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Martha Ann Cassell Thompson (1925–1968), was an American architect. She was a member of the prominent Cassell Family of African-American architects; and was the chief restoration architect for the
Martha Ann Cassell Thompson was the second child of
Washington National Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the City and Diocese of Washington, commonly known as Washington National Cathedral, is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church. The cathedral is located in Washington, D.C., the ca ...
.
Early life and education
Martha Ann Cassell Thompson was the second child of Albert Cassell
Albert Irvin Cassell (1895–1969) was a prominent mid-twentieth-century African-American architect in Washington, D.C., whose work shaped many academic communities in the United States. He designed buildings for Howard University in Washington D ...
, an architect, and Ann Mason Cassell, a Baltimore public school teacher. She attended James Monroe Elementary School, Garnett Patterson and Banneker Junior School, and Dunbar High School, graduating as class valedictorian in 1943.
Along with her siblings Charles Cassell and Alberta Jeannette Cassell
Alberta Jeannette Cassell (November 22, 1926 – October 24, 2007), was an African American architect who worked for the United States Navy, and a children's book author. She was also known by the name Alberta Jeannette Cassell Butler.
Early lif ...
, Martha was encouraged by their father Albert Cassell to attend Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning
The College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP) at Cornell University is one of the world's most highly regarded and prestigious schools of architecture and has the only department in the Ivy League that offers the Bachelor of Architecture ...
for graduate work. She attained a Bachelor of Science in architecture from Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
's School of Architecture in 1947 or 1948. She and her sister Alberta Jeannette Cassell
Alberta Jeannette Cassell (November 22, 1926 – October 24, 2007), was an African American architect who worked for the United States Navy, and a children's book author. She was also known by the name Alberta Jeannette Cassell Butler.
Early lif ...
were the first two African American women to graduate with a bachelor of architecture from the university.
Career
Thompson, from 1949 to 1951, worked for an architectural firm inSt. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
. After which, she worked with architect Philip Hurbert Frohman (1887-1972) at the firm Frohman, Robb, & Little in the District of Columbia
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
. There, given her expertise on Gothic architecture, she became the chief restoration architect for the Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (originally designed by Bodley & Vaughn), later known as the Washington National Cathedral. She was also one of the only women architects on the team responsible for the completion of the project. She worked on the project from 1959 to 1968.
Martha Cassell Thompson was also a skilled pianist, and organized the Social Services Committee for the YWCA
The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries.
The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...
.
Personal life
In 1948 Martha Cassell married Dr. Victor Thompson, who was a medical student atMeharry Medical College
Meharry Medical College is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Medical school in the United States, medical school affiliated with the United Methodist Church and located in Nashville, Te ...
. They had one child, Karen Thompson, in 1949, who trained at Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour Institute and Lewis Institute in 1940. The university has prog ...
and became the third generation of architects. Martha Cassell Thompson died in 1968, and is buried at the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Suitland, Maryland.
See also
*African-American architects
African-American architects are those in the architectural profession who are members of the African diaspora in the United States.
Their work in the more distant past was often overlooked or outright erased from the historical records due to ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Martha Cassell 20th-century American architects American women architects Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning alumni 1925 births 1968 deaths African-American architects 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people