Thomas Boyde Jr.

Thomas Wilson Boyde Jr was the first African-American graduate of the School of Architecture of Syracuse University and the first African-American architect in Rochester, New York.[1][2][3][4]

Early life and education

Boyde was the third of four children. Denied 1923 entry to West Point, he attended four universities in five years, graduating 1928 with a Baccalaureate in architecture from the School of Architecture of Syracuse University. The next five years he had four employers, including a New York State agency.[5]

Career

When the Rochester architect who designed what later was renamed Monroe Community Hospital hired Boyde as one of his assistants,[6] the latter's decorative style of corner windows and curved walls[7] had a chance to develop.[1] This led to a series of other works and, later on, his own architectural firm.[2] His project list included over 30 commercial locations and a larger number of private properties.[8] The second largest category of his designs were restaurants.[5]

His papers are part of the Rochester Museum and Science Center's collections.[9] A 2020 local TV news article said "What exactly he’s responsible for designing is still debated today."[10] A $300,000 project "to fund a cultural resource survey of the architecture of Thomas W. Boyde Jr." was announced later that year.[11]

Personal life

He married at age 24. He and the former Jennie Jones had three children. In later life he had multiple sclerosis, and died at age 75.[5]

References
  1. "Intricate Architectural Details Adorn the Facades of the Monroe Community Hospital" (PDF).
  2. "A Book Remembers Forgotten Architects". The New York Times. June 3, 2004. The architects portrayed include Thomas W. Boyde Jr.
  3. Dreck Spurlock Wilson, ed. (2004). African American Architects: A Biographical Dictionary, 1865-1945. ISBN 978-0-4159-2959-2.
  4. "Thomas W. Boyde Jr. Panel Discussion".
  5. Judith E. Greene. "Thomas Wilson Boyde Jr. (1905-1981)". Retrieved May 23, 2021.
  6. "Thomas W. Boyde Jr., Rochester's first Black architect". Democrat and Chronicle. December 28, 2020.
  7. "Recognizing Rochester's First African American Architect and His Lasting Contributions". loved interior curved walls, corner windows, and overhanging roofs
  8. "Upstate Historians Shine Light On A Noted Black Architect". November 20, 2020. He was a prolific designer of Mid-Century Modern homes
  9. "Finding Aids for Archives: Boyde, Thomas W. papers, 1930 to 1980". First architect of African-American descent in Rochester, N.Y. Architectural drawings and plans
  10. Andrew Freeman (February 21, 2020). "The Work of Rochester's First Black Architect Can Still Be Seen Today". Spectrum News Rochester.
  11. "Grants supporting survey to identify Boyde architecture". Monroe County Post. November 4, 2020. two grants totaling $30000 to fund
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