Thomas Eddy Tallmadge (April 24, 1876 – January 1, 1940) was an American architect, best known for his

Prairie School Prairie School is a late 19th and early 20th-century architectural style, most common in the Midwestern United States. The style is usually marked by horizontal lines, flat or hipped roofs with broad overhanging eaves, windows grouped i ...

works with Vernon S. Watson as Tallmadge & Watson.

Early life and education

Tallmadge was born in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, on April 24, 1876. He was raised in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

suburb of Evanston, and graduated from

Evanston Township High School Evanston Township High School (ETHS) (District 202) is a public high school in Evanston, Illinois. The campus is located in a northern suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston a ...

. He attended the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

, where he graduated in 1898 with a bachelor's degree in architecture. He returned to Chicago to study under Daniel H. Burnham, one of the city's most prominent architects. While working for Burnham, Tallmadge received a scholarship from the Chicago Architectural Club for his work "A Crèche in a Manufacturing District". He used the scholarship to travel through Europe.

Career

Upon his return in 1905, Tallmadge decided to start his own architectural firm with fellow Burnham draftsman Vernon S. Watson. Although Watson was the chief designer, Tallmadge became the face of the firm due to his commitment as a historian and teacher. He taught at the

Armour Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the merger of the Armour ...

from 1906 to 1926. Tallmadge is credited for coining the term " Chicago school" in an article for ''

Architectural Review ''The Architectural Review'' is a monthly international architectural magazine. It has been published in London since 1896. Its articles cover the built environment – which includes landscape, building design, interior design and urbanism � ...

'' to describe the recent trends in architecture pioneered by Burnham,

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago school (architecture), Chicago ...

, and others. Tallmadge took sole control over his firm after Watson retired in 1936. Tallmadge later focused on publishing books instead of articles, completing three works.

Death

On January 1, 1940, at age 63, Tallmadge was killed in an

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, is a railroad in the Central United States. Its primary routes connected Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama, and thus, ...

train accident near

Arcola, Illinois Arcola is a city in Douglas County, Illinois, Douglas County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,927 at the 2020 census. The city was founded in 1855, when the Illinois Central Railroad was built through the county. The railroad itsel ...

. He is buried in

Graceland Cemetery Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Irving Park R ...

along with many other notable Chicago architects.

Bibliography

*''The Story of England's Architecture'' (1934) *''The Story of Architecture in America'' (1936) *''Architecture in Old Chicago'' (1941, published posthumously)

References

External links

Thomas Tallmadge
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tallmadge, Thomas 1876 births 1940 deaths 20th-century American architects Accidental deaths in Illinois American architecture writers American male non-fiction writers Architects from Washington, D.C. Artists from Evanston, Illinois Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Chicago school architects Illinois Institute of Technology faculty MIT School of Architecture and Planning alumni Prairie School architects Railway accident deaths in the United States