Frederick Augustus Tompson (August 10, 1857 – February 2, 1919) was an American

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 ...

from

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

Life and career

Tompson was born in Portland in 1857, to John A. Tompson and Mary Elizabeth Libby. In 1876, after graduating Portland High School, he entered the office of Francis H. Fassett, Maine's most prominent architect at the time. He worked his way up through the office until 1886, when he was promoted to partner in the new office of Fassett & Tompson. That association lasted until the end of 1890, and Tompson opened his own office in January 1891. He remained in private practice until his death. In 1894, he married Harriet Lane Larrabee. The couple lived at 33 Carroll Street in Portland. Harriet died in 1908, three years after which Tompson married for a second time, to Leontine F. Farrington. He was elected an Associate 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 ...

on December 2, 1901. Tompson's practice was succeeded by Charles O. Poor, Tompson's chief assistant. Later that year Poor formed a partnership with John P. Thomas. Poor died in 1922, and Thomas opened an office under his own name in 1923. He became one of Maine's most successful architects.

Death

Tompson died on February 2, 1919, aged 61. He was interred in Portland's Evergreen Cemetery, alongside his first wife. His second wife remarried after Tompson's death, and was buried beside her third husband in

Oregon, Illinois Oregon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Ogle County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,721 in 2010.U.S. Census BureaPopulation, Age, Sex, Race, Households/ref> History The land Oregon, Illinois was founded on was previously h ...

, upon her death in 1921. His mother survived him by three months. After her death, aged 89, she was interred in Black Point Cemetery in

Scarborough, Maine Scarborough is a New England town, town in Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County on the southern coast of the U.S. state of Maine. Located about south of Portland, Maine, Portland, Scarborough is part of the Portland, Maine, Portland&ndash ...

Legacy

Tompson was the designer of several of Portland's most prominent turn-of-the-century structures, and his West house of 1911 remains the city's largest private residence. Several of Tompson's works have been placed 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 ...

, and several others are contributing properties of listed historic districts.

Architectural works

* Rich Building, 106 Exchange St, Portland, Maine (1892)"Portland Waterfront NRHP Nomination". 1974. * Walker Memorial Hall, Highland Rd,

Bridgton, Maine Bridgton is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,418 at the 2020 census. A resort area in Maine's Lakes Region, Bridgton is home to Bridgton Academy, a private preparatory school, and the Four on the Fourth ...

(1892, NRHP 1983) * Castle-in-the-Park,

Deering Oaks Deering Oaks Park is a public park in Portland, Maine, which has a baseball diamond, tennis courts, a playground, and a pond. It is located west of downtown Portland and is bordered by Deering Avenue to the west, Forest Avenue to the east, P ...

, Portland, Maine (1894)Bibber, Joyce K. and Earle G. Shettleworth, Jr. ''Postcard History Series: Portland''. 2007. *

Walker Memorial Library The Walker Memorial Library is the public library of Westbrook, Maine, United States. It is located at 800 Main Street, in an architecturally distinguished French Chateauesque building designed by Frederick A. Tompson and built in 1894. It was ...

, 800 Main St,

Westbrook, Maine Westbrook is a city in Cumberland County, Maine, United States and a suburb of Portland, Maine, Portland. The population was 20,400 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the fastest-growing city in Maine between 2010 and 2020. ...

(1894, NRHP 1980) * Portland Armory, 20 Milk St, Portland, Maine (1895) * George Thornton Edwards–Charles Miller double house, 83-7 Highland St, Portland, Maine (1895) * John W. D. Carter house, 384 Spring St, Portland, Maine (1897)"Western Promenade Historic District NRHP Nomination". 1984. * Emerson School, 13 Emerson St, Portland, Maine (1897) * Charles O. Haskell house, 52 Neal St., Portland, Maine (1897) * YMCA Building, 7 Congress Sq, Portland, Maine (1897, demolished) * Henry P. Cox house, 231 Western Promenade, Portland, Maine (1898) *

Deering High School Deering High School (DHS) is a public high school located on Stevens Avenue in Portland, Maine, United States. The school is part of the Portland Public Schools district. It is one of the three public high schools located in Portland, the other ...

(former), 552 Stevens Ave,

(1898) * Howard C. Smith house, 23 Bramhall St, Portland, Maine (1900) * Union Mutual Life Insurance Building, 120 Exchange St, Portland, Maine (1900) * Frederick A. Tompson house, 33 Carroll St, Portland, Maine (1901) * Walker Manual Training School, 45 Casco St, Portland, Maine (1901) * Everett Chambers, 51 Oak St, Portland, Maine (1902, NRHP 2004) * Adam P. Leighton house, 261 Western Promenade, Portland, Maine (1902–03, NRHP 1982) * State Street Entrance, Deering Oaks, Portland, Maine (1902–04) * Samuel Wilde Memorial Chapel, Evergreen Cemetery, Portland, Maine (1902) * Colonial Hotel, 179-185 High St, Portland, Maine (1904, demolished) * Portland Children's Hospital, 68 High St, Portland, Maine (1908, NRHP 2012)''Engineering Record'' 3 July 1909: 70. * Trelawny Building, 655 Congress St, Portland, Maine (1909) *

Masonic Temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

, 415 Congress St, Portland, Maine (1911, NRHP 1982) *

West Mansion West Mansion is a mansion in the West End of Portland, Maine, United States. Completed in 1911, to a design by noted architect Frederick A. Tompson, the mansion's first owner was George F. West, for whom it is named. Located on Bramhall Hill ...

, 181 Western Promenade, Portland, Maine (1911) *

Portland Exposition Building The Portland Exposition Building, also known as The Expo, is a sports and convention center building complex in Portland, Maine. Much expanded since the original building was constructed in 1914, the complex now includes five inter-connected bui ...

, 239 Park Ave, Portland, Maine (1914) * Joseph W. Whitney house, 22 Clifford St, Portland, Maine (1916)

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tompson, Frederick A. 1857 births 1919 deaths Architects from Portland, Maine 19th-century American architects 20th-century American architects