Thomas H. Atherton
Thomas H. Atherton (January 16, 1884 – February 1, 1978), was an American architect.[1] A Princeton University alumni; he also studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He designed many public buildings in New York and Pennsylvania and a war memorial in France.[2][3]
Early years[]
He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on January 16, 1884, the son of Thomas Henry Atherton Sr [4] and Melanie Parke. His father had a law practice in the town. His father had graduated from Princeton University in 1874.[5] His childhood home was located on West River St, Wilkes Barre.[6]
He graduated with an A.B. from Princeton University in 1906, and went on to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he gained a B.S. in 1909.[7]
Career[]
Atherton was a U.S. successful architect. A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.[8][9] [10]
He worked as a draftsman for Carrère and Hastings, the architectural firm responsible for the design of the New York Public Library (1910–1911). He the took a position at Townsend & Fleming in Buffalo, New York (1911–1912).
Atherton served as a Captain in the 109th Field Artillery Regiment, with distinguished service in the Meuse–Argonne offensive during World War I. He was a decorated soldier who received the Belgian War Cross and the French War Cross.[11]
After World War I, he returned to civilian life and worked in partnership with Philadelphia architect Paul Philippe Cret on the Pennsylvania Memorial in Varennes-en-Argonne, France.
Atherton returned to Wilkes-Barre in the late 1920’s to design the market street bridge,[12] Followed by the Kirby Health Center (1929).
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bc/Market_Street_Bridge%2C_Spanning_North_Branch_of_Susquehanna_River%2C_Wilkes-Barre%2C_Luzerne_County%2C_PA_HAER_PA-342-30.tif/lossy-page1-220px-Market_Street_Bridge%2C_Spanning_North_Branch_of_Susquehanna_River%2C_Wilkes-Barre%2C_Luzerne_County%2C_PA_HAER_PA-342-30.tif.jpg)
He established his own architectural practice in 1941 and entered into partnership with James O. Lacy in 1943, with John W. Davis joining in 1945, to become Lacy, Atherton & Davis.
He served in the Pennsylvania National Guard and reached the rank of Brigadier General in the 109th Field Artillery Regiment.
Notable works[]
- Clemuel Ricketts Mansion; new wing in 1913
- Pennsylvania Memorial in Varennes-en-Argonne in France
- Carlisle Armory, 504 Cavalry Rd. Carlisle, PA. NRHP-listed[8]
- East Stroudsburg Armory, 271 Washington St. East Stroudsburg, PA. NRHP-listed[8]
- Kingston Armory, 280 Market St. Kingston, PA. NRHP-listed[8]
- Mansfield Armory, Smythe Park Mansfield, PA.NRHP-listed[8]
- Milton Armory, 133 Ridge Ave. Milton, PA.NRHP-listed[8]
- Wellsboro Armory, 2 Central Ave. Wellsboro, PA. NRHP-listed[8]
- Additional works in Wellsboro Historic District, roughly bounded by Nichols, Tioga, Charleston, Jackson, East, Bacon, Morris, Sturrock, Meade, Grant, Walnut, Academy, etc. Wellsboro, PA. NRHP-listed[8]
Memberships[]
Atherton joined the American Institute of Architects in 1928 and was elevated to the college of fellows in 1953.[13]
He was interested in local and family history and was a member of the Jacobsburg Historical Society.[14]
Personal[]
He married Mary Kidd Mish (1900–1981) in Luzerne, Pennsylvania on February 2, 1921. They had a daughter, Mary, and two sons, Charles Henry Atherton (1932–2005) [15][16] and William H. Atherton (1928–2011).
His sister was Elizabeth Grier Atherton, who worked for the Department of State.[17][18] His sister, Sarah was an author of Pennsylvanian historical fiction.
He died on February 1, 1978 and is buried in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Ancestry[]
Atherton is a direct descendant of William Henry (gunsmith). An armorer in the French and Indian and Revolutionary wars, who served in the Continental Congress and was a member of Benjamin Franklin's American Philosophical Society.[19] His father changed his name from Thomas A. Henry to Thomas H. Atherton in 1870 by legislative enactment,[20] to honor his maternal uncle who paid for him to attend Princeton University.[21]
On his maternal side, he is a direct descendant of James Atherton,[22][23] who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in the 1630s.
His grandfather was William Camp Gildersleeve.
Articles[]
The Morning Call, article on Thomas H Atherton - October 14, 2007
References[]
- ^ "Atherton One Name Study entry for Thomas H Atherton Jnr".
- ^ AIA.ORG letter from Timothy J. White, AIA
- ^ "Who's who in America: Supplement to Who's who, a current biographical reference service, Vol. 15-16". Marquis-Who's Who. 1954.
- ^ "Atherton One Name Study entry for Thomas H Atherton Snr".
- ^ "Decennial record of the class of 1874 of Princeton college". [Princeton] The Princeton press. 1884.
- ^ "Thomas H. Atherton Sr papers" (PDF).
- ^ "Philadelphia Architects and Buildings". 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Pennsylvania National Guard Armories MPS
- ^ "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Kristine M. Wilson (August 1989). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Carlisle Armory" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-01-21.
- ^ "Princeton Alumni Weekly, Volume 19". 1918.
- ^ "Market Street Bridge, Spanning North Branch of Susquehanna River, Wilkes-Barre, Luzerne County, PA, designed by Thomas H. Atherton". Library of Congress.
- ^ "AIA College of Fellows - Thomas H. Atherton".
- ^ "Thomas H. Atherton Jr papers" (PDF).
- ^ "Charles H Atherton followed his fathers footsteps to Princeton to study architecture".
- ^ "Charles H. Atherton, son of Thomas H Atherton".
- ^ "Biographic Register of the Department of State, Volume 1918". United States Department of State. 1919.
- ^ "Portrait of Elizabeth Grier Atherton".
- ^ "The Atherton connection with William Henry, gunsmith".
- ^ Lane, Hannah Elizabeth (Ferrier) (1906). "Thomas Ferrier, and some of his descendants".
- ^ "Thomas H Atherton Sr., formerly known as Thomas A. Henry".
- ^ "James Atherton entry on the Atherton ONS".
- ^ James Atherton of Dorchester settled in Lancaster Massachusetts in 1654. Lancaster, Mass. 16 July 2021.
- 1884 births
- 1978 deaths
- 20th-century American architects
- Architects from Pennsylvania
- People from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
- Princeton University alumni
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni
- Pennsylvania National Guard