Our History

Tompkins Builders, Inc., was founded in 1911 by Charles Hook Tompkins and his wife, Lida Roberta Tompkins. Initially, the couple ran Chas H. Tompkins Co., as it was called at that time, out of their Washington D.C.-based home. The company expanded to the Mid-Atlantic states and developed a reputation for excellence and innovation in building construction.

Tompkins indicated in his will that the company should be sold only to J.A. Jones, if no family member was willing to carry on the company’s tradition and high standards. As a result, in 1961, J.A. Jones acquired Chas H. Tompkins Co., also known as Tompkins Builders. J.A. Jones was headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. The first post-acquisition project was the construction of the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Administration in 1961. In November 2003, Tompkins again changes hands and becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of the Turner Construction Company.

Today, Tompkins is the largest General Contractor domiciled in Washington, DC. Highly regarded for its quality construction and performance, Tompkins has built many of the landmark and signature buildings in this area. Several of the more notable venues include: Station Place Buildings I and II, the National World War II Memorial, Gallery Place, the Unified Communications Center, the Presidential Inaugural Stands, Thurgood Marshal Federal Judiciary Building, the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center to list a few.