Thomas M. Price
Encyclopedia
Thomas M. Price has been called "Galveston's foremost modern architect
" by historian and Rice University
faculty member Stephen Fox, an Adjunct Lecturer of the School of Architecture. His portfolio of designs encompass a diverse variety of building types. Almost all of the buildings that were built from his designs are located in southeastern United States
.
on March 17, 1916. Price attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute until he received his bachelor's degree
in 1938. He received his master's degree
from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
in 1941. While at Harvard he studied under modern masters like Marcel Breuer
and Walter Gropius
.
, hotel
s, motel
s, school
s, a social club, a beach house
and commercial building
s. His preference for trimly-detailed buildings with walls treated as planes of glass or solidly paneled surfaces is evident in many of the buildings he designed in Galveston. These include the Seahorse Motel (1956, now demolished) and the Beachcomber Motel (1963) on Seawall Boulevard, the Galveston Artillery Club (1959) on Avenue O, the gymnasium of Gladneo Parker Elementary School (1960) on 69th Street, and his largest project that he worked on in the city, the 10-story Sealy & Smith Professional Building (1964, demolished in 2007) on University Boulevard. Price designed several of the most distinctive modern houses built in Galveston, among them the Caravageli House (1954) on Caduceus Place, the Stirling House on South Shore Drive (1956), the Mehos House on Harbor View Drive (1958), the Yen House on Marine Drive (1959), and the Kelso Camp on Offatts Bayou (1963). Price was involved in early efforts to preserve Galveston's 19th-century architectural heritage. He was responsible for two pioneer preservation planning studies prepared for the city: Galveston, Texas: Historical District Guide (1970) and Historical Development Plan for Galveston, Texas (1973).
which has been renovated and restored by Ray Bailey
architects and the Bauer House outside Port Lavaca, Texas
(1958). Including Houston, he designed banks in Alvin
, Bay City
, Freeport
, Hitchcock
, and Webster, Texas
in the 1960s. He also designed hotels in Asheville, North Carolina
, Biloxi, Mississippi
, Marathon, Florida
and San Francisco, California
around the same time.
where he designed the Nimitz Museum. He died on November 6, 1998 at the age of 82. Price's house designs are among the most distinctive in Galveston, and are listed in the Galveston Architectural Guide.
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
" by historian and Rice University
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University, commonly referred to as Rice University or Rice, is a private research university located on a heavily wooded campus in Houston, Texas, United States...
faculty member Stephen Fox, an Adjunct Lecturer of the School of Architecture. His portfolio of designs encompass a diverse variety of building types. Almost all of the buildings that were built from his designs are located in southeastern United States
Southeastern United States
The Southeastern United States, colloquially referred to as the Southeast, is the eastern portion of the Southern United States. It is one of the most populous regions in the United States of America....
.
Early life and education
Price was born in Blacksburg, VirginiaBlacksburg, Virginia
Blacksburg is an incorporated town located in Montgomery County, Virginia, United States, with a population of 42,620 at the 2010 census. Blacksburg, Christiansburg, and Radford are the three principal jurisdictions of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metropolitan Statistical Area which...
on March 17, 1916. Price attended the Virginia Polytechnic Institute until he received his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...
in 1938. He received his master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
from the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Harvard Graduate School of Design
The Harvard Graduate School of Design is a graduate school at Harvard University offering degrees in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning and Design.-History:...
in 1941. While at Harvard he studied under modern masters like Marcel Breuer
Marcel Breuer
Marcel Lajos Breuer , was a Hungarian-born modernist, architect and furniture designer of Jewish descent. One of the masters of Modernism, Breuer displayed interest in modular construction and simple forms.- Life and work :Known to his friends and associates as Lajkó, Breuer studied and taught at...
and Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
.
Galveston
Price was primarily active from the 1950s to the late 1970s, designing private residencesHome
A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
, hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
s, school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, a social club, a beach house
Beach house
A beach house is a house on or near a beach, generally used as a vacation or second home for people who commute to the house on weekends or during vacation periods....
and commercial building
Commercial building
A commercial building is a building that is used for commercial use. Types can include office buildings, warehouses, or retail . In urban locations, a commercial building often combines functions, such as an office on levels 2-10, with retail on floor 1...
s. His preference for trimly-detailed buildings with walls treated as planes of glass or solidly paneled surfaces is evident in many of the buildings he designed in Galveston. These include the Seahorse Motel (1956, now demolished) and the Beachcomber Motel (1963) on Seawall Boulevard, the Galveston Artillery Club (1959) on Avenue O, the gymnasium of Gladneo Parker Elementary School (1960) on 69th Street, and his largest project that he worked on in the city, the 10-story Sealy & Smith Professional Building (1964, demolished in 2007) on University Boulevard. Price designed several of the most distinctive modern houses built in Galveston, among them the Caravageli House (1954) on Caduceus Place, the Stirling House on South Shore Drive (1956), the Mehos House on Harbor View Drive (1958), the Yen House on Marine Drive (1959), and the Kelso Camp on Offatts Bayou (1963). Price was involved in early efforts to preserve Galveston's 19th-century architectural heritage. He was responsible for two pioneer preservation planning studies prepared for the city: Galveston, Texas: Historical District Guide (1970) and Historical Development Plan for Galveston, Texas (1973).
Other cities
Outside Galveston, Price designed the Lasher House (1956) in the Memorial section of Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
which has been renovated and restored by Ray Bailey
Ray Bailey
Raymond Frederick Bailey is a former member of the Tasmanian Legislative Council. He was first elected to the now abolished Division of Cornwall on the 26 May 1990...
architects and the Bauer House outside Port Lavaca, Texas
Port Lavaca, Texas
Port Lavaca is a city in Calhoun County, Texas, United States. The population was 12,248 at the 2010 census. The County had a 3.6% growth which brought the county population to 21,381. The city itself is bringing in more business into the area. It is the county seat of Calhoun County...
(1958). Including Houston, he designed banks in Alvin
Alvin, Texas
Alvin is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and Brazoria County. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 21,413. Alvin's claim to fame is Baseball Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan, who moved with his family to the city in 1947 as...
, Bay City
Bay City, Texas
Bay City is a city in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. The population was 18,667 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Matagorda County. The current mayor is Mark Bricker.-Geography:Bay City is located at...
, Freeport
Freeport, Texas
Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area and is situated in Southeast Texas. As of the 2000 U.S...
, Hitchcock
Hitchcock, Texas
Hitchcock is a city in Galveston County, Texas, United States. The population was 6,386 at the 2000 census.-History:Hitchcock was created as a station of the railroad between Galveston and Houston in 1873 and around the turn of the 20th century became a vegetable shipping center...
, and Webster, Texas
Webster, Texas
Webster is a city in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. The population was 9,083 at the 2000 census.-History:...
in the 1960s. He also designed hotels in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
, Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi, Mississippi
Biloxi is a city in Harrison County, Mississippi, in the United States. The 2010 census recorded the population as 44,054. Along with Gulfport, Biloxi is a county seat of Harrison County....
, Marathon, Florida
Marathon, Florida
Marathon is a city on Knight's Key, Boot Key, Key Vaca, Fat Deer Key, Long Point Key, Crawl Key and Grassy Key islands in the middle Florida Keys, in Monroe County, Florida, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 10,255. As of 2005, the population estimated...
and San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
around the same time.
Retirement and death
Thomas M. Price retired to 320 W. Burbank St. in Fredericksburg, TexasFredericksburg, Texas
Fredericksburg is the seat of Gillespie County, in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census estimate, the city had a population of 10, 530...
where he designed the Nimitz Museum. He died on November 6, 1998 at the age of 82. Price's house designs are among the most distinctive in Galveston, and are listed in the Galveston Architectural Guide.