Glen H. Thomas (July 9, 1889 – November 19, 1962) was an American

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 ...

in practice in

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had ...

from 1919 until his death in 1962. The firm Thomas founded in 1919 celebrated its hundreth anniversary in 2019 and now (2024) is known as TESSERE.

Life and career

Glen Herbert Thomas was born July 9, 1889, in

Waterville, Kansas Waterville is a city in Marshall County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 658. History Waterville was founded in 1868 by the railroad company. It was named after Waterville, Maine, the hometown of ...

to Courtney Glendure Thomas and Alice Elizabeth Thomas, née Farwell. He was educated at the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, but did not earn a degree. In 1916 he moved to Wichita, where he joined the office of Lorentz Schmidt . He served briefly in the army during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

but otherwise remained with Schmidt until 1919, when he opened an independent office.William E. Connelley, "Glen Herbert Thomas" in
History of Kansas: State and People
' 4 (Chicago and New York: American Historical Society, 1928): 1758-1759. In 1944 he formed the partnership of Thomas & Harris with Arthur B. Harris , an employee since 1920."Harris, Arthur B." in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 229. In 1953 the partnership was reorganized as Thomas–Harris–Calvin & Associates to reflect the addition of Roy E. Calvin Jr. , an employee since 1946."Calvin, Roy E., Jr." in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 80. Harris died in 1957, and the partnership was expanded to include electrical engineer Glen C. Thomas and architect Robert B. Harris , sons of Thomas and Harris. Thomas was senior partner of the firm until his death in 1962."Thomas, Glen Herbert" in ''Who Was Who in America'' (Chicago: Marquis Who's Who, 1976): 936. Thomas was a member of the Wichita City Planning Commission from 1927 to 1938 and from 1940 to 1945 and was chair of the Sedgwick County Planning Commission from 1951 to 1958. He joined 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 ...

(AIA) in 1929 as a member of the Kansas chapter and was elected a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

in 1957 is recognition of his public service and for his service to the AIA.

Legacy

After his death, Thomas' firm was continued by his partners. With more partnership changes, the firm was changed to Thomas, Harris & Ash in 1964 and to Thomas, Harris, Ash & Mason in 1968. In 1978 it was incorporated as Thomas Harris Ash & Mason PA, which was changed to THAM Associates PA in 1983. In 1988 it merged with Planning Development Services Inc. to form Oblinger, Mason, McCluggage & Van Sickle. This changed to McCluggage, Van Sickle & Perry in 1994, which merged in 2010 with Gossen Livingston Associates to form GLMV Architecture Inc. The combined firm considers Thomas to be its founder and celebrated its hundreth anniversary in 2019. In 2024 the name was changed again to TESSERE. At least eight buildings designed by Thomas and his partners have been listed on the United States

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 ...

Personal life

Thomas was married in 1919 to Onus Pearl Deichman. They had two children, Glen Courtney and Jane Louise. Thomas died November 19, 1962 at the age of 73.

Architectural works

Glen H. Thomas, 1919–1944

* 1923 – Hotel Broadview, 110 W 6th Ave, Emporis, Kansas * 1923 – Western Newspaper Union Building, 201 S St Francis Ave,

* 1929 – Stackman Court Apartments, 1207 Franklin Ave,

* 1929 –

Wichita North High School Wichita North High School, known locally as North, is a public secondary school in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is operated by Wichita USD 259 school district and serves students in grades 9 to 12. The school was founded in 1929 on the si ...

, 1437 N Rochester St,

* 1930 – Allen's Market, 2938 E. Douglas Ave,

* 1931 – Field Kindley High School, 1110 W 8th St, Coffeyville, Kansas"Thomas, Glen H(erbert)" in ''American Architects Directory'' (New York: R. R. Bowker Company, 1956): 555. * 1935 – Eugene Ware Elementary School, 900 E. 3rd St,

Fort Scott, Kansas Fort Scott is a city in and the county seat of Bourbon County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 7,552. It is named for Gen. Winfield Scott. The city is located south of Kansas City on the Marmaton ...

* 1935 – Wichita Municipal Airport terminal (former),

David H. Sachs and George Ehrlich, ''Guide to Kansas Architecture'' (Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 1996): 253. * 1937 – Ashland Elementary School, 210 W. 7th St,

Ashland, Kansas Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Clark County, Kansas, Clark County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of the city was 783. History Ashland lies along what was once a military roa ...

* 1938 –

Dighton High School Dighton High School, also known as Dighton Jr/Sr High School (DJSHS), is a public secondary school in Dighton, Kansas and a part of Dighton Unified School District 482. Its building, Lane County Community High School, located at 200 S. Wichita Av ...

, 200 S. Wichita Ave,

Dighton, Kansas Dighton is a city in and the county seat of Lane County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 960. Dighton is named for Dick Dighton, a surveyor. History 19th century The Homestead Act of 1862 offere ...

Thomas & Harris, 1944–1953

* 1949 – St. Patrick Catholic Church, 2007 N Arkansas Ave,

* 1951 – Clark County Courthouse, 913 Highland St,

* 1953 – Kansas Gas & Electric Company Building, 120 E 1st St N,

* 1953 – Wichita West High School, 820 S Osage St

Thomas–Harris–Calvin & Associates, 1953–1964

* 1954 – Smoky Valley High School, 1 Viking Blvd, Lindsborg, Kansas * 1954 –

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport is a commercial airport west of downtown Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state of Kansas. Located south of US-54 in southwest Wichita, it covers 3,24 ...

terminal,

* 1955 – Nemaha County Courthouse, 607 Nemaha St,

Seneca, Kansas Seneca is a city in and the county seat of Nemaha County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 2,139. History Seneca was founded in 1857. It was named after Seneca County, Ohio. The first post office ...

* 1956 – Sedgwick County Courthouse, 525 N Main St,

* 1958 –

Fourth National Bank Building The Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University houses the Criminal Justice & Criminology, Economics, School of Social Work, Urban Studies and Public Management & Policy departments. Georgia State University is the largest ...

, 100–110 N Market St,

Fourth National Bank Building NRHP Registration Form (2013)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Glen H. 1889 births 1962 deaths Architects from Kansas Fellows of the American Institute of Architects 20th-century American architects University of Kansas alumni