Thomas Adams (architect)
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Thomas Adams (September 10, 1871–March 24, 1940) was a pioneer of urban planning. Born on a farm near Edinburgh and a farmer in his early years, Adams moved to London where he worked as a journalist. He served as secretary to the Garden City Association and was the first manager of Letchworth, England from 1903 to 1906.
Adams became a designer of low-density residential developments that were commonly referred to as "garden suburbs." After the Halifax Explosion in 1917, Adams designed the Hydrostone section using Garden City principles. He also designed a portion of Corner Brook, Newfoundland. He worked with Halifax architect Andrew R. Cobb on this project. On other projects in Quebec and Nova Scotia he partnered with Ross and Macdonald of Montreal. He was later responsible for surveys and a plan for New York City.
On returning to the United Kingdom, Thomas Adams became one of the early presidents of the Institute of Landscape Architects (ILA) which became the Landscape Institute. His son, Frederick Adams, was the first department head of Urban Planning at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was named a National Planning Pioneer by the American Institute of Certified Planners.[1]
