Blackmore, William

BLACKMORE, William (1842-1904), a native of England, arrived in Canada in 1857 but nothing is known of his education and training. He worked as a contractor in Winnipeg from 1875 to 1885 but left after accumulating many debts and moved to Minneapolis where he obtained contracts to erect several commercial blocks. Within two years he had again encountered financial problems and quickly departed 'leaving behind debts amounting to over $5,000' (Morning Call [Winnipeg], 26 Aug. 1887, 4). In September 1887 he moved to Vancouver and opened an office as 'architect & superintendent', and was among the first to practise the profession in the rapidly growing town. During the next fifteen years he obtained many important commissions for residential, commercial and institutional landmarks constructed after the Great Fire of June 1886. In October 1899 he was one of eleven competitors who submitted plans for the new Wesley Methodist Church in Vancouver (C.R., x, 4 Oct. 1899, 3). He received the First Premium for his unique design based on a cruciform plan surmounted by a broad clear-span tower with clerestory lighting (BCPA, Photo Coll. 29705, illus.). In early 1900 Blackmore formed a partnership with his son Edward E. Blackmore who continued the practice after the death of his father on 10 August 1904 (obit. Daily News-Advertiser [Vancouver], 11 Aug. 1904, 5; Province [Vancouver], 11 Aug. 1904, 12; biog. and list of works in Vancouver Daily World, 13 July 1894, Canadian Pacific Review Supplement, 1; Canada, 1901 Census, British Columbia - Vancouver D3P4 L48; D. Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 135-7, 493)

(works in Vancouver unless noted)

GEORGIA STREET, near Burrard Street, mansion for C.D. Rand, 1888; demol. (Evening Herald [Vancouver], 7 June 1888, 1; Vancouver Daily World, 29 Sept. 1888, 3)
FIRE HALL NO. 2, Seymour Street, 1888; demol. (Evening Herald [Vancouver], 7 June 1888, 1; Vancouver Daily World, 29 Sept. 1888, 2)
PENDER STREET, near Burrard Street, residence for John M. Whitehead, 1888 (Evening Herald [Vancouver], 26 June 1888, 1; Vancouver Daily World, 31 Dec. 1888, 4)
GRANVILLE STREET, block for J. Fry, 1888 (Evening Herald [Vancouver], 26 June 1888, 1)
HOMER STREET, near Dunsmuir Street, residence for Albert Fader, 1888 (Vancouver Daily World, 29 Sept. 1888, 2)
ST. ANDREW'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Georgia Street at Richards Street, 1888-90; demol. (Vancouver Daily World, 29 Sept. 1888, 3; 22 May 1889, 4, descrip.; 26 May 1890, 2-3, descrip. & illus.)
PENDER STREET, at Richards Street, stores and apartments for T. Prest, 1888 (Vancouver Daily World, 31 Dec. 1888, 4)
GEORGIA STREET, near Bute Street, residence for Mr. Thompson, 1888 (Vancouver Daily World, 29 Sept. 1888, 3; 31 Dec. 1888, 5)
GEORGIA STREET, at Seymour Street, pair of houses for Russell Stevenson, 1888 (Vancouver Daily World, 29 Sept. 1888, 3; 31 Dec. 1888, 4)
HARO STREET, two houses for R.G. McConnell, 1888 (Vancouver Daily World, 9 Oct. 1888, 1)
ROBSON STREET, residence for Mr. Hermon, 1888 (Vancouver Daily World, 9 Oct. 1888, 1)
CAMPBELL BLOCK, Hastings Street 'next to the Lady Stephen Block', for D. Campbell, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 31 Dec. 1888, 5; 3 Jan. 1889, 4, descrip.)
VERMILYEA BLOCK NO. 1, Granville Street at Nelson Street, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 15 Feb. 1889, 1, descrip.; 4 June 1889, 1, descrip.)
FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, Richards Street at West Georgia Street, 1889; demol. (Vancouver Daily World, 11 Jan. 1889, 2, descrip.; Daily News Advertiser [Vancouver], 2 March 1889, 2, t.c.)
MANOR HOUSE HOTEL, Howe Street at Dunsmuir Street, hotel for Joseph Couture, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 29 March 1889, 4, descrip.; 9 May 1889, 4, descrip.)
BURRARD STREET, at Everleigh Street, pair of houses for Mr. Wilkinson, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 9 May 1889, 4)
HARO STREET, near Baldwin Street, residence for G.F. Baldwin, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 9 May 1889, 4)
BEACH AVENUE, overlooking English Bay, pair of houses for Lacey R. Johnston, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 9 May 1889, 4)
HARRISON HOT SPRINGS, B.C., large bathing pavilion, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 1 June 1889, 4)
JERVIS STREET, at Comox Street, a 'villa residence' for W.H. Armstrong, 1889 (Vancouver Daily World, 15 June 1889, 1)
THE COMMERCIAL BLOCK, Columbia Street near Powell Street, 1893 (Vancouver Daily World, 25 April 1893, 8, descrip.)
ROGERS-HUNTER BLOCK, Columbia Street at Powell Street, 1893 (Vancouver Daily World, 10 Aug. 1893, 3, descrip.)
VERMILYEA BLOCK NO. 2, Granville Street, 1893 (Vancouver Daily World, 30 Sept. 1893, 5, descrip.)
DUNN BLOCK, Granville Street at Pender Street, for Thomas Dunn, 1893; addition 1898; demol. 1949 (Vancouver Daily World, 29 Jan. 1894, 3, descrip.; Province [Vancouver], 6 Aug. 1898, 2; Vancouver of Today Architecturally, 1900, illus.; dwgs. at the Vancouver City Archives)
G.L. WILSON STORE 'in the Rogers Block', Hastings Street near Cambie Street, 1895 (Vancouver Daily World, 17 Aug. 1895, 6, descript.)
THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL [later The El Cid Hotel], Cambie Street, for Crean & Thomas, 1895 (Vancouver Daily World, 25 Oct. 1895, 8, descrip.; H. Kalman, Exploring Vancouver, 1978, 36, illus. but lacking attribution)
GRIFFITHS BLOCK, Cordova Street, 1896 (C.R., vi, 23 Jan. 1896, 2)
EAST END PUBLIC SCHOOL (now called Lord Strathcona School), Keefer Street at Campbell Avenue, addition, 1898, (Vancouver Daily World, 8 Nov. 1897, 3; Vancouver of Today Architecturally, 1900, illus.; D. Franklin, Early School Architecture in British Columbia, 1980, 116-17, 132, illus.)
McLEOD & COOTE, Westminster Street at Hastings Street East, dry goods store, 1897 (C.R., viii, 29 April 1897, 2)
BARCLAY STREET, near Thurlow Street, residence for George L. Wilson, 1898 (C.R., ix, 11 May 1898, 6)
FAIRVIEW BLOCK, for the Fairview Exploration Co., Granville Street at Pender Street, 1898 (Province [Vancouver], 6 Aug. 1898, 2)
HARO STREET, near Jervis Street, residence for Harold E. Clarke, 1898 (Vancouver Daily World, 28 July 1898, 5, t.c.; C.R., ix, 10 Aug. 1898, 2, t.c.)
NANAIMO, B.C., residencee for William Sloan, on the New Castle townsite, 1898 (Vancouver Daily World, 20 Aug. 1898, 7, t.c.)
NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C., two blocks of stores and offices on Columbia Avenue and on Front Street, 1898 (Vancouver Daily World,28 Sept. 1898, 5, t.c.)
SAVOY THEATRE, Cordova Street, 1898 (Vancouver Daily World, 17 Dec. 1898, 1, descrip.)
FLACK BLOCK, West Hastings Street at Cambie Street, for Thomas Flack, 1898-99 (C.R., x, 4 Oct. 1899, 2; Province [Vancouver], 12 Nov. 1898, 2, descrip.; 15 Dec. 1898, 1, t.c.; Vancouver of Today Architecturally, 1900, illus.; H. Kalman, Exploring Vancouver, 1978, 37, illus.)
BURNS BLOCK, Cordova Street at Water Street, for John Burns, 1899 (C.R., ix, 18 Jan. 1899, 2, t.c.)

WILLIAM BLACKMORE & SONS

HARRISON HOT SPRINGS, B.C., addition to the St. Alice Hotel, 1900 (C.R., xi, 7 Nov. 1900, 1, t.c.)
BARCLAY STREET, at Jervis Street, residence for John Burns, c. 1900 (Vancouver of Today Architecturally, 1900, illus.)
GEORGIA STREET, residence for Lt. Gov. Charles H. McIntosh, c. 1900 (Vancouver of Today Architecturally, 1900, illus.)
WESLEY METHODIST CHURCH, Georgia Street at Burrard Street, 1901 (Vancouver Daily World, 2 Jan. 1901, 6, illus. & descrip.; Province [Vancouver], 2 Jan. 1901, 9, descrip.; C.A.B., xv, May 1902, page x, illus.)
VANCOUVER BASEBALL CLUB, grand stand, 1901 (C.R., xii, 3 April 1901, 2)
CEDAR COTTAGE, two residences for Richard Robinson, 1901 (C.R., xii, 2 Oct. 1901, 3, t.c.)
A. MacDONALD & CO., Powell Street, warehouse, 1901 (C.R., xii, 20 Nov. 1901, 2)
unnamed street, hotel for Frank Foubert, 1902 (C.R., xiii, 14 May 1902, 2, t.c.)
SACRED HEART ACADEMY, Dunsmuir Street at Homer Street, additions, 1903 (C.R., xiv, 13 May 1903, 3)
BRITISH COLUMBIA ELECTRIC RAILWAY CO., distribution station or reduction station, Main Street, 1903; demol. (C.R., xiv, 5 Aug. 1903, 2, t.c.)
DAVIE STREET, at Broughton Street, residence for Thomas Foster, 1903 (C.R., xiv, 26 Aug. 1903, 3)
EAST HASTINGS STREET, residence for W.A. Brown, 1904 (H. Kalman, Exploring Vancouver, 1978, 59, illus.)