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Male, US, born 1891-07-06, died 1986-07-18
Associated with the firms network
Champney, Edouard Frere, Architect; Holmes, J. Lister, Architect; Holmes, J. Lister, and Associates, Architects; Holmes, McClure and Adkison, Architects; Holmes, McClure, Adkison and MacDonald; Link and Haire, Architects; Priteca and Holmes, Architects; Schack and Myers, Associated Architects; Seattle Housing Authority Architects
Résumé
Draftsman, E. Frère Champney, Architect, Seattle, WA, 1914-1917.
Architectural Draftsman, Link and Haire, Architects, Billings, MT, 1917-1918. According to his World War I draft registration card, Holmes worked as a draftsman for Link and Haire in Lewistown, ID. Link and Haire had work in 1915-1916 in Lewistown, MT. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King; Roll: 1991928; Draft Board: 10, accessed 03/03/2017.)
Designer, Bebb and Gould, Architects, Seattle, WA, c. 1920.
Designer, Schack and Myers, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1920-1921.
Partner, Priteca and Holmes, Architects, Seattle, WA, c. 1920.
Principal, J. Lister Holmes, Architect, Seattle, WA, 1922-1952. By 1937, Holmes occupied Room #406 of the New World Life Building in Seattle. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1937, p. 736.) He remained here in 1939. A year later, his office was located in Room #402 of the Old Times Building in Downtown Seattle.
Partner, Holmes, McClure, Adkison, and MacDonald, Architects, Seattle and Spokane, WA, 1953-1954.
Partner, Holmes, McClure and Adkison, Architects, Seattle and Spokane, WA.
Partner, J. Lister Holmes and Associates, Architects, Seattle, WA, 1955- .
Professional Activities
Member, American Institute of Architects (AIA), Washington State Chapter, 1926-1986.
Secretary-Vice-President-President, AIA, Washington State Chapter, 1927-1933. Holmes served as President during 1931-1933.
Member, AIA, Washington State Chapter, Nominating Committee, 1948.
Chairman, Seattle Fine Arts Society, Exhibition Committee, 1927.
Member, Seattle Fine Arts Society, Board of Directors, 1928-1930.
Member, Seattle Art Museum Board, Seattle, WA, 1927-1930.
Chair, Seattle Housing Authority Architects, Seattle, WA, 1941-1942.
Member, City of Seattle Planning Commission, Seattle, WA, 1947-1956.
Chair, City of Seattle Planning Commission, Seattle, WA, 1947- .
Member, American Society of Planning Officials, National Board of Directors, 1948-1951.
Member, American Institute of Planners (AIP).
When surveyed in 1955, Holmes indicated that he was a Registered Architect in the State of Washington.
Professional Awards
Recipient, AIA, Washington State Chapter, Honor Award, 1951. Holmes won this award for his firm's design of the Seattle Public Schools, Administration Building and Service Center of 1948.
Fellow, American Institute of Architects (FAIA), 1955.
Archives
The University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections has preserved the J. Lister Holmes Papers, 1926-1976, Collection Number 3789 (Accession No. 3789-001). His son, Joe Holmes, donated this material on 08/14/1986.
College
Coursework in Civil Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 1909-1911.
B.S., University of Pennsylvania (Penn), Philadelphia, PA, 1911-1913. At Penn, Holmes belonged to the Sigma Chi Fraternity. After graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Holmes worked on projects in Philadelphia, PA, and in MT before 1920.
Relocation
Joseph Lister Holmes was born in Seattle, the son of a physician Samuel J. Holmes and Alice Lennox.
In 1910, he lived with his parents at 2904 Washington Street in Seattle. (See R.L. Polk and Company's Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1910, p. 782.) The household included 23-year-old servant Gina Olson, a Norwegian immigrant. While working as a draftsman for Édouard Frère Champney (1874-1929), Holmes remained residing at home. He continued to list 2904 Washington Street as his permanent address in 1917. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 02/14/2023.)
Holmes had married by 1920, and he and his wife Jane made their home at 2201 East Howe Street in Seattle's Montlake neighborhood. They paid a mortgage on this property, and did not own it free and clear. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1920; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: T625_1927; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 171, accessed 02/14/2023.)
According to the US Census of 1930, Holmes remained with his wife, son and a servant at 2201 West Howe Street, (At the time, a 16-year-old Canadian/Swedish girl, Evelyn Kellner, worked as a servant for the Holmes family.) The house had a surprisingly modest value in 1930, estimated at $3,600. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Year: 1930; Census Place: Seattle, King, Washington; Roll: 2496; Page: 23A; Enumeration District: 0404; Image: 47.0; FHL microfilm: 2342230, accessed 03/03/2017.)
The Holmes Family had moved to a new and larger house at 615 36th Avenue North in Seattle by at least 1937. The household included Jane's mother Burdette Letcher Lambuth (born c. 11/1869 in KY-d. 10/03/1944 in Seattle, WA)
Holmes and his wife lived at 615 36th Avenue North in 1943. (See Seattle, Washington, City Directory, 1943, p. 534).
Parents
His father was the WI-born physician Dr. Samuel Judd Holmes (1854-1932), his mother, Alice Lennox Holmes (1865-1967). His parents married on 09/10/1884 in Chicago, IL, and had two children, including another son, Lennox R. Holmes (1886-1979).
In 1910, Samuel Holmes had an office
Spouse
Holmes married Jane Ingram Lambuth (born 07/29/1892 in Seattle, WA- d. 1975) on 12/15/1917 in Seattle's Church of the Epiphany. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Marriage Records, 1854-2013; Reference Number: kingcoarchmc60959, accessed 02/14/2023.) She was a 1917 graduate of the University of Washington, Seattle (UW), where she belonged to the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. Jane Lambuth was athletic and became one of the best tennis players in WA State. Jane's birthdate has been recorded as either 1892 or 1893. She belonged to the Sunset Club and the Seattle Tennis Club. (See "Memorial planned for Jane Holmes," Seattle Times, 04/28/1975, p. D16.)
Her name has been spelled variously as "Lambuth," "Lembuth" and "Lambeth," Her parents' names on a corrected WA State birth certiificate bearing her signature, were W.D. Lambuth and Burdette Letcher. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Washington State Archives; Olympia, Washington; Washington Births, 1891-1919; Film Info: Various county birth registers. Microfilm, accessed 03/21/2023.)
After Jane's death, Holmes married again at age 85 to Janet Powell Tourtellotte, who was then 78. They married in an Episcopal ceremony on 12/09/1976.
Children
He had a son with Jane Lambuth, Joseph Lister Holmes, Jr. (born 12/15/1928 in Seattle, WA). His son, Joseph Lister Holmes, Jr., also had a son, Joseph Lister Holmes III, (1961-1962).
Biographical Notes
His World War I draft registration card listed him as tall with a medium build on 05/26/1917. He was described as Caucasian with brown eyes and black hair. (See Ancestry.com, Source Citation Registration State: Washington; Registration County: King Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005, accessed 02/14/2023.)
He had memberships in the College Club and the Broadmoor Country Club in 1939. In that year, he identified himself as a Presbyterian. Later, he was a member of the Epiphany Episcopal Church, Seattle, WA. In 1955, Holmes indicated that he had done foreign travel in Mexico.
According to his 01/1915 application to the Sons of the American Revolution (nominated for membership by his father), J. Lister Holmes was related to the Revolutionary War soldier, Samuel Judd (born 1734 in Waterbury, CT), a Captain in the 5th Company or "Train Band" of the 27th Regiment of the State of CT. He was also related to the Revolutionary War figure Josiah Cowles. (See Source Citation: Volume: 135; Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011, accessed 03/03/2017.)
PCAD id: 2129
