Thomas Ramsay Hall
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1879|01|02|df=y}}
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1950|12|15|1879|01|02|df=y}}
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| practice = Hall & Dods, Hall and Prentice, Hall and Phillips, Phillips Smith Conwell
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Thomas Ramsay Hall (2 January 1879 – 15 December 1950) was an architect practicing in Brisbane, Australia, during the first half of the twentieth century and was involved in the design and construction of numerous major buildings in South East Queensland including the Queensland Heritage Register listed Brisbane City Hall.
Life
Thomas Ramsay Hall was born on 2 January 1879{{cite book|last1=Job|first1=William J.|title=The Building of Brisbane: 1828-1940|date=2002|publisher=University of Queensland Press|page=58}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50229229 |title=£21.114 Estate |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |issue=4695 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=14 December 1951 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} and was the son of John R Hall, one of Brisbane's early architects, and his third wife Charlotte, née Whiteway.{{cite Australian Dictionary of Biography |last1=Hogan|first1=Janet|title=Hall, Thomas Ramsay (1879–1950)|id2=hall-thomas-ramsay-7055|access-date=26 November 2016}} Thomas was the younger half-brother of Francis Richard Hall who was the oldest practicing architect in Australia at the time of his own death in 1939.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article151662975 |title=DEATH OF VETERAN ARCHITECT |newspaper=Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser |issue=21,016 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=20 March 1939 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Hall attended Brisbane Grammar School from 1891 where he won the Francis memorial prize for mathematics. After graduation, he studied accountancy, architecture and became an approved valuer. From 1907 he was town clerk for Sandgate Council.{{cite book|last1=De Vries|first1=Susanna|last2=De Vries|first2=Jake|title=Historic Brisbane: Convict Settlement to River City|date=2013|publisher=Boolarong Press}} On 9 March 1910 he married Emma Lingley at St Nicholas's Church, Sandgate.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article186599871 |title=WEDDING AT SANDGATE. |newspaper=The Telegraph |issue=11,641 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=10 March 1910 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} The couple had four children: Jean Charlotte, Sibyl, Jack Ramsay and W. R.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article22011277 |title=Family Notices |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |issue=23,291 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=22 September 1932 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=18 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188745996 |title=CHAPEL WEDDING AT SOUTHPORT |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Queensland, Australia |date=13 January 1940 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=12 (LATE WEEK END FINAL ALL THE NEWS) |via=National Library of Australia}}
He was associated with the firm of Hall & Dods and, in the early 1900s, entered into partnership with George Gray Prentice and established the firm of Hall and Prentice. During 1922, he travelled to the United States of America to look at architectural advancements and practices, particularly relating to theatres and auditoriums, that could be adopted for use in Australia.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article177886347 |title=Back from U.S A. |newspaper=The Telegraph |issue=15543 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=21 September 1922 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=2 (SECOND EDITION) |via=National Library of Australia}} In 1930 Hall and Lionel Blythewood Phillips became partners and formed Hall and Phillips.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article222891392 |title=DEATH OF WELL-KNOWN BRISBANE ARCHITECT. |newspaper=Construction |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=27 December 1950 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article216789661 |title=[?]HALL |newspaper=The Dalby Herald |location=Queensland, Australia |date=22 December 1950 |access-date=17 January 2018 |page=5 |via=National Library of Australia}} The firm eventually became Phillips Smith Conwell.{{cite web|url=http://phillipssmithconwell.com.au/practice/|title=Practice|publisher=Phillips Smith Conwell|access-date=26 November 2016}}
Throughout his career, Hall was involved with a number of significant buildings in Queensland including the Brisbane City Hall, Sandgate Town Hall, Southport Town Hall, Boonah Butter Factory, Ascot Chambers, McDonnell & East Ltd Building, Castlemaine Perkins Building, Main Beach Pavilion, Southport Surf Lifesaving Club and the Tattersalls Club.
Hall was involved in horse racing throughout his life and was a member of the Tattersalls Club and the Queensland Turf Club. The T.R. Hall Handicap is named in his honour.{{cite QHR|16478|Musket Villa|601741|accessdate=1 August 2014}} Between 1929 and 1931, after being a member for fifteen years, he became the president of the Tattersalls Club.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article186497434 |title=Turf Gossip and Selections |newspaper=Daily Standard |issue=4973 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=24 August 1928 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=8 (3 p.m. EDITION) |via=National Library of Australia}}
He was also involved with the Southport Golf Club for many years and the family had a holiday home called 'Niarda' in Southport where they hosted bridge parties and entertained guests. The property had extensive views of the Broadwater and was located on the Esplanade in the vicinity of the Southport Croquet Club.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-page19900803 |title=Untitled |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Queensland, Australia |date=7 January 1935 |access-date=27 November 2016 |page=14 (CITY FINAL LAST MINUTE NEWS) |via=National Library of Australia }}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article84907723 |title=FAREWELL TEA. |newspaper=Queensland Figaro |volume=XXXV |issue=49 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=7 December 1929 |access-date=27 November 2016 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article188878171 |title=COCKTAIL PARTY |newspaper=South Coast Bulletin |volume=12 |issue=614 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=12 January 1940 |access-date=27 November 2016 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21597229 |title=SOUTHPORT. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |issue=22,695 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=24 October 1930 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=24 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article21487319 |title=SOUTHPORT. |newspaper=The Brisbane Courier |issue=22,409 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=22 November 1929 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=22 |via=National Library of Australia}}
In 1939 he was appointed to the Defence Works Advisory Panel started by the Prime Minister of Australia Robert Menzies to make economies and hasten essential construction activities during World War II.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article133654105 |title=MR. T. R. HALL |newspaper=South Coast Bulletin |volume=11 |issue=588 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=14 July 1939 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article150816187 |title=DEFENCE WORKS. |newspaper=The Northern Herald |volume=105 |issue=1370 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=15 July 1939 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=16 |via=National Library of Australia}}
Hall died on 15 December 1950.{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article50037594 |title=Architect, 71, dies in city |newspaper=The Courier-Mail |issue=4386 |location=Queensland, Australia |date=16 December 1950 |access-date=26 November 2016 |page=3 |via=National Library of Australia}}
References
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Category:20th-century Australian architects