Arthur Loomis (January 28, 1859 – January 8, 1935) was an

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 ...

who worked from 1876 through the 1920s in the

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

area. After working for noted architect Charles J. Clarke for several years, they became partners in 1891, creating Clarke & Loomis, one of Louisville's most prestigious architectural firms. After Clarke's death in 1908, Loomis struck out on his own.

Early and family life

Arthur Loomis was born January 28, 1859, in

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield metrop ...

, to Dr. John Loomis and Clarissa Loomis née Robinson. Just before the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the family moved to

Jeffersonville, Indiana Jeffersonville is a city and the county seat of Clark County, Indiana, Clark County, Indiana, United States, situated along the Ohio River. Locally, the city is often referred to by the abbreviated name Jeff. It lies directly across the Ohio Riv ...

. Loomis married Carrie Dorsey of Jeffersonville on December 9, 1902, and they moved to Louisville. They had no children. He died on January 8, 1935, at the Kentucky Baptist Hospital of a heart attack, and was buried in

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

Career

Loomis was a

Mason Mason may refer to: Occupations * Mason, brick mason, or bricklayer, a worker who lays bricks to assist in brickwork, or who lays any combination of stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or similar pieces * Stone mason, a craftsman in the stone-cutti ...

and member of the

Shrine A shrine ( "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred space">-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...: ''escri ...

. In addition to his position with Clarke & Loomis, he was an associate architect with the

Southern Baptist Theological Seminary The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS) is a Baptist theological institute in Louisville, Kentucky. The seminary was founded in 1859 in Greenville, South Carolina, where it was at first housed on the campus of Furman University. The s ...

. He is considered the first president of the Kentucky Chapter of the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

. Although his former partner Charles Clarke was elected, he died before taking office, and Loomis fulfilled his term.

Designs

Loomis designed the Carnegie Library in

Warder Park Warder Park is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana on Court Avenue. This park has been a part of the community since the mid-19th century, when it had a bakery to produce hardtack to Union soldiers during the American Civil War. The park wasn' ...

. He also designed the Conrad-Caldwell House, a contributing property in the

St. James–Belgravia Historic District The St. James–Belgravia Historic District, within Old Louisville, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. It comprises St. James Court (north) and Belgravia Court (south). It is bordered to the north by Louisville's ...

Old Louisville Old Louisville is a historic district and neighborhood in central Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is the third largest such district in the United States, and the largest preservation district featuring almost entirely Victorian archite ...

. A number of buildings that Loomis or the firm designed survive and are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. They include: *The Beaux-Arts Fireproof Storage Company Warehouse in

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

* Speed Building, 319 Guthrie Green, Louisville * Carrie Gaulbert Cox and Attilla Cox, Jr., House, 389 Mockingbird Valley Rd., Louisville (Clarke and Loomis) * Henry Frank House, Madison Ave., Middletown, KY * Jewish Hospital Complex, 236 E. Kennedy St., Louisville * Jones Estate, 1905 Stonegate Rd., Anchorage, KY *

Levy Brothers Building Levy, Lévy or Levies may refer to: People * Levy (surname), people with the surname Levy or Lévy * Levy Adcock (born 1988), American football player * Levy Barent Cohen (1747–1808), Dutch-born British financier and community worker * Levy F ...

, 235 W. Market St., Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) *One or more buildings in

Old Jeffersonville Historic District The Old Jeffersonville Historic District is located in Jeffersonville, Indiana, United States. It marks the original boundaries of Jeffersonville, and is the heart of modern-day downtown Jeffersonville. It was placed on the National Registe ...

, roughly bounded by Court Ave., Graham St., Ohio River, & I-65,

Shelby Park Branch Library Shelby may refer to: Places United States * Shelby, Alabama, a census-designated place and unincorporated community * Shelby, Indiana, an unincorporated town * Shelby, Iowa, a city * Shelby, Oceana County, Michigan, a village * Shelby, Mississi ...

, 600 E. Oak St., Louisville (Loomis & Hartman) * St. Lukes Church, 1204 Maple Lane, Anchorage, KY * St. Paul's German Evangelical Church and Parish House, 213 E. Broadway, Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) * St. Peter's German Evangelical Church, 1231 W. Jefferson St., Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) *

University of Louisville School of Medicine The University of Louisville School of Medicine at the University of Louisville is a medical school located in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. Opened as the Louisville Medical Institute in 1837, it is one of the oldest medical schools in No ...

, 101 W. Chestnut St., Louisville (Clarke & Loomis) * Whiteside Bakery, 1400 W. Broadway St., Louisville * Dr. Winston's House, 11906 Ridge Rd., Anchorage, KY (Clarke & Loomis)

Early and family life

Career

Designs

References

Further reading