Shirley Simons
American architect (1897–1963)
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Thomas Shirley Simons, Sr. (March 12, 1897 – August 1, 1963), commonly known as Shirley Simons was a prominent architect of Tyler, Texas. He was born in 1897 at Taylor, Texas, and raised in Fort Worth, Texas.[1] He graduated from Rice Institute in 1919 with a Bachelor of Science in architecture.[2] He also served in the field artillery during World War I from September through November 1918.[3]
After practicing with William Ward Watkin in Houston, Simons moved to Lufkin, Texas in 1922 where he established his own architecture practice.[1] In the late 1920s, he moved his architectural practice to Tyler, Texas. He remained active as an architect in Tyler until his death in 1963.[4][5] Shirley's three sons (T. Shirley Simons, Jr., Edwin Simons, and Watson Townes Simons) later joined his architectural practice.[1][6]
A number of Simons' works, including the Tyler City Hall, San Augustine County Courthouse and Jail, and Austin Daily Tribune Building, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[7][8]
Works in Tyler, Texas
- Tremont Place (1987), 615 Tremont Place, Tyler, TX 75701 (situated in the Azalea Residential Historic District) (Shirley Simons)[9]
- Bergfeld Park (tennis courts, amphitheater and restrooms), part of the Azalea Residential Historic District, 1400 Block South Broadway, Tyler, Texas[10]
- Robert and Mattie Fair House (1937), 905 South Chilton Avenue, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District) (Shirley Simons, Sr. and Allen Campbell)[11]
- Hanson-Cooper House (1931), 312 E. Charnwood, Tyler, Texas[12]
- W. Howard and Vera Bryant House (1951), 2212 South Chilton Avenue, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District)[13]
- Marvin United Methodist Church (1942 remodel and parsonage), 300 W. Erwin St., Tyler, Texas, NRHP-listed[4][6]
- Thomas and Edna Pollard House (1935), 801 Troup Highway, Tyler, Texas[12]
- Ramey House (1935 interior remodel), 605 S. Broadway, Tyler, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8]
- St. Gregory Elementary School, 400 South College Avenue, Tyler, Texas[14]
- St. John's AF & AM Lodge, 323 W. Front Street, Tyler, Texas (Simons, T. Shirley Sr.), NRHP-listed[8]
- Shirley Simons Residence, 118 West Fourth, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District)[1]
- Tyler City Hall (1938), 212 N. Bonner Avenue, Tyler, Texas (Simons, T. Shirley, Sr.), NRHP-listed[8]
- Tyler Junior College original campus building plan[15]
- Tyler Little Theatre (1939), 1014 W. Houston, Tyler, Texas[12][16]
- Tyler U.S. Post Office and Courthouse, aka William M. Steger U.S. Courthouse (1934), 211 W. Ferguson Street, Tyler, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8][17]
- White House, aka The Castle (1929), 116 Lindsey Lane, Tyler, Texas[12]
- Willow Brook Country Club, 3205 West Erwin Street, Tyler, Texas[6]
- Witherup Home (1932), 212 West Dobbs Street, Tyler, Texas[12]
- Woman's Building (1931), 911 South Broadway, Tyler, Texas (part of the Azalea Residential Historic District) (Shirley Simons, Sr., and Sam R. Hill)[1]
Works in Lufkin, Texas
- Angelina Hotel, West Shepherd and South First, Lufkin, Texas[18]
- Bowers-Felts House, 1213 Lotus Lane, Lufkin, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8]
- Brookshire, Houston-Yeates House, 304 E. Howe Street, Lufkin, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8]
- Central Ward Grammar School, Lufkin, Texas (demolished)[18]
- Everitt-Cox House (1922 remodel), 418 Moore, Lufkin, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8][19]
- First National Bank Building, northeast corner of Lufkin Avenue and First Street, Lufkin, Texas[18]
- Kurth Memorial Library, Cotton Square facing Lufkin Avenue, Lufkin, Texas[18]
- Kurth Ward Grammar School, Lufkin, Texas[18]
- Pines Theatre, 113 South First Street, Lufkin, Texas, NRHP-listed[18]
- School on South Raguet, Lufkin, Texas[18]
- Shands Gymnasium, Lufkin, Texas (demolished)[18]
Works in other cities
- Austin Daily Tribune Building (1941), 920 Colorado, Austin, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8]
- Houston Museum of Art[4][20]
- Nacogdoches High School Gym and Auditorium, Nacogdoches, Texas[1]
- San Augustine County Courthouse and Jail (1927), Courthouse Square, San Augustine, Texas (Simons, Shirley), NRHP-listed[8][21]
- Stephen F. Austin University campus expansion (classrooms, administration buildings, president's residence, library, auditorium and fine arts building, men's and women's dormitory), Nacogdoches, Texas[4][6]
- The Ashcroft House, 333 College Street, Sulphur Springs, Texas (a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark)
- University of Texas Student Health Center, Austin, Texas[4]