Tallmadge & Watson

Thomas Eddy Tallmadge

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Vernon Spencer Watson

Architect at a Glance

Born: April 24, 1876 in Washington, DC
Died: Jan. 1, 1940 (hit by a train near Arcola, IL)
Education: Bachelor of Science, Massachusetts Institute Technology, 1898
Notable prairie commissions:
- John B. Piggott House
- Barrett Andrews House
- Charles H. Reeves House

Architect at a Glance

Born: January 22, 1878 in Chicago, IL
Died: September 28, 1950
Education: Studied architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology
Notable prairie commissions:
- John B. Piggott House
- Barrett Andrews House
- Charles H. Reeves House

Architect Profile

Thomas Tallmadge

Thomas Eddy Tallmadge was raised in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, graduating from Evanston Township High School. He never married and moved to Chicago to study under Daniel H. Burnham.

While working for Burnham, Tallmadge received a scholarship from the Chicago Architectural Club. He used the scholarship to travel through Europe. Upon his return in 1905, Tallmadge decided to start his own architectural firm with fellow Burnham draftsman Vernon Spencer Watson. Although Watson was the chief designer, Tallmadge became the face of the firm due to his commitment as a historian and teacher. Tallmadge is credited for coining the term "Chicago School" in an article for Architectural Review to describe the recent trends in architecture pioneered by Burnham, Louis Sullivan, and others.

Late in his career, Tallmadge focused on publishing books instead of articles, completing three works. In 1940, Tallmadge was killed in a train accident near Arcola, IL.

Source: https://prabook.com/web/thomas_eddy.tallmadge/1041624

Vernon Spencer Watson studied architecture at the Armour Institute of Technology and after graduation he traveled through Europe before going to work in the office of Daniel H. Burnham.

It was at the offices of D.H. Burnham that he met his future partner, Thomas Eddy Tallmadge. Tallmadge spent the summer of 1904 traveling through Europe and after his return he and Watson decided to leave Burnham. In October of 1905, Tallmadge & Watson formed their own firm in Chicago. Tallmadge & Watson designed 250+ buildings during their 31-year partnership.

From the beginning it was evident that Watson was responsible for the Prairie designs that the firm produced, but Tallmadge was more widely known because of his activities as an author/historian and teacher. Watson’s Prairie ideology was well-defined before the partnership began, as seen in his house built in 1904, located in Oak Park, IL. They were well known for their design of modest priced Prairie residences. As the Prairie movement began to wane by the early 1920’s their commissions turned from Prairie residential to historical ecclesiastical architecture.

The partnership between Watson & Tallmadge was dissolved in 1936 when Watson retired to Berrien Springs, MI.

Vernon Watson