Thomas Alexander Tefft

Life and career

Tefft was born in rural Richmond, Rhode Island, outside of the small village of Wood River Junction. He was the fourth child of William C. and Sarah Tefft. His family worshiped at the Richmond Six-Principle Baptist Church. As a young man, he began teaching in the District No. 5 School at Quarrelsome Corners.

During the 1840s the state school commissioner, Henry Barnard, embarked on an inspection of the state's public schools. Noting Tefft's talents for drawing and the other arts, Barnard convinced him to move to Providence and study architecture. He entered the office of Tallman & Bucklin, then one of the city's primary offices. By 1846 he was doing most of the designing for the firm. At this time he also enrolled in Brown University.

In 1851, Tefft graduated from Brown. At the same time, the partnership of Tallman & Bucklin was dissolved. Tefft then opened his own office, and ran a notable practice that lasted only five years. In 1856 he decided to embark on a grand tour of Europe. Due to the beginning of an economic downturn, the only work that Tefft had in his office were the initial designs of Vassar College. With that project stagnating, he chose to go. He departed on the steamer Arago on December 13, 1856.

He began in England, where he studied the works of Sir Christopher Wren, among others. He also met and was entertained in the home of noted architect Sir Charles Barry. He also visited the cities of Paris, Rome, Geneva, Berlin, Milan, and Florence, among others. In December 1859 he fell ill with a fever in Florence at the home of his friend, the sculptor Hiram Powers. He died there on the 12th. He was first buried in the English Cemetery in Florence. In February 1860 his body was shipped back to Rhode Island, where it was re-interred in Swan Point Cemetery.

Works

With Tallman & Bucklin, 1846–1851:

In private practice, 1851–1856: