Thomas Boyde Jr. facts for kids

Thomas Wilson Boyde Jr. was a very important person in architecture. He was the first African-American student to graduate from the School of Architecture at Syracuse University. He was also the first African-American architect to work in Rochester, New York.

Early Life and Learning

Thomas Boyde Jr. was the third of four children in his family. When he was young, he wanted to go to the West Point military academy, but he wasn't able to get in.

Instead, he went to four different universities in just five years! He worked very hard and graduated in 1928. He earned a bachelor's degree in architecture from the School of Architecture at Syracuse University. After college, he worked for four different companies over the next five years, including one for the state of New York.

His Career as an Architect

Thomas Boyde Jr. got a big chance when an architect in Rochester hired him. This architect had designed a building that later became known as the Monroe Community Hospital. Working there, Boyde was able to show off his special style. He loved to design buildings with cool corner windows and curved walls.

Because of his unique style, he got to work on many other projects. Eventually, he even started his very own architecture company! He designed more than 30 business buildings and many more homes. A lot of the places he designed were restaurants.

Today, his important papers and designs are kept at the Rochester Museum and Science Center. In 2020, a news story mentioned that people are still trying to figure out exactly which buildings he designed. Later that year, a big project was started to find and study all the buildings Thomas W. Boyde Jr. created.

His Family Life

Thomas Boyde Jr. got married when he was 24 years old. His wife was Jennie Jones, and they had three children together. Later in his life, he became ill with multiple sclerosis. He passed away when he was 75 years old.