Tommy Thompson brings new life to old buildings in Globe-Miami

Local attorney and longtime Globe resident Tom Thompson estimates he has owned upward of 40 buildings in Globe and Miami over the course of his half-century in the community.

Some of them more than once.

Thompson has been “collecting” buildings in Globe-Miami since he moved to the area in 1973, and has served on the board of the Globe Downtown Association for over thirty years. Thanks to his many investments in the preservation and restoration of old buildings in the area,  much of local history has survived and been put back into service. 

Most notable of these investments has been the old Globe Café in downtown Globe  which had been in danger of being demolished when a huge crack opened up on the outside wall. While the out of town owner refused to address the situation and the City was ready to condemn it, Thompson was able to purchase the building and repair the structural damage to prevent further deterioration. In doing so, he prevented a demolition which would have left a gaping hole in Globe’s Historic District.

He later sold the building to an investor from Seattle with experience in restoration of historic buildings and the passion and money necessary to preserve the historic nature of the building. The result has been  a win-win for the downtown district, providing much needed housing with upstairs apartments and a first floor event space used for private parties and business functions.

His latest project, the historic 1910 Elks building at the corner of Pine and Mesquite streets in downtown Globe, has been in his portfolio since the summer of 2023 after the death of Dr. Glenn Wilt, Jr. in March 2023. When Thompson took it over it had pigeons living upstairs and damage from a leaky roof. 

He immediately went about clearing out the old debris, fixing the roof and giving the rooms a fresh coat of paint. The effect has been transformational and has halted further deterioration of this iconic and amazing building which once held a central role in Globe’s history. 

The building, which served as a meeting hall of the Elks, also hosted a theater and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Built of brick, the story goes that when they got to the third floor they had so many bricks left, they simply kept going until the walls were 24 ft high. The result was stunning to the eye, and gave the building its fame as the ‘tallest three story building” in the world.

Thompson says his main goal is preserving these kinds of buildings for posterity and getting them into a condition in which others see their potential and might be encouraged to invest further.

Reflecting on when he first arrived in the region nearly 50 years ago, he remembers a time when both Globe and Miami were thriving communities, with downtown districts which pulsed with activity.  Slowly as the economy ebbed and flowed, and businesses moved out, many buildings were simply left abandoned, and often open to the elements.

His work therefore in saving buildings that may otherwise be lost to time has proven crucial to the local economies and those working to bring activity back to the downtown areas. Having the building blocks remain of the historic districts, means opportunity for those wishing to re-imagine new uses. 

He sees progress in the local economies that have been bringing activity back to both downtown areas and is a promising sign for the future. 

“Give it some more time, because people with real money will come in and fix some of these buildings,” Thompson says. “That’s why I play this weird game of trying to do whatever I can to clean them up and prepare them for the next owner.”