Thomas Rowe

• Honorific Prefix — Colonel • Name — Thomas Rowe • Honorific Suffix — FRIBA • Office — 1st Mayor of Manly • Term Start — 15 February 1877 • Term End — 7 February 1879 • Successor — Alfred Hilder • Office1 — Alderman of the Municipality of Manly • Term Start1 — 13 February 1877 • Term End1 — 1 October 1880 • Successor1 — James Boscawen Duff • Office2 — Alderman of the City of Sydney for Bourke Ward • Term Start2 — 2 December 1872 • Term End2 — 30 November 1876 • Predecessor2 — Joseph Raphael • Successor2 — John Young • Office3 — 1st President of the Board of Water Supply and Sewerage • Term Start3 — 26 March 1888 • Term End3 — 24 March 1892 • Predecessor3 — New office • Successor3 — Cecil West Darley • Office4 — President of the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage • Term Start4 — 20 March 1896 • Term End4 — 14 January 1899 • Predecessor4 — Cecil West Darley • Successor4 — Jacob Garrard • Office5 — Official Member of the Metropolitan Board of Water Supply and Sewerage • Term Start5 — 26 March 1888 • Term End5 — 14 January 1899 • Predecessor5 — New office • Successor5 — Jacob Garrard • Born — 20 July 1829 • Birthplace — Penzance, Cornwall, England • Died — 14 January 1899 • Place of death — Darling Point, Colony of New South Wales • Occupation — Architect • Allegiance — United Kingdom • Branch — New South Wales Defence Force • Service Years — 1872–1899 • Rank — Colonel • Commands — New South Wales Corps of Engineers • Mawards — Volunteer Officers' Decoration

Thomas Rowe was born in Penzance, Cornwall, England, on 20 July 1829, the eldest son of Richard Rowe and Ursula Mumford. He attended Barnes Academy in Penzance. At 15 he became a draftsman in his father's building business, before the family emigrated to the colony of New South Wales in 1848.

From 1857 he practised as an architect in Sydney, Bathurst, Orange, Newcastle and Goulburn. As an architect he was often successful in competitions, and his firms built commercial premises, large houses and many Methodist churches. His architectural partners over the years included W. B. Field, Sydney Green, and Alfred Spain. Spain was articled to Rowe's practice of Rowe & Green in 1884, when he commenced his studies at Sydney Technical College. Spain became a partner in Rowe, Campbell & Spain in 1893, which became Rowe & Spain in 1895, which continued until Rowe's death in 1899.

In 1872, he was elected alderman for Bourke Ward of the Sydney City Council, which he held until 1876. During his time on the council he worked on sanitation efforts related to improving the Sydney water supply. Rowe Street, which runs from Pitt Street to Castlereagh Street, was at that time named after him by in a vote by the council. In February 1877, he was elected to the first Manly Municipal Council and was elected first Mayor of Manly, overseeing the first laying-out of the town of Manly, and serving as an alderman until 1880.

• Illustration — Rowe in his uniform as Commanding Officer of the NSW Corps of Engineers Rowe was also involved in the volunteer New South Wales Colonial Forces, receiving a commission as a lieutenant in the newly formed New South Wales Corps of Engineers in 1872, and was promoted to the rank of captain in 1874. When the Colonial Volunteer Force was disbanded and reorganised as the NSW Defence Force in 1878, Rowe was recommissioned a captain, and promoted to major in 1880. Raised to rank of brevet lieutenant colonel in 1886, Rowe undertook a European tour the following year, visiting Aldershot, Chatham, Enfield, and Woolwich, in search of information relating to defence matters. Rowe later designed several entrenching tools for the use of the engineers corps, including a bullet-proof shovel. Following the return to England of Colonel Henry Renny-Tailyour in 1894, Rowe took up the position of Commander of the New South Wales Corps of Engineers, was promoted to the rank of colonel in 1895, and served until his retirement on 30 June 1898. He was a recipient of the Volunteer Officers' Decoration.

• Illustration — The Cabbage Trees, Ruskin Rowe, Avalon Rowe's son Harry Ruskin Rowe was also successful as an architect. One of his most significant achievements was the creation in 1950 of Ruskin Rowe, an estate in the Sydney suburb of Avalon. Rowe acquired a house, "The Cabbage Trees", in the estate, using it as a weekender. The estate still exists and is heritage-listed. Harry Ruskin Rowe also worked with Spain and Cosh at some point.

(Many of the following buildings are heritage-listed): • Chatswood South Uniting Church, Artarmon, New South Wales (1871) • Presbyterian Church, Bridge Road, Glebe, New South Wales (1881) • Original Randwick Borough Chambers (later Parish Centre of St Jude's Church, Randwick) (1862) • Catherine Hayes Building (based on design by John Horbury Hunt), Prince of Wales Hospital, Randwick, New South Wales (1870) • Tresco, Elizabeth Bay, New South Wales (1868) • F.L. Kelly and Company Building, Yass, New South Wales (1869) • St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Hill End, New South Wales (1872) • Presbyterian Church, Bathurst (1871) • Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Orange (1879) • Aliiolani Hale, Honolulu, Hawaii (1872) • Great Synagogue, Elizabeth Street, Sydney (1874) • Former Stanmore Methodist Church (1874), now part of the Newington College drama centre • Sydney Hospital, including Nightingale Wing, Macquarie Street, Sydney (1879) • Newington College, Founders Wing including Prescott Hall, Stanmore (1878) • Sydney Arcade, Pitt Street, Sydney (1874) • Vickery's Building, Pitt Street, Sydney (1874) • Vickery houses, Banksia, Wych Hazel, Ellerslie and Edina, now part of the War Memorial Hospital Waverley, New South Wales. • Former Petersham Town Hall, Petersham (1882; extended 1892, demolished 1937) • Former Stanmore Methodist Parsonage (1886), now Headmaster's residence, Newington College • Ashton, Elizabeth Bay Road, Elizabeth Bay • Imperial Arcade, Sydney (1891) • Illustration — St Paul's Presbyterian Church, Hill End • Illustration — Founders Wing, Newington College • Illustration — Prescott Hall, Newington College • Illustration — Stanmore Methodist Church, now part of the drama centre, Newington College • Illustration — Stanmore Methodist Parsonage, now Centre for Critical Thinking and Ethics • Illustration — Sydney Hospital, Macquarie Street • Illustration — Great Synagogue, Elizabeth Street • Illustration — Edina, Waverley • Illustration — Ashton, Elizabeth Bay • Illustration — Petersham Town Hall c. 1890 • Illustration — Mona, where Rowe died

Thomas Rowe is recorded as architect.