Thomas Stevens Van Alyea (September 21, 1890 - 1970) was a prominent architect, who designed homes and buildings in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. He designed many of the buildings at

St. John's Northwestern Military Academy St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (SJNMA) was founded in 1884 as St. John's Military Academy (SJMA) in Delafield, Wisconsin, by the Rev. Sidney T. Smythe as a private, college preparatory school. In 1995, Northwestern Military and Naval Ac ...

Delafield, Wisconsin Delafield is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States, along the Bark River. The population was 7,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The city of Delafield is a separate municipality from the Tow ...

Early life

He was born September 21, 1890, in

Princeville, Illinois Princeville is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,738 at the 2010 census, up from 1,621 in 2000. It is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the 2010 census, Pr ...

, and his parents were Thomas Van Alyea and Ellen (née) Stevens Moody. He married Margaret (née) Fitch on June 24, 1925, and they had a daughter August 28, 1926.

World War I

During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he entered military service as a 1st Sergeant on June 4, 1917. He was sent to

Brest, France Brest (; ) is a port, port city in the Finistère department, Brittany (administrative region), Brittany. Located in a sheltered bay not far from the western tip of a peninsula and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an impor ...

, and

Romaine (Saône) The Romaine () is a 25.4 km long river in Haute-Saône in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, eastern France. It rises in Fondremand and flows generally west to join the Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of F ...

and fought in the battles of St. Mihiel, and Meuse-Argonne, Argonne Forest. In 1918 he was cited for gallantry in action and he was awarded the

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against a ...

Career

Thomas Van Alyea designed homes in the North Shore and upper east side areas of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He designed buildings on the St. John's Military Academy grounds including Dekoven Hall. His architecture firm was called Courtney and White. From 1939 to 1941 he renovated the

J. Leslie Sensenbrenner House J. Leslie Sensenbrenner House is a 19th and 20th Century Revival home in Neenah, Wisconsin. It was designed by Thomas Van Alyea and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in Wisconsin on September 2, 2003. History The ...

also known as the George Gaylord House. The home is located in Neenah, Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and it was added to 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 ...

in 2003.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Alyea, Thomas 1890 births 1970 deaths 20th-century architects United States Army personnel of World War I Year of death uncertain