THOMSON, John Peter (1885-1973) was born in Sydney, Australia on 10 January 1885 and moved to Scotland as a child. He was educated at Gordons College in Aberdeen and studied architecture in night classes at Gray's Art Institute. From 1904 to 1910 he apprenticed there with the firm of Kelly & Nichol, then worked briefly in London before emigrating to Canada in 1911. He lived in Toronto and worked as a draftsman with Burke, Horwood & White (in 1911-13), then moved to Windsor where he commuted every day to Detroit to work with George D. Mason (in 1913-15) and later with Albert Kahn (from 1915 to 1935). It was with Kahn that he was given responsibility for the design of several skyscrapers and assembly plant buildings in the Detroit area. He also took on work under his own name from the mid-1920's, and opened his office there in 1936. He died in Windsor on 9 September 1973 (obituary Windsor Star, 11 Sept. 1973, 5; inf. Ontario Assoc. of Architects). A photographic portrait of J.P. Thomson was published in the Daily Commercial News [Toronto], 20 Oct. 1936, 1.
(works in Windsor unless noted)
WALKERVILLE, ONT., Oddfellow's Temple, Victoria Road, 1915 (Evening Record [Windsor], 22 May 1915, 10, illus. & descrip.)
WYANDOTTE STREET, store and apartment block for an unnamed client, 1925 (dwgs. Windsor Municipal Archives, RG4, item 17)
OTTAWA STREET, commercial block, 1928 (C.R., xlii, 23 May 1928, 44)
MOSSMAN BROS, Wyandotte Street Louis Street, 1928 (dwgs. Windsor Municipal Archives)
FARRELL APARTMENTS, Assumption Street at Moy Avenue, for Steven Farrell, 1929 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 29 June 1929, Real Estate Section, p. 5, illus. & descrip.)
ERIE STREET, at Parent Avenue, two retails stores for Sylvester Alessin, 1935 (Border Cities Star [Windsor], 2 Feb. 1935, 3)
CHIPPEWA STREET, at Sandwich Street West, apartment block, 1936, (dwgs. Windsor Municipal Archives, RG4, item 56)
BLESSED SACRAMENT ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, King Street at Prince Road, 1937 (dwgs. Windsor Municipal Archives, RG4, item 194)
LEAMINGTON, ONT., theatre for C.J. Casper, Talbot Street, 1939 (C.R., lii, 15 March 1939, 37)
COLONIAL TOOL CO., Walker Road, factory, 1942 (C.R., lv, 3 June 1942, 29)
(with D.W.F. Nichols) CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, Irvine Avenue at Howard Avenue, 1942 (dwgs. Windsor Municipal Archives, RG4, item 102)
GEORGE AVENUE, store for Kozmir Elchuk, 1942 (dwgs. Windsor Municipal Archives, RG4, item 109)
(with Sheppard & Masson) GRACE HOSPITAL, Crawford Avenue, major addition, 1943 (C.R., lvi, 21 July 1943, 108; R.A.I.C. Journal, xxii, Nov. 1945, 235, illus.)
(with Sheppard & Masson) EAST WINDSOR HOSPITAL, Sandwich Street East, major addition, 1944 (C.R., lvii, 5 April 1944, 28)
(with Sheppard & Masson) PACKARD MOTOR CAR CO., Huron Church Line Road near College Street, office, showroom and factory, 1946-47 (Financial Post [Toronto], 31 Aug. 1946, 5, descrip.)
ST. PAUL'S ANGLICAN CHURCH, Ouellette Avenue near Hanna Street, 1948-49 (inf. Andrew Foot, Windsor)