Thomas William Silloway (August 7, 1828 – May 17, 1910) 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 ...

, known for building over 400

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chris ...

buildings in the eastern United States. Silloway was born in

Newburyport, Massachusetts Newburyport is a coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, northeast of Boston. The population was 18,289 at the 2020 census. A historic seaport with vibrant tourism industry, Newburyport includes part of Plum Island. The mo ...

, and raised a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

by his parents, Susan Stone Silloway and Thomas Silloway, Sr., a coppersmith. As a teenager, Silloway was apprenticed to a housewright and as a clerk in an East India merchant store. In 1844 Silloway became a Universalist. He was educated in the local public schools, at Brown High School, and in the local Latin School. In 1847 he began studying under

Ammi B. Young Ammi Burnham Young (June 19, 1798 – March 14, 1874) was a 19th-century American architect whose commissions transitioned from the Greek Revival to the Neo-Renaissance styles. His design of the second Vermont State House brought him fame and su ...

, designer of the

Boston Custom House The Custom House in Boston, Massachusetts, was established in the 17th century and stood near the waterfront in several successive locations through the years. In 1849 the U.S. federal government constructed a neoclassical building on State Stre ...

. In 1851 he began his own architecture practice. In 1862 Silloway started a second career as a Universalist minister in New Hampshire, Boston, and

Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a Municipal annexation in the United States, former town and current Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of ...

. He left the ministry in 1867 when his architectural work increased. Silloway had diverse interests in architecture,

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, music, and

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

, and published many books on diverse topics. By the time he died in 1910 Silloway was credited for designing more church buildings than any other individual in America.

Notable works

* Highrock Church, ca. 1841,

Arlington, Massachusetts Arlington is a New England town, town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County, Massachusetts. The town is six miles (10 km) northwest of Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, and its population was 46,308 at the 2020 census. History ...

Milford Town Hall Milford Town Hall is the historic town hall at 52 Main Street in Milford, Massachusetts. The two story wood frame building was completed in 1854; in addition to its role in housing town offices for over a century, it is a distinctive local exa ...

, 1853,

Milford, Massachusetts Milford is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 30,379 according to the 2020 census. First settled in 1662 and incorporated in 1780, Milford became a booming industrial and quarrying community in the 19th c ...

Vermont State House The Vermont State House, located in Montpelier, is the state capitol of the U.S. state of Vermont. It is the seat of the Vermont General Assembly. The current Greek Revival structure is the third building on the same site to be used as the Sta ...

, 1858,

Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Washington County. The site of Vermont's state government, it is the least populous state capital in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population w ...

* East Hall, 1860,

Medford, Massachusetts Medford is a city northwest of downtown Boston on the Mystic River in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus alo ...

* First Congregational Church, 1870,

Waltham, Massachusetts Waltham ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, th ...

* Memorial Hall, 1870,

Oakland, Maine Oakland is a town in Kennebec County, Maine, Kennebec County in the U.S. state of Maine. The population was 6,230 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Oakland is 4 miles (6 km) west of Waterville, Maine, Waterville and approximatel ...

* Roslindale Baptist Church, 1884, Boston, Massachusetts *

Unitarian Church in Charleston The Unitarian Church in Charleston, home to a Unitarian Universalist congregation, is an historic church located at 4 Archdale Street in Charleston, South Carolina. It is the oldest Unitarian church in the South and the second oldest church bu ...

, 1886,

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

* Conway Public Library, ca. 1901, Conway, NH

Publications by Silloway

* Thomas William Silloway, Lee L. Powers
The cathedral towns and intervening places of England, Ireland and Scotland
(A. Williams, 1883 )

References

19th-century American architects Architects from Massachusetts 1828 births 1910 deaths People from Newburyport, Massachusetts Greek Revival architects {{US-architect-stub