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Thomas Williamson

Architect (1887-1974)

Topeka Fire Station No. 2Thomas Williamson, who practiced architecture for 50 years, was one of Kansas' most prolific designers of public buildings during the first decades of the 20th century. The firm specialized in school design and, in addition to its work in Kansas, received numerous commissions in Iowa and Missouri. The body of Williamson's work reflected the transitional period between revival of classic or renaissance forms and the advent of the Modern Movement. Included in his commissions were the four standing courthouses in Jackson, Cheyenne, Smith, and Sheridan counties dating from 1917 to 1925. All are symmetrical, modern versions of the Beaux Arts and Classical Revival traditions executed in light colored masonry.

Williamson received an associate's degree from the Pennsylvania School of Architecture and returned to his home in Topeka in 1911. He worked in the state architect's office and for architect John F. Stanton until he opened his own practice in 1912. Operating as the firm of Thomas W. Williamson & Company, Thomas W. Williamson, Victory H. Loebsack & Associates, and later as Williamson-Loebsack and Associates, his firm grew to include a staff of 46 architects, draftsmen, engineers and other specialists.

From Historic County Courthouses of Kansas MPDF (2002)

Find Thomas Williamson designed buildings listed in the National Register.

Entry: Williamson, Thomas

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: May 2011

Date Modified: July 2012

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.