Arthur Loomis (January 28, 1859 – January 8, 1935) was an

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

who worked from 1876 through the 1920s in the

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

area. After working for noted architect Charles J. Clarke for several years, they became partners in 1891, creating Clarke & Loomis, one of Louisville's most prestigious architectural firms. After Clarke's death in 1908, Loomis struck out on his own.

Early and family life

Arthur Loomis was born January 28, 1859, in Westfield, Massachusetts, to Dr. John Loomis and Clarissa Loomis née Robinson. Just before the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, the family moved to

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio River ...

. Loomis married Carrie Dorsey of Jeffersonville on December 9, 1902, and they moved to Louisville. They had no children. He died on January 8, 1935, at the Kentucky Baptist Hospital of a heart attack, and was buried in Cave Hill Cemetery.

Career

Loomis was a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a craftsman who lays bricks to construct brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cut ...

and member of the

Shrine A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy sacred space, space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor worship, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, Daemon (mythology), daem ...

. In addition to his position with Clarke & Loomis, he was an associate architect with the

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. It is affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at ...

. He is considered the first president of the Kentucky Chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach to su ...

. Although his former partner Charles Clarke was elected, he died before taking office, and Loomis fulfilled his term.

Designs

Loomis designed the Carnegie Library in Warder Park,

. He also designed the Conrad-Caldwell House, a contributing property in the St. James–Belgravia Historic District in

Old Louisville Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian architect ...

. A number of buildings that Loomis or the firm designed survive and are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. They include: *The Beaux-Arts Fireproof Storage Company Warehouse in Louisville * Speed Building, 319 Guthrie Green, Louisville * Carrie Gaulbert Cox and Attilla Cox, Jr., House, 389 Mockingbird Valley Rd., Louisville (Clarke and Loomis) * Henry Frank House, Madison Ave.,

Middletown, KY Middletown is an independent, home rule-class city in Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States, and a former neighborhood of Louisville. The population was 7,218 at the 2010 census. The city is also home to the main campus of the largest ch ...

Jewish Hospital Complex Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

, 236 E. Kennedy St., Louisville *

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, 1905 Stonegate Rd.,

Anchorage, KY Anchorage is a home rule-class city in eastern Jefferson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,348 at the 2010 census and an estimated 2,432 in 2018. It is a suburb of Louisville. History The land that is now Anchorage was a p ...

Levy Brothers Building Levy, Lévy or Levies may refer to: People * Levy (surname), people with the surname Levy or Lévy * Levy Adcock (born 1988), American football player * Levy Barent Cohen (1747–1808), Dutch-born British financier and community worker * Levy F ...

, 235 W. Market St., Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) *One or more buildings in

Old Jeffersonville Historic District The Old Jeffersonville Historic District is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States. It marks the original boundaries of Jeffersonville, and is the heart of modern-day downtown Jeffersonville. It was placed on the National Register ...

, roughly bounded by Court Ave., Graham St., Ohio River, & I-65,

Shelby Park Branch Library Shelby may refer to: Places United States * Shelby, Alabama, a census-designated place and unincorporated community * Shelby, Idaho * Shelby, Indiana, an unincorporated town * Shelby, Iowa, a city * Shelby, Oceana County, Michigan, a village ...

, 600 E. Oak St., Louisville (Loomis & Hartman) * St. Lukes Church, 1204 Maple Lane, Anchorage, KY * St. Paul's German Evangelical Church and Parish House, 213 E. Broadway, Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) * St. Peter's German Evangelical Church, 1231 W. Jefferson St., Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) * University of Louisville School of Medicine, 101 W. Chestnut St., Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) * Whiteside Bakery, 1400 W. Broadway St., Louisville * Dr. Winston's House, 11906 Ridge Rd., Anchorage, KY (Clarke & Loomis)

Early and family life

Career

Designs

References

Further reading