Thomas O. Sully
Thomas Sully
Portrait from of The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography (1899 edition)
BornNovember 24, 1855
Mississippi City, Mississippi, United States
DiedMarch 15, 1939 (age 83)
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
OccupationArchitect
Signature

Thomas O. Sully (November 24, 1855 – March 15, 1939)[1] was one of the most important architects in New Orleans at the end of the 19th century.[2] Sully's works include the Hennen Building addition and Poplar Grove Plantation (1884) in Port Allen, Louisiana.

Early life

Sully was born in Mississippi City, Mississippi,[3] the son of Harriet Jane (née Green) and George Washington Sully.[4][5][6] He was named after his great uncle, portrait painter Thomas Sully (1783–1872).[3] He was raised in New Orleans.

Career

In his early career, Sully apprenticed in Austin, Texas with architects Larmour & Wheelock; and in New York City with architects Slade & Marshall.[5]

Sully Mansion Bed & Breakfast

In 1877, he returned to New Orleans and in 1881 established his firm.[7] Sully lived at 4010 St. Charles Avenue (1886) in a house he built.[8]

In 1887, Sully formed the firm Sulley & Toledano with Albert Toledano,[2] who went on to design several notable buildings in the city.[9] Sully returned to solo practice afterwards and then formed Sully, Burton & Stone. He retired in 1906.[2]

His firm designed a top-floor penthouse office addition to the Hennen Building where they designed their office. It replaced a rooftop garden.[10]

He served as the first president of the Louisiana State Association of Architects, a chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) established in 1887.[11]

Columns Hotel

New Orleans architect Sam Stone, who went on to form Stone Brothers with his sons, began his career working at Sully's firm.

Boating aficionado

A boating aficionado, Sully was commodore of the Southern Yacht Club in New Orleans for two terms, was photographed on his yacht Helen, and designed boats.[12]

Death

Sully died of pneumonia on March 15, 1939, in New Orleans.[1] The Southeastern Architectural Archive at Tulane University has archival documents related to Sully.[13][14][12]

List of work

  • Columns Hotel (1883), 3811 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana[7]
  • Poplar Grove Plantation (1884), 3142 North River Rd., Port Allen, Louisiana; NRHP-listed[15]
  • Home (1886), 4010 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana; built for his family[8]
  • The Orphanage (1887), 3000 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana; originally an orphanage in the wake of a yellow fever epidemic, and is now an apartment building[16]
  • Abita Springs Pavilion (1888), St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana; NRHP-listed[4]
  • Sully Mansion (1890), 2631 Prytania Street, New Orleans, Louisiana; now a bed & breakfast[7]
  • Confederate Memorial Hall Museum (1890) 929 Camp St., New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Hennen Building (1893, addition) 800 Common St., New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Ellermann-Core House (1895), 1234 Henry Clay Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana[2]
  • St. Charles Hotel (third version; 1896), St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana[17]
  • Sully-Wormouth House (1901), 1531 South Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana; he lived in the home until 1915[18]
  • Gulfport Yacht Club clubhouse (1903), Gulfport, Mississippi[12]
  • 2525 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • 2727 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana; a bed & breakfast[17]
  • 3811 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana[17]
  • 6000 St. Charles Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Four homes on St. Mary Street, Lower Garden District, New Orleans, Louisiana[7]
  • 7 Richmond Place, New Orleans, Louisiana[17]
  • 17 Richmond Place, New Orleans, Louisiana[19]
  • 1305 South Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana[17]
  • Frank T. Howard No. 1 School, and Elizabeth F. Howard Kindergarten, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • Howard Memorial Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana[20]
  • Medical Building, 124-126 Baronne Street, New Orleans, Louisiana
  • New Orleans National Bank, 201 Camp Street, New Orleans, Louisiana[17]
  • Valence Street Baptist Church, 4636 Magazine St., New Orleans, Louisiana[21][22]

References

  1. ^ ab"Thomas Sully, 83, Architect in South; Namesake of His Great-Uncle, the Painter, Is Dead". The New York Times. March 16, 1939. p. 29.
  2. ^ abcd"The Ellermann-Gore House"(PDF). Historic District Landmarks Commission, City of New Orleans. 1988.
  3. ^ abFerguson, John C. (January 20, 2011). "Thomas Sully". 64 Parishes.
  4. ^ abScott, Mike (December 29, 2021). "An asterisk in Abita Springs history: Was the 1884 Pavilion really built in 1888?". NOLA.com.
  5. ^ ab"Thomas Sully Office Records". Tulane University Special Collections Repository. Retrieved 2025-02-04.
  6. ^"Sully, Thomas". The National Cyclopaedia of American Biography. Vol. IX. New York Public Library. New York City: J. T. White company. 1899. p. 334 – via Internet Archive.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ abcd"Neighbors discover a shared history: 4 homes in a row were all designed by famed architect Thomas Sully". NOLA.com. September 7, 2023.
  8. ^ abLaBorde, Lauren (September 24, 2015). "Architect Thomas Sully's House Asks $1.67M". Curbed New Orleans.
  9. ^"From early horrors to present day: The 121-year history of a Canal Street landmark". NOLA.com. November 14, 2022.
  10. ^"Sully's Penthouse Office".
  11. ^"History". AIA New Orleans.
  12. ^ abcRosell, Thomas (February 19, 2014). "Architect Pics: Thomas Sully". Preservation in Mississippi.
  13. ^"Southeastern Architectural Archive". TU Libraries.
  14. ^Rylance, Keli (November 13, 2013). "NEW! Thomas Sully Finding Aid". Southeastern Architectural Archive. Tulane University.
  15. ^"Poplar Grove Plantation House". National Register off Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form. August 1987.
  16. ^Scott, Mike (July 10, 2024). "New Orleans apartment building was born from an 1880s yellow fever epidemic". NOLA.com.
  17. ^ abcdef"Happy Birthday Thomas Sully! (1855)". NOLA Tours. November 24, 2015.
  18. ^New Orleans Historic District Landmarks Commission (September 14, 2004). "Designation report: 1531 South Carrollton Avenue"(PDF). Historic District Landmarks Commission, City of New Orleans.
  19. ^"Blueprint of Thomas Sully Residence". 64 Parishes.
  20. ^Wilson, Samuel (1987). "The Howard Memorial Library and Memorial Hall". Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association. 28 (3): 229–244. JSTOR 4232594.
  21. ^"'A miracle' | Congregation takes over 130-year-old New Orleans church". wwltv.com. January 5, 2024.
  22. ^Riegel, Stephanie (January 2, 2024). "Hobby Lobby donates Louisiana church to upstart congregation, making good on its promise". NOLA.com.
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