Thomas Somerville Stewart was born to a Scottish family living in Ireland (Scots Irish), he immigrated to Philadelphia in 1818 to apprentice to his uncle, a carpenter.
[2] In 1836, he ran for a position on the City Common Council and received 3,251 votes; an insufficient number to be qualified to hold office.
He began entering architectural competitions in the early 1830s, notably Girard College Founder's Hall and the Preston Retreat - he was bested in both instances by Thomas Ustick Walter.
Without pretending to give a detailed description, we state that above the floor every thing, even to the glass of the windows, is of a pure white, and in every section of the church is introduced the richest and most elaborate carving and molding in wood and plaster.
His work at St. Paul's led to his final large commission for the Egyptian Revival hall for the Medical College of Richmond.
[8] Other references to municipal work include an appointment by the Count Commissioners to inspect a municipal prison hospital in 1854[9] and surveying work in Passyunk after Philadelphia's consolidation[10] He likely received his initial training at the Franklin Institute (joining as a life member in 1831) although rosters of the drawing class no longer survive for that period.
[14][15] In 1868, he was a member of a committee of the Franklin Institute which evaluated the recent patent for a fireproof floor assembly which would now be considered "composite decking.