George R. Tolman
George R. Tolman | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 5, 1848 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | After 1930 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Spouse | Eva Francis (m. 1888) |
George Russell Tolman (December 5, 1848 – after 1930) was an American architect and artist, known for his illustrations, who was active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[1]
Early life
[edit]Tolman was born in Boston in 1848[2] to Joseph and Elizabeth. In 1870, he was living with his sister's Ulman family, along with his father and brother. He was working as a draftsman.[3]
Career
[edit]
In 1880, Tolman was listed as being an architect with the United States Treasury.[3] He designed the Marine Barracks for the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1889. He was living in Washington, D.C., around this time.[3]
Tolman replaced Albert Bibb as the architect for the U.S. Life-Saving Service in the new year of 1891. He designed a life-saving station for Quonochontaug, Rhode Island. A modified plan of the building was included in the U.S. Government's exhibit at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.[3]
In 1902, Tolman was working in Richmond, Virginia. His survey of a site in Clifton, Virgnia, was included in a 1904 edition of American Architect and Building News.[3]
Tolman became an instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One of his students was future architect W. Duncan Lee.[4]
Personal life
[edit]In 1887, Tolman was arrested for allegedly embezzling drawings from Captain Phelps, one of his clients. He filed a lawsuit against Phelps, who, he claimed, owed him money. He also sued for wrongful imprisonment. He was successful in both instances.[3][5]
Tolman married Eva Frances in October 1888. The following spring, Tolman (possibly on his own) relocated to Kittery, Maine, and began working as a draftsman at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. His wife sued him for alimony in 1892,[6] which he appealed the following year, denying he was the father of her deceased child. A trial forced him to pay alimony; he refused, and was taken into custody.[7] In the summer of 1896, Tolman left his role with the Life-Saving Service for personal reasons ("taking a sudden and unapproved leave of absence to escape a warrant for his recommitment to jail"). He was believed to have relocated to Wayne, Indiana, where he was listed in the 1900 U.S. Census.[3]
In 1930, an 82-year-old Tolman was living with Ulman nieces and nephews in Plymouth, Massachusetts.[3][8]
Death
[edit]Tolman died in Boston sometime after 1930.[3]
Bibliography
[edit]- Entrance to Old Seton House (1879)[3]
- 12 Sketches of Old Boston Buildings (1882)[9]
- Rambles in Old Boston, New England (1887)[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "George Tolman - Biography". www.askart.com. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ The Log of Mystic Seaport. Mystic Historical Association. 1982. p. 13.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k scathedralpl (November 6, 2011). "Clifton Appendix C: Tolman Chronology". Retrieved April 12, 2025.
- ^ Edwards, Kathy (1992). Monument Avenue: History and Architecture. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resources, HABS/HAER. p. 120.
- ^ American Architect. American Architect. 1888. pp. 634–635.
- ^ The Daily Washington Law Reporter. 1893.
- ^ The American Architect and Building News. James R. Osgood & Company. 1883. p. 16.
- ^ National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form – National Park Service (2013)
- ^ "12 sketches of old Boston buildings / Geo. R. Tolman". Healey Library, UMass Boston. Retrieved April 12, 2025.