Home Subscriber Only Business Women Creating a blueprint for success

Creating a blueprint for success

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Sarah Francis

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05/23/2025

PLAN REVIEW: Barbara Thornton, left, a partner at Brewster Thornton Group Architects LLP, and Aarti Kathuria, one of the firm’s project managers, go over plans for a project.  PBN FILE PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

Business Women Awards 2025 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Barbara Thornton, Brewster Thornton Group Architects LLP partner THERE’S NO OBVIOUS career path for an eighth grade math geek and ballroom dancing champ. Then again, consider the one taken by Barbara Thornton of Brewster Thornton Group Architects LLP. Thornton’s unconventional journey to architecture began in east Tennessee, where she

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Business Women Awards 2025 ACHIEVEMENT HONOREE: Barbara Thornton, Brewster Thornton Group Architects LLP partner

THERE’S NO OBVIOUS career path for an eighth grade math geek and ballroom dancing champ. Then again, consider the one taken by Barbara Thornton of Brewster Thornton Group Architects LLP. Thornton’s unconventional journey to architecture began in east Tennessee, where she excelled in math, science and the arts. Her parents, both pioneers in engineering, encouraged her social development. “I was very nerdy, and I played keyboard in a rock band. My parents tried to socialize me,” Thornton said. “They insisted I do the cotillion in Oak Ridge.” That led her to compete in – and win – a ballroom dancing competition at New York’s Waldorf Astoria at 15. By eighth grade, Thornton knew she wanted to be an architect. She was accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Thornton later earned a master’s degree in architecture and became licensed in 1987. Early in her career, Thornton worked in Florida during a condo market collapse. Realizing that architects needed strong business skills to succeed, she was determined not to fall into the trap of poor financial management. After a stint in Boston, Thornton moved to Rhode Island with her husband, illustrator Peter Thornton, and joined Mary Brewster’s firm in 2000. Today, Brewster Thornton Group Architects is a full-service firm with 16 architects and designers, specializing in historic renovations and modern projects. Thornton has worked on notable restorations, including the Eisenhower House at Fort Adams – once President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s summer White House – and Bliss Hall at the University of Rhode Island. “Our philosophy is the firm should be a good neighbor,” Thornton said. “No one should be scared of our work.” Thornton believes historic buildings should be preserved while adapting to modern needs, ensuring longevity and relevance. A strong advocate for teamwork, Thornton also values the collaborative nature of architecture. “There’s so much to learn and we all back each other up,” she said.