Nationality United States | Occupation Architect | |
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Born 1863 Lewiston, Maine Died December 25, 1895
Auburn, Maine Buildings Brunswick High School, Atkinson Building, Opera House Block, Roger Williams Hall | ||
Elmer I. Thomas (1863–1895) was an American architect who practiced in Auburn and Lewiston, Maine.
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Biography
Elmer Thomas was born in Lewiston in 1863 to Sylvanus D. and Julia Thomas. He attended the public schools before entering Amherst College, where he remained for only two or three years. After a period at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he entered the office of noted Lewiston architect George M. Coombs, remaining with him until the end of the decade. After gaining a position of high responsibility, he departed from the office in 1889. He operated an office in Auburn until December of 1893, when he relocated to Lewiston, reestablishing his office in the new Osgood Building. He died on Christmas Day in 1895, at the age of 33. Early the following year his chief assistant, William R. Miller, began operating the office under his own name.
Despite his brief career, Thomas became one of Maine's most sought-after architects within a few years of beginning his practice. He was also the state's first architect to have a college education. At least two of his works have been individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and several more contribute to listed historic districts.