Charles L. Thompson and associates

Last updated
The Hotze House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1900. Hotze House, Little Rock, Arkansas.jpg
The Hotze House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1900.
The Woodruff County Courthouse in Augusta, designed by Thompson and completed in 1900. Woodruff County Courthouse 004.jpg
The Woodruff County Courthouse in Augusta, designed by Thompson and completed in 1900.
The Saline County Courthouse in Benton, designed by Thompson and completed in 1901. Saline County Courthouse, Sevier & Main, Benton, AR.JPG
The Saline County Courthouse in Benton, designed by Thompson and completed in 1901.
The Fordyce House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1904. Fordyce House, Little Rock, AR, Better View.JPG
The Fordyce House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1904.
Ella Carnall Hall of the University of Arkansas, designed by Thompson and completed in 1905. CarnallHallUA.jpg
Ella Carnall Hall of the University of Arkansas, designed by Thompson and completed in 1905.
The Washington County Courthouse in Fayetteville, designed by Thompson and completed in 1905. Washington County Courthouse, Arkansas.jpg
The Washington County Courthouse in Fayetteville, designed by Thompson and completed in 1905.
The Little Rock City Hall, designed by Thompson and completed in 1907. Little Rock City Hall, Arkansas.jpg
The Little Rock City Hall, designed by Thompson and completed in 1907.
The Monroe County Courthouse in Clarendon, designed by Thompson and completed in 1911. Monroe County Courthouse 001.jpg
The Monroe County Courthouse in Clarendon, designed by Thompson and completed in 1911.
The Keith House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1912. Keith House, Little Rock, AR.JPG
The Keith House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1912.
The Dunaway House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1915. Dunaway House.jpg
The Dunaway House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1915.
The Retan House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1915. Retan House.JPG
The Retan House in Little Rock, designed by Thompson and completed in 1915.
The Mount Holly Mausoleum in Little Rock, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1917. Mount Holly Mausoleum 1.jpg
The Mount Holly Mausoleum in Little Rock, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1917.
Martin Hall of Hendrix College, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1918. Martin Hall, Hendrix College.JPG
Martin Hall of Hendrix College, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1918.
The former Central Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1921. Central Presbyterian Church, Little Rock, AR.JPG
The former Central Presbyterian Church in Little Rock, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1921.
The former Federal Reserve Bank Building in Little Rock, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1924. Federal Reserve Bank Building, Little Rock, AR.JPG
The former Federal Reserve Bank Building in Little Rock, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1924.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Hot Springs, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1926. St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Hot Springs, AR.JPG
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Hot Springs, designed by Thompson & Harding and completed in 1926.
The Charles H. Murphy Sr. House in El Dorado, designed by Thompson and completed in 1926. Charles H. Murphy Sr. House.JPG
The Charles H. Murphy Sr. House in El Dorado, designed by Thompson and completed in 1926.
Caldwell Hall of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed in 1928. Caldwell Hall.jpg
Caldwell Hall of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed in 1928.
The former North Little Rock Post Office, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed in 1931. North Little Rock Post Office.JPG
The former North Little Rock Post Office, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed in 1931.
The Hot Spring County Courthouse in Malvern, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed in 1936. Hot Spring County Courthouse 001.jpeg
The Hot Spring County Courthouse in Malvern, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed in 1936.
Ogden Hall of the Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed circa 1938. Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp Historic District.JPG
Ogden Hall of the Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp, designed by Thompson, Sanders & Ginocchio and completed circa 1938.

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.

Contents

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. [1]

Charles L. Thompson

Charles Louis Thompson (16 November 1868 – December 30, 1959) [2] 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. [2]

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. [3]

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. [3] [4]

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

  1. A contributing resource to the Governor's Mansion Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1978 and expanded in 1988, 2002 and 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 NRHP-listed.
  3. A contributing resource to the Clifton and Greening Streets Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1998.
  4. 1 2 NRHP-listed. Also a contributing resource to the Governor's Mansion Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1978 and expanded in 1988, 2002 and 2018.
  5. NRHP-listed. Also a contributing resource to the Harrison Courthouse Square Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1999.
  6. NRHP-listed. Also a contributing resource to the Fordyce Commercial Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2008.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Demolished. Formerly NRHP-listed.
  8. 1 2 NRHP-listed. Also a contributing resource to the Hillcrest Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1990.
  9. A contributing resource to the Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2008.
  10. A contributing resource to the Beech Street Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1987.
  11. 1 2 A contributing resource to the Hillcrest Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1990.
  12. Designed by Marion Fresenius Fooshee of Dallas, architect, with Charles L. Thompson, supervising architect. NRHP-listed.
  13. A contributing resource to the Robinson Historic District, NRHP-listed in 2001.
  14. NRHP-listed. Also a contributing resource to the Argenta Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1993.
  15. A contributing resource to the Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp Historic District, NRHP-listed in 1992.
  16. Designed principally by Robert H. Millett.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marr & Holman</span>

Marr & Holman was an architectural firm in Nashville, Tennessee known for their traditional design. Notable buildings include the Nashville Post Office and the Milliken Memorial Community House in Elkton, Kentucky.

Purcell & Elmslie (P&E) was the most widely known iteration of a progressive American architectural practice. P&E was the second most commissioned firm of the Prairie School, after Frank Lloyd Wright. The firm in all iterations was active from 1907 to 1921, with their most famous work being done between 1913 and 1921.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">R. H. Hunt</span> American architect

Reuben Harrison Hunt, also known as R. H. Hunt, was an American architect who spent most of his life in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is considered to have been one of the city's most significant early architects. He also designed major public building projects in other states. He was a principal of the R.H. Hunt and Co. firm.

William Augustus Edwards, also known as William A. Edwards was an Atlanta-based American architect renowned for the educational buildings, courthouses and other public and private buildings that he designed in Florida, Georgia and his native South Carolina. More than 25 of his works have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Governor's Mansion Historic District</span> Historic district in Arkansas, United States

The Governor's Mansion Historic District is a historic district covering a large historic neighborhood of Little Rock, Arkansas. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and its borders were increased in 1988 and again in 2002. The district is notable for the large number of well-preserved late 19th and early 20th-century houses, and includes a major cross-section of residential architecture designed by the noted Little Rock architect Charles L. Thompson. It is the oldest city neighborhood to retain its residential character.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George R. Mann</span> American architect (1856–1939)

George Richard Mann was an American architect, trained at MIT, whose designs included the Arkansas State Capitol. He was the leading architect in Arkansas from 1900 until 1930, and his designs were among the finalists in competitions for the capitols of several other states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George M. Coombs</span> American architect

George M. Coombs was an American architect in practice in Lewiston, Maine from 1874 to 1909.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George A. Berlinghof</span> German-born American architect

George Anthony Berlinghof was a German-born architect who designed a number of important buildings in Lincoln and other cities in Nebraska. Some of his surviving works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

George Putnam Washburn was a prominent architect practicing in Kansas. Washburn came to Kansas in 1870, worked as a carpenter and architect, and in 1882 opened an architecture practice in Ottawa, Kansas. His son joined his firm which became George P. Washburn & Son. In 1910 George P.'s son-in-law, Roy Stookey, joined the firm, and George P. retired. After George P. died in 1922 the firm became Washburn & Stookey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank W. Gibb</span> American architect

Frank W. Gibb was an architect in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Mann & Stern was an architectural partnership in Arkansas of Eugene John Stern (1884-1961) and George Richard Mann (1856-1939).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Parks Almand</span> American architect (1885–1969)

John Parks Almand was an American architect who practiced in Arkansas from 1912 to 1962. Among other works, he designed the Art Deco Hot Springs Medical Arts Building, which was the tallest building in Arkansas from 1930 to 1958. Several of his works, including the Medical Arts Building and Little Rock Central High School, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmond Jacques Eckel</span> American architect

Edmond J. Eckel was an architect in practice in St. Joseph, Missouri, from 1872 until his death in 1934. In 1880 he was the founder of Eckel & Mann, later Eckel & Aldrich and Brunner & Brunner, which was the oldest architectural firm in Missouri prior to its eventual dissolution in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George G. Adams (architect)</span> American architect (1850–1932)

George G. Adams was an American architect from Lawrence, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William T. Warren</span> American architect (1877–1962)

William T. Warren was an American architect from Birmingham, Alabama. He practiced architecture there from 1907 until his death in 1962. Most of his works were designed in association with Eugene H. Knight, his business partner in the firms of Warren & Knight and Warren, Knight & Davis from 1917 until his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erhart & Eichenbaum</span> American architectural firm

Erhart & Eichenbaum, now known as GHN Architects & Engineers, is an American architectural firm. It was founded in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1930 by architects Frank J. Erhart and Howard S. Eichenbaum. The partnership was later expanded to include architects Noland Blass Jr., Lugean L. Chilcote, Jerry C. Wilcox and others. The firm was incorporated in 1980 and established a second office in Springfield, Missouri in 1981. In 2003 the two offices became independent, and only the Springfield office is still active. The firm was historically responsible for major works in and around Arkansas and is best known for the work completed by the founders and by Blass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson</span> American architectural firm

Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson is an American architectural firm. It was founded 105 years ago in 1919 in Little Rock, Arkansas as Wittenberg & Delony by architects George H. Wittenberg and Lawson L. Delony. Wittenberg's son, Gordon G. Wittenberg, assumed control of the firm in 1959 and under the leadership of him and his successor, Thomas A. Gray, the firm was well known for its high standards of design. The firm has since moved to North Little Rock and is active under the name WDD Architects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmer A. Stuck</span> American architect (1900–1978)

Elmer A. Stuck was an American architect in practice in Jonesboro, Arkansas from 1926 until his death in 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theodore M. Sanders</span> American architect (1879–1947)

Theodore M. Sanders was an American architect in practice in Little Rock, Arkansas from 1905 until his death in 1947. From 1927 to 1938 he was a partner of Charles L. Thompson, Arkansas' preeminent architect of the early twentieth century.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. 1 2 Charles Witsell Jr., Charles Louis Thompson (1868–1959), Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture
  3. 1 2 3 4 Jean Sizemore; Sandra Taylor Smith & Mary D. Thomas (October 29, 1982). "Charles L. Thompson Design Collection Thematic Resources". National Park Service.
  4. Charles Witsell Jr. "Cromwell Architects Engineers, Inc". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture.
  5. Governor's Mansion Historic District NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1978)
  6. Clifton and Greening Streets Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1998)
  7. 1 2 Robinson Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2001)
  8. Pine Bluff Commercial Historic District NRHP Registration Form (2008)
  9. Beech Street Historic District NRHP Inventory-Nomination Form (1987)
  10. Hillcrest Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1990)
  11. Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp Historic District NRHP Registration Form (1992)