Thomas Shirley Simons, Sr. (March 12, 1897 – August 1, 1963), commonly known as Shirley Simons was a prominent architect of

Tyler, Texas Tyler is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the largest city and county seat of Smith County. It is also the largest city in Northeast Texas. With a 2020 census population of 105,995, Tyler was the 33rd most populous city in Texas and 2 ...

. He was born in 1897 at

Taylor, Texas Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 at the 2010 census; it was 16,267 at the 2020 census. History In 1876, the Texas Land Company auctioned lots in anticipati ...

, and raised in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the List of cities in Texas by population, fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the List of United States cities by population, 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, Texas, T ...

. He graduated from

Rice Institute The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is an international agricultural research and training organization with its headquarters in Los Baños, Laguna, in the Philippines, and offices in seventeen countries. IRRI is known for its work ...

in 1919 with a Bachelor of Science in architecture. He also served in the field artillery during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

from September through November 1918. After practicing with

William Ward Watkin William Ward Watkin (January 21, 1886 – June 24, 1952) was an architect primarily practicing in Houston, Texas. He was the founder of the Architecture Department of Rice University in 1912, and remained on the Rice faculty until his death. ...

in Houston, Simons moved to

Lufkin, Texas Lufkin is the largest city in Angelina County, Texas and the county seat. The city is situated in Deep East Texas and about 60 miles west of the Texas-Louisiana border. Its estimated population is 35,021 as of July 1, 2019. Lufkin was founde ...

in 1922 where he established his own architecture practice. In the late 1920s, he moved his architectural practice to Tyler, Texas. He remained active as an architect in Tyler until his death in 1963. Shirley's three sons (T. Shirley Simons, Jr., Edwin Simons, and Watson Townes Simons) later joined his architectural practice. A number of Simons' works, including the Tyler City Hall, San Augustine County Courthouse and Jail, and Austin Daily Tribune Building, 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 ...

Works in Tyler, Texas

*Tremont Place (1987), 615 Tremont Place, Tyler, TX 75701 (situated in the Azalea Residential Historic District) (Shirley Simons) *Bergfeld Park (tennis courts, amphitheater and restrooms), part of the Azalea Residential Historic District, 1400 Block South Broadway, Tyler, Texas *Robert and Mattie Fair House (1937), 905 South Chilton Avenue, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District) (Shirley Simons, Sr. and Allen Campbell) *Hanson-Cooper House (1931), 312 E. Charnwood,

*W. Howard and Vera Bryant House (1951), 2212 South Chilton Avenue, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District) * Marvin United Methodist Church (1942 remodel and parsonage), 300 W. Erwin St.,

, NRHP-listed *Thomas and Edna Pollard House (1935), 801 Troup Highway, Tyler, Texas * Ramey House (1935 interior remodel), 605 S. Broadway, Tyler, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed *St. Gregory Elementary School, 400 South College Avenue, Tyler, Texas * St. John's AF & AM Lodge, 323 W. Front Street, Tyler, Texas (Simons, T. Shirley Sr.), NRHP-listed *Shirley Simons Residence, 118 West Fourth, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District) * Tyler City Hall (1938), 212 N. Bonner Avenue, Tyler, Texas (Simons, T. Shirley, Sr.), NRHP-listed *Tyler Junior College original campus building plan *Tyler Little Theatre (1939), 1014 W. Houston, Tyler, Texas *

Tyler U.S. Post Office and Courthouse The William M. Steger Federal Building and United States Courthouse is a historic government building built in Tyler, Texas. It was built during 1933–1934 in a restrained Classical Revival style. It served historically as a courthouse, post off ...

, aka William M. Steger U.S. Courthouse (1934), 211 W. Ferguson Street, Tyler, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed *White House, aka The Castle (1929), 116 Lindsey Lane, Tyler, Texas *Willow Brook Country Club, 3205 West Erwin Street, Tyler, Texas *Witherup Home (1932), 212 West Dobbs Street, Tyler, Texas *Woman's Building (1931), 911 South Broadway, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District) (Shirley Simons, Sr., and Sam R. Hill)

Works in Lufkin, Texas

*Angelina Hotel, West Shepherd and South First,

* Bowers-Felts House, 1213 Lotus Lane,

(Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed * Brookshire, Houston-Yeates House, 304 E. Howe Street, Lufkin, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed *Central Ward Grammar School, Lufkin, Texas (demolished) * Everitt-Cox House (1922 remodel), 418 Moore, Lufkin, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed *First National Bank Building, northeast corner of Lufkin Avenue and First Street, Lufkin, Texas *Kurth Memorial Library, Cotton Square facing Lufkin Avenue, Lufkin, Texas *Kurth Ward Grammar School, Lufkin, Texas * Pines Theatre, 113 South First Street, Lufkin, Texas, NRHP-listed *School on South Raguet, Lufkin, Texas *Shands Gymnasium, Lufkin, Texas (demolished)

Works in other cities

* Austin Daily Tribune Building (1941), 920 Colorado,

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

(Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed * Houston Museum of Art *Nacogdoches High School Gym and Auditorium,

Nacogdoches, Texas Nacogdoches ( ) is a small city in East Texas and the county seat of Nacogdoches County, Texas, United States. The 2020 U.S. census recorded the city's population at 32,147. Nacogdoches is a sister city of the smaller, similarly named Natchito ...

* San Augustine County Courthouse and Jail (1927), Courthouse Square,

San Augustine, Texas San Augustine is the county seat city of San Augustine County, Texas, in East Texas, United States. The population was at the 2020 census. History The first European settlement in the area began in 1717 with the establishment of Mission Nuestra ...

(Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed *

Stephen F. Austin University } Stephen F. Austin State University (SFA) is a public university in Nacogdoches, Texas. It was founded as a teachers' college in 1923 and subsequennly renamed after one of Texas's founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part ...

campus expansion (classrooms, administration buildings, president's residence, library, auditorium and fine arts building, men's and women's dormitory), Nacogdoches, Texas *The Ashcroft House, 333 College Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas (a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark) *University of Texas Student Health Center,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simons, Shirley 20th-century American architects Architects from Texas Rice University alumni People from Tyler, Texas 1897 births 1963 deaths People from Lufkin, Texas