Thomas W. Williamson (1911)

2011 Hall of Fame Inductee

Architect.

Unfortunately, little is known about Thomas Williamson’s student life when he attended THS in 1907. After Topeka High he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in architecture. Returning to Topeka, Williamson began work in the state architect’s office in 1911 and then opened his own practice the following year. By the 1920’s he had risen to the ranks as one of the city’s leading architects with numerous important commissions including the new First Methodist Church (1922), Mulvane Art Museum (1924), and the Jayhawk Hotel and Theatre (1926). His firm came to specialize in public and school buildings; among them is Topeka Roosevelt, Boswell, and Crane Jr. High Schools and both Monroe and Sumner elementary schools of Brown v. Board Supreme Court decision. His crowning achievement, of course, was Topeka High School in 1930-31. He died in the 1970’s.