JAMES, Douglas (1888-1962), the brother of Percy L. James, was born in London, England on 17 March 1888 and articled to L.E. Godfrey Page from November 1902 until late 1905. He was employed as assistant to John Slater in London for two years during which time he studied at the Royal Academy and obtained a first class certificate in Architectural Design from the South Kensington Technical School. In 1907 at the age of twenty he followed his brother Percy to Canada and settled in Victoria, British Columbia. The brothers formed a partnership there in 1910 and worked together until 1915 when Douglas joined Canadian Expeditionary Forces in Europe (see list of works under James & James). After the end of World War I, Douglas James returned to Vancouver Island and settled at Duncan where he maintained his own practise until 1943. He retired after 1950 and died at Victoria on 30 September 1962 (death notice in the Daily Colonist [Victoria], 2 Oct. 1962, 22; D. Luxton, Building the West: The Early Architects of British Columbia, 2003, 302-03, 506; inf. Architectural Inst. of British Columbia, Vancouver). A detailed chronological list of works by Douglas James can be found on pages 199-203 in the book entitled The Life and Times of Victoria Architect P. Leonard James, by Rosemary J. Cross, pub. 2005.
Douglas JAMES (works in Duncan, B.C.)
BEECH AVENUE, residence for C.F. Davie, 1922 (Cowichan Leader, 23 Feb. 1922, and 25 May 1922)
WHARNCLIFFE ROAD, residence for Douglas James, architect, 1924 (Cowichan Leader, 25 Dec. 1924, and 22 Jan. 1925)
CAPITOL THEATRE, Station Street, 1925; altered c. 1960 (Cowichan Leader, 23 July 1925)
PUBLIC SCHOOL, Cairnsmore Street, 1925 (Cowichan Leader, 19 Feb. 1925)
GIBBINS ROAD, 'Stonehaven', a residence for Carlton Stone, 1926 (R. Cross, list of works, 200)
HERD ROAD, Somenos Lake, residence for Maj. H.T. Sherwell Anderson, 1927 (Cowichan Leader, 12 May 1927)
ST. EDWARDS ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH, Coronation Avenue at Brae Road, 1927 (Cowichan Leader, 20 Oct. 1927)
THE COWICHAN LEADER, newspaper offices and printing plant, Kenneth Street, 1927 (Cowichan Leader, 24 Nov. 1927)
WHARNCLIFFE ROAD, residence for Claude Green, 1928 (Cowichan Leader, 26 Jan. 1928)
STAMPS ROAD, residence for G.E. Pritchard, 1929; altered (Cowichan Leader, 14 Feb. 1929)
RHODES LIQUOR STORE, a retail store for Mr. Rhodes, Canada Avenue at Ingram Street, 1929 (Nanaimo Free Press, 5 March 1929, 4, descrip.; Victoria Daily Times, 8 March 1929, 3)
KNIGHTS OF PYTHIAS HALL, Brae Street, 1930 (Cowichan Leader, 30 April 1930)
TRUNK ROAD, at Ypres Street, residence for Mrs. C.M. Lamb, 1933 (Cowichan Leader, 23 March 1933)
HIGH SCHOOL, Cairnsmore Street, large addition for a Gymnasium, 1935 (Cowichan Leader, 14 March 1935)
Douglas JAMES (works In Victoria unless noted)
MAPLE BAY, B.C., 'Stagstones', a residence for Douglas James, architect, Herd Road, 1922 (Cowichan Leader, 14 May 1925)
NANAIMO, B.C., Nanaimo Motors Ltd., Front Street, 1924 (inf. Donald Luxton)
VICTORIA, B.C., residence for E. Garside, Davie Street, 1926 (City of Victoria b.p. 17660, 1926)
SHAWNIGAN LAKE, B.C., Boy's School, Central Block, 1927; and Chapel, 1927, for C.W. Lonsdale, 1927 (dwgs. at BCPA, Prints & Drawings Coll.)
QUAMICHAN, B.C., residence for J.C. Sanderson, Maple Bay Road at Daykin Road, 1928 (Cowichan Leader, 26 Jan. 1928, 1)
VICTORIA, B.C., residence at Uplands for John Christie, Upper Terrace Road opposite Cardigan Road, 1929 (Larry McCann, Imagining Uplands, 2016, 288, illus.)
(with Eric Clarkson) OAK BAY, B.C., a fifty suite apartment block, Beach Drive, for the Vancouver Island Apartments Ltd., 1930 (C.R., xliv, 1 Oct. 1930, 70)
COWICHAN, B.C., a chapel for Queen Margaret's School, 1933 (Blairmore Enterprise [Blairmore, Alta.], 28 Dec. 1933, 3, descrip.)
CHEMAINUS, B.C., new pubic school, 1937 (The Province [Vancouver], 1 April 1937, 12, descrip.)
COMOX, B.C., St. Peter's Anglican Church, 1939 (dwgs. at BCPA, Prints & Drawings Coll.)
(with D.C. Frame) VICTORIA, B.C., Canadian Bank of Commerce, Government Street, 1946 (inf. from Hallmark Society, Victoria)
(with Hubert Savage and D.C. Frame) VICTORIA, B.C., Memorial Arena, Blanshard Street at Caledonia Avenue, 1946-47; demol. 2003 (Victoria Daily Times, 4 March 1946, 1)