Thomas Pye

Thomas Pye (18611930) was an Australian architect. He worked for over 33 years in the Public Works Department in Queensland. Pye contributed significantly to major buildings including the completion of the Public Offices (Treasury Building) and Rockhampton Customs House, as well as the design for the Lands and Survey Offices (Lands Administration Building). He was responsible for the heightened expectations which produced the best public buildings yet seen in Queensland. Early life Thomas Pye was born in 1861 in Lancashire, England to Edward Pye, a farmer, and Ellen Newett. After receiving “an excellent training” as an architect in England, Pye emigrated to the colonies in c.1882. In 1883, Pye married Emily Ruth Ivy in September, while living in Mosman Bay, Sydney. In 1884, Pye moved to Brisbane and joined the Queensland Public Works Department to take charge of the documentation of John James Clark’s design for the Brisbane Public Offices (Treasury Building). After completion of the plans for the first stage of the Public Offices, Pye resigned from his public post at the end of May 1885. Clark and Pye In 1885, Pye entered partnership with J.J. Clark’s brother George, having previously prepared the drawings for Clark’s Bros’ Brisbane Masonic Hall while employed in the offices of J.J. Clark. He was involved in a number of projects while at the firm, most notably the Imperial Hotel in Brisbane. Clark and Pye ended their partnership in early May 1886.