Thomas Pye (architect)

Thomas Pye (1861–1930) was an Australian architect. He worked for over 33 years in the Public Works Department in Queensland.The Queenslander (Brisbane), 10 April 1930 Pye contributed significantly to major buildings including the completion of the Public Offices (Treasury Building) and Rockhampton Customs House, as well as the design for the Lands and Survey Offices (Lands Administration Building). He was responsible for the heightened expectations which produced the best public buildings yet seen in Queensland.Watson 1994, 150

Early life Thomas Pye was born in 1861 in Lancashire, England to Edward Pye, a farmer, and Ellen Newett.Watson 1994, 149 After receiving “an excellent training” as an architect in England, Pye emigrated to the colonies in c.1882. In 1883, Pye married Emily Ruth Ivy in September, while living in Mosman Bay, Sydney.

Clark and Pye

In 1884, Pye moved to Brisbane and joined the Queensland Public Works Department to take charge of the documentation of John James Clark’s design for the Brisbane Public Offices (Treasury Building). After completion of the plans for the first stage of the Public Offices, Pye resigned from his public post at the end of May 1885, and entered partnership with J.J. Clark’s brother George Cotton Clark, having previously prepared the drawings for Clark’s Bros’ Brisbane Masonic Hall while employed in the offices of J.J. Clark.Watson 1994, 34 He was involved in a number of projects while at the firm, most notably the Imperial Hotel in Brisbane. George Clark and Pye ended their partnership in early May 1886.

Public Offices (Treasury Building), Brisbane

In June 1886 Pye rejoined the Works Department to prepare drawings for the Public Offices. Pye is associated with the preparation of the plans for the first and second sections of the Public Offices – those facing William Street and the Queen’s Gardens respectively. This was only a temporary appointment until he was appointed as a permanent draftsman in December 1889. During this time, Pye also engaged work with the tenderer for the project, Sydney contractors the Phippard Bros, in 1886 and 1887. In 1890, the drawings for the Public Offices were completed.

Queensland Public Works Department In 1892, A.B. Brady, the Engineer for Bridges, took charge of buildings as the Government Architect, and Pye was appointed Chief Draftsman. In 1898, Pye was appointed First Assistant Architect. In February 1902, Pye became District Architect, Southern Division with responsibility for Government buildings south of Gympie. His equivalent for the Northern Division was John Smith Murdoch. In 1904, John Smith Murdoch transferred to the Commonwealth. Consequently, Pye assumed responsibility for the whole of Queensland. In September 1906, Pye was appointed deputy Government Architect and Acting Under Secretary and continued in that office until his retrenchment in August 1921.

Other interests and military involvement Pye was a military censor for about five months in 1914, and in September 1915, as a lieutenant-colonel, he was detailed to command Australian Imperial Forces reinforcements on transports. He took keen interest in shooting and was a prominent member of local rifle clubs. The lack of success in private practice may conceal a resumption of his previous role as a gun draftsman.Philip Goad and Julie Willis, eds. Encyclopedia of Australian Architects (Melbourne: Cambridge University Press, 2012), 571-572

Later life and death After leaving the Works Department, Pye practiced privately in Brisbane. An amateur artist, he was a member of the Queensland Authors’ and Artists’ Association and was a collector for the Queensland Museum. In May 1929 Pye left Brisbane to travel overseas. In 1930, Pye died after catching black-water fever at the Victoria Falls in South Africa. His daughter, Juanita Pye, was one of Queensland’s first female architects.

Significant works

Responsibility for individual projects during his employment at the Public Works Department is difficult to discern. The Lands and Survey Offices (Land Administration Building) are considered Pye’s masterpiece. The significant stylistic and technical innovations used in the design of the Lands Offices such as the use of concrete and the Edwardian Baroque style make them almost a decade ahead of comparable Australian buildings. Pye personally supervised the details, including the statuary.The Brisbane Courier, 26 August 1903

Year completed Structure name Location Notes 1885 Villa and Stable for W. Pickering (as Clark and Pye); Lytton Road, East Brisbane 1885 Cottage (as Clark and Pye); Remy Street, Petrie Bight 1885–1887 Imperial Hotel (as Clark and Pye) 70 George Street, Brisbane Watson 1994, 35 1889 Relief Stonework Panels, Alice Street Wing, Parliament House 69 Alice Street, Brisbane 1897–1898 Post Office, 98 Palmerin Street, Warwick 1898 Department of Primary Industries Building William Street facade 99 William Street, Brisbane 1898–1899 Queensland Stock Institute College Road, The Brisbane Courier, 20 June 1900 1899 Customs House Rockhampton (designed with G.D. Payne) 208 Quay Street, Rockhampton 1899–1900 East Brisbane State School 90 Wellington Road, East Brisbane 1899–1900 Post Office, 114 Brisbane Street, Ipswich 1900 Police Station, Warwick 86 Fitzroy Street, Warwick ?1901 Killarney Courthouse; The Queenslander (Brisbane) 10 August 1901 1901 Naval Offices 3 Edward St, Brisbane 1901 Decoration of Government Buildings in Brisbane(Customs House, the Treasury Buildings, Geological Museum, Lands Office, Government Printing Office, and various others) Primarily George, Queen and William Streets, Brisbane The Brisbane Courier, 13 May 1901 1901 Stanthorpe Post Office 14 Maryland St, 1901–1905 Land Administration Building (formerly Executive Building) 142 George Street, Brisbane 1904 Former North Ward Defence Complex additions (drill hall and administration offices) 4–6 Oxley Street, 1905 Woolloongabba Post Office (former) 765 Stanley Street, ?1906–1921date unknown “Tekowai” House for W.G. Chancellor; Vulture Street, South Brisbane The Queenslander (Brisbane) 10 August 1933 1908 Brisbane General Post Office, Elizabeth Street additions 280 Elizabeth Street, Brisbane 1909 Former Dispenser’s House, Diamantina Hospital Cornwall Street, Woolloongabba 1910 Charters Towers Police Station (formerly Charters Towers Police Barracks) 49 Gill Street, Charters Towers 1910 School of Musketry (former) 431 Lloyd St, Gallipoli Army Barracks, 1910 Small Arms Magazine (former) Murray Av, Enoggera Barracks, Enoggera 1911–1912 Mackay Technical College (former) Alfred Street, 1911–1915 Brisbane Central Technical College (former) 2 George Street, Brisbane 1911–1915 Enoggera Magazine Complex Inwood Rd, Enoggera Military Camp, Enoggera 1913 Remount Complex (former) Wynter Rd, Enoggera 1914 Wooloowin State School 663 Lutwyche Road, 1914 ‘A’ Block Central Queensland Institute of Technical and Further Education (TAFE) Rockhampton Campus(formerly ‘A’ Block, Rockhampton State High School and Technical College) Bolsover Street, Rockhampton 1914–1915 Warwick Technical College and State High School Victoria Street, Warwick 1914–1915 Windsor State School 270 Lutwyche Rd, 1915–1916 Block ‘C’, Rockhampton District Court (formerly Rockhampton Branch of the Queensland State Government Savings Bank) 42 East Street, Rockhampton 1916–1917 Toowoomba Technical College (former) 124 Margaret Street, Toowoomba 1919 ‘D’ Block, Rockhampton State High School and Technical College; Alma Street, Rockhampton 1919–1921 Cairns Court House (former) 38–40 Abbott St, Cairns 1925 Enoggera Memorial Hall and School of Arts Cnr Trundle and Wardell Streets, Enoggera The Brisbane Courier, 10 February 1925

Thomas Pye (architect)

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