Frank Lyman Austin was born in Burlington in 1874 to Zachary T. Austin, a local contractor. The Austin firm went back to around 1865, when Frank's grandfather, Lyman, established himself as a carpenter. Frank Austin worked in his father's office, and trained as an architect. In 1904, he left his father's firm and opened an office on his own account. Upon his father's death in 1910, Austin completed the leftover work and absorbed the firm's assets.
Austin's first significant work was the Champlain School of 1909, in Burlington. These small-scale beginnings soon grew into a large office, which resulted in the design of some of the city's (and state's) largest buildings. Eventually, Austin served as Vermont's state architect. In 1939, Austin's son, Lyman Dinsmoor Austin, became a partner in the firm. Upon Austin's death in 1942, his son dissolved the firm and left Burlington. Austin & Austin had been the oldest architectural firm in the state.
Legacy
Austin was the architect of several buildings that have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places, as well as several others that are contributing buildings to listed historic districts.
Frank Lyman Austin, 1904-1939
1904 - Strong Theatre, 203 Main St, Burlington, Vermont
An addition to a pre-existing office building, demolished in 1970
