis Thompson (16 November 1868 – December 30, 1959)[1] was the original head of the firm. Thompson was born in 1868 in Danville, Illinois. Orphaned at age fourteen, he and siblings moved to Indiana, where Charles began work at a mill, and in off hours began to learn drafting.[1]

Architects Theodore M. Sanders and Frank J. Ginocchio Jr., partners since 1920, joined Thompson in partnership in 1927. Both had studied at the University of Illinois and Sanders had studied further at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. They brought design ideas of Prairie Style, influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright, and Art Deco architecture to the firm.

Thompson retired from practice in 1938 at about the age of 70. He left the office with his partners, who continued the firm under the name of Sanders & Ginocchio. Sanders withdrew in 1941, and Ginocchio continued the partnership with Edwin B. Cromwell, Thompson's son-in-law. The firm has been known as Cromwell Architects Engineers since 2000.[2]

Architect John Parks Almand worked for the firm during 1912 to 1914 before forming his own practice.

Thematic Resources study

A total of 143 properties in thirty Arkansas counties were nominated for NRHP listing in the 1982 study, "Charles L. Thompson Design Collection Thematic Resources", written by multiple authors. F. Hampton Roy, a Little Rock ophthalmologist, began cataloging the architectural drawings, expecting to complete a book. His collection eventually inspired this study, as Thompson and associates had such influence on Arkansas architecture. The properties listed under this study were selected from review of a large collection of original drawings by Charles L. Thompson, Fred J. H. Rickon, Thomas Harding Jr., Theo Sanders, and Frank Ginocchio. The collection of drawings covered 2500 properties representing a wide range of types and styles geographically distributed over the entire state of Arkansas. The authors wrote: "The 143 structures selected for nomination exemplify the firm's remarkable versatility and productivity from 1896 through 1931," and "Charles L. Thompson was the constant motivating force behind the firm's immense productivity and influence upon the state's built environment. Today the firm he established continues this legacy."[3]

Works

Dates are date of completion where known; other dates are approximate.

Charles L. Thompson, 1889–1891, 1897–1916 and 1925–1927

Rickon & Thompson, 1891–1897

Thompson & Harding, 1916–1925

Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio, 1927–1938

Ginocchio, Cromwell & Associates, 1947–1961

Notes and References

  1. Charles Witsell Jr., Charles Louis Thompson (1868–1959), Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
  2. Web site: Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc.. Charles Witsell Jr.. Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.
  3. Web site: [{{NRHP url|id=64000032}} Charles L. Thompson Design Collection Thematic Resources ]. National Park Service. Jean Sizemore . Sandra Taylor Smith . Mary D. Thomas . amp . October 29, 1982.
  4. Governor's Mansion Historic District NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1978)
  5. Clifton and Greening Streets Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1998)
  6. Robinson Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2001)
  7. Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2008)
  8. Beech Street Historic District NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1987)
  9. Hillcrest Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  10. Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1992)

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