"Polly" Povey Thompson (1904–1994) was among the earliest American woman architects to become a member 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 ...
.
She was a registered architect in both Massachusetts and Oregon, and collaborated with her husband as a principal in their firm for forty years.
Early life and education
The daughter of David Lincoln Povey and Hanna Povey, Lilian Myrtle "Polly" Povey was born December 27, 1904, in Portland, Oregon. Her father was a founder of the
Povey Brothers Glass Company, and she worked in the studio there before attending the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
from 1927–1929. In 1928, she worked at the Portland architecture firm of DeYoung and Roald. She met Ray Thompson at the University, and they eloped in 1929.
The Thompsons lived in
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
,
Denver
Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
, and
St. Louis, before moving to
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. She worked in St. Louis as a secretary for the director of the St. Louis Art League, and in New York she was an artist/secretary for a large bakery.
They returned to Oregon, where she earned a
B.A. Arch. with Honors at the University of Oregon in 1935.
She was a Frances and William Emerson scholar at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
in 1937–1938, and earned a B.Arch. there in 1938.
Career
In 1929, Thompson was a drafter for
Temple H. Buell, AIA, in Denver. In the 1930s, she worked in Boston with a classmate from M.I.T., Archie Riskin, and registered as an architect in
in 1943. Her registration in Oregon came ten years later, as a principal in the firm Polly Povey Thompson, Ray Kermit Thompson, Architects.
From 1953–1993, the Thompsons collaborated on projects, with each preparing design solutions, and they critiqued each other's proposals to arrive at solutions.
Legacy
Some of her significant projects included the
Alpha Omicron Pi
Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage
"AOI ...
sorority House remodel at the University of Oregon; the Ray F. Mooers Residence in
Cathlamet, Washington; the City Hall and Emergency Building in
Culver, Oregon; the Wasco Fire Station in
Wasco, Oregon
Wasco is a city in Sherman County, Oregon, United States. The population was 410 at the 2010 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
Wascoite, a type of white clay-based mineral ...
; and a shopping center in
Monroe, Connecticut.
See also
*
American Architectural Foundation
*
Society of American Registered Architects The Society of American Registered Architects is a professional organization for architects in the United States.
History
The Society of American Registered Architects was founded on November 9, 1956 by Wilfred J. Gregson. As a professional societ ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Polly Povey
Architects from Portland, Oregon
American women architects
1904 births
1994 deaths
20th-century American architects
University of Oregon alumni
MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni
20th-century American women