Thomas H. Scott

Thomas H. Scott in 1913

Thomas H. Scott had a long and successful career that included one prominent skyscraper and two unusually handsome municipal water-pumping stations.

Top of the Machesney Building, now the Benedum-Trees Building

From The Book of Prominent Pennsylvanians, 1913, which gave us his photograph above:

Thomas H. Scott was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, September 7, 1865, the son of John H. and Ann Scott. He was educated in the public schools of Washington county. When only 22 years old, young Scott left Washington county to seek a bigger field of endeavor. He came to Pittsburgh and opened an office as an architect, after studying that profession for a due period of time. His success was immediate, and by hard work and originality of ideas, Mr. Scott secured a handsome business. Since establishing himself in Pittsburgh, Mr. Scott has designed the Machesney building, a large downtown office structure; the Wilkinsburg High School, the Standard Steel Car Company’s office building at Lindora [Lyndora], and has been the architect for the Denny estate for 20 years.

Allegheny Preparatory School

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Here is a short list of some of Scott’s works in Pittsburgh and the surrounding area:

Allegheny Preparatory School, Lincoln and Galveston Avenues, Allegheny West, 1892
Machesney Building (Benedum-Trees Building), Fourth Avenue
House at 5816 Walnut Street, Shadyside, 1909
Mission Street Pumping Station, South Side Slopes, 1912
Wilkinsburg High School, Wallace Avenue at Center Street, before 1913
Garden Theater, 22 West North Avenue, North Side, 1914

For more by Scott, see the Great Big List of Buildings and Architects, which is kept up to date with Father Pitt’s latest research.