Thomas Reed Jackson (1826–1901) was an English-born American architect who rose to the position of head draftsman in the office of Richard Upjohn (1802–1872), one of New York's most prominent designers; in his position in Upjohn's office he was one of the designers in the construction of Trinity Church, New York.New York Times, 15 December 1876. The nature of his other work with Jackson is not known. The comparatively unknownHe was included among the group of English architects of his generation who emigrated to William Barksdale Maynard, America in Architecture in the United States, 1800-1850, "The role of Britain and the Pictureseque" 2002:52 Jackson was a prolific architect in his own right.
Jackson emigrated as a child to the United States with his parents.
His five-story building constructed for the New York Times at 41 Park Row, 1851 (or 1857–1858), was the first purpose-designed structure for a New York newspaper. His Italianate Grammar School 47, East 12th Street, (1855) was one of the first American public schools designed expressly for girls.It was acquired by the New York Police Department in 1958 and houses the Police Athletic League (Guide to New York City Landmarks 3rd ed. 2003:62.)
Jackson's Brooklyn Theater, Brooklyn, was considered one of the safest, most fireproof buildings, until it burned in December 1876. His Academy of Music in Albany had burned in 1868, whereupon he was commissioned to design its replacement, the Trimble Opera House.Henry Pitt Phelps, Players of a Century:A Record of the Albany Stage 1880:377f.
In 1888 plans and specifications for the buildings and the track for the Morris Park Racetrack were prepared by Jackson, personally approved in detail by John Morris, the entrepreneur of what became the most lavishly appointed racecourse in America.Nicholas Di Brino, The History of the Morris Park Racecourse and the Morris Family (Bronx Historical Society), 1977
Among the architects who trained in Jackson's practice was Isaac G. Perry.
Selected further commissions St Paul's Church, Morrisania (The Bronx), 1850.Robert Bolton, History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, in the County of Westchester 1855:719-21 (woodcut illus.) Wallack's Theatre, 728 Broadway at 13th Street, 1861.Landmarks Preservation Commission March 18, 2008, Designation List (pdf file) . Other sources differ on the street number; see the section "844 Broadway at 13th Street," on the page Wallack's Theatre. A. J. Dittenhofer Warehouse, 427-429 Broadway, 1870-1871.Michael Kimmelman, "Rediscovering An Ornate Cast Of Cast-Iron Buildings" , The New York Times, April 22, 1988. Warehouse, Washington and Vestry Streets, 1882. Interior rebuilt as part of Hudson Hotel and Conference Center. New York Mercantile Exchange, 6 Harrison Street, 1886. Converted to condominiums. Castree Building, Hudson Street, New York, 1891. James Pyle Sons Warehouse, Washington and Charlton Streets, New York, 1895.
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