CJMW Architecture lost a defining presence with the passing of Tom Calloway, longtime principal, former President and CEO, and, for more than five decades, one of the firm’s central creative forces.
A graduate of North Carolina State University School of Design, Tom returned to Winston-Salem in the early 1970s and joined the small practice that would eventually become CJMW. The timing was consequential. Several senior partners had just retired, and Tom—ambitious, energetic, and intensely driven—quickly assumed a leadership role. He became a principal in 1974 and would go on to guide the firm through decades of growth and change.
L-R: Michael Newman, Wally Winfree, Tom Calloway, Don Johnson
Tom combined a belief in strong design with a sharp instinct for business. He cultivated clients relentlessly and could articulate, often without notes, how architecture could solve problems and shape identity. His handwritten cash-flow statements and later spreadsheets served as management tools for the firm long before such rigor was commonplace in firms of our size. He had a gift for mental arithmetic and frequently helped clients think through early pro formas, sometimes even stepping into development roles himself. His quick, ballpark calculations were legendary.
Design, however, was always at the center.
In Winston-Salem, his imprint is visible across the skyline and throughout the civic fabric:
- Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art (SECCA)
- Stevens Center renovation and multiple buildings on the UNCSA campus
- Center City West
- Liberty Plaza
- Truist Stadium (formerly BB&T Ballpark)
- City Hall South
- Early work for Forsyth Bank, later Southern National, BB&T, and Truist
North Carolina State Bar Headquarters, Raleigh
He was instrumental in advancing the Strollway, the pedestrian corridor linking downtown Winston-Salem with Old Salem, reflecting his belief that cities should be experienced on foot and shaped for human interaction.
Beyond Winston-Salem, Tom contributed to university campuses and corporate environments throughout the Southeast, including projects at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and his alma mater, North Carolina State University.
Commitment to Craft
Tom read architectural journals voraciously and brought those ideas back to the studio, often debating them late into the evening with partners and colleagues. His interests ranged widely, from modernism to postmodernism, from urban civic buildings to Shingle Style-influenced residences. He especially admired the Arts and Crafts work of Edwin Lutyens and drew on that inspiration for both his private residences and other public work.
Truist Stadium (originally BB&T Ballpark), Winston-Salem
Tom was demanding. He held strong opinions about design, about leadership, and about how work should be done. That intensity pushed projects forward and set a high bar for the firm. Many young architects recall both the pressure and the opportunity of presenting work to him. He expected clarity of thought and strength of conviction, and he gave both in return. He pushed people hard, often because he believed they were capable of more than they realized.
He could also be unexpectedly personal and attentive. He remembered details about people—their children’s names, a recent award, a setback at home. The phone calls colleagues recall were just as likely to be congratulations on a professional milestone as they were to express genuine sadness and compassion during a difficult personal moment. Later in life, he often shared photos of his grandchildren, his daughter’s paintings, and stories about the dogs that were part of his daily routine over the years (Sister, Hannah, and most recently Axel), each of whom made occasional visits to the office with him. He noticed effort. He appreciated excellence. And when he believed in someone, he advocated for them.
Lowe’s Companies, Inc. Headquarters, Mooresville
There were also the visible rituals of his daily work. Tom wrote almost exclusively with a thick blue felt pen. The sheets of paper that accumulated around him—covered with rapid-fire arithmetic, loose sketches, margin notes from phone calls, fragments of ideas—were instantly recognizable to anyone in the office. They captured the speed of his thinking and the immediacy with which he engaged whatever problem was in front of him.
An Architectural Imprint
In recent years, Tom devoted significant energy to Possibilities Park, a sports complex designed for children with special needs. It reflected something consistent throughout his career: a conviction that architecture matters most when it expands opportunity and dignity.
Tom’s legacy is not simple, and it is not small. He helped shape this firm’s trajectory, mentored generations of architects, and left a permanent mark on the city he loved. The buildings remain, but so does the culture of ambition, engagement, and belief in the power of design that he instilled.
Truist Leadership Institute South, Greensboro
Tom’s influence also lives on in the people who worked with him. Many of the architects and designers who continue the firm’s work today spent at least part of their careers presenting drawings across his desk, defending ideas, and learning, sometimes under pressure, how to think more clearly about design. Those lessons, and that expectation of engagement with the work, remain part of the firm’s culture.
We extend our condolences to his family and to the many clients, collaborators, and colleagues who worked alongside him over the past fifty years. His impact on our firm and on Winston-Salem will endure.
