James, Henry

JAMES, Henry(1838-1893) was born in England and began his career there as a member of the engineering staff of the Great Western Railway. After coming to Canada he held the position of Architect & Civil Engineer with the Toronto, Grey & Bruce Railway in 1870. He may have worked in the office of James Grand of Toronto and upon the death of the latter in September 1871 an announcement was published in which he and George H. Lalor, a talented and precocious designer, advertised themselves as '.....successors to the practise of J. Grand' (Globe [Toronto], 28 Sept. 1871, 3). In late 1873 the firm of James & Lalor won the competition for the Oddfellows Hall in LONDON, ONT., but this appears to be their last project before the dissolution of the partnership. Henry James then left for Ottawa to take a position with the drafting department of the Department of Public Works. In 1878 he was 'temporarily employed' as Assistant Architect in that Department (City of Ottawa Directory, 1878, 420) and by June 1884 had risen to the senior position of Chief Architect for the Militia Department (Montreal Daily Star, 18 June 1884, 3). In this role, he held responsibility for the design, construction, and maintenance of militia Drill Halls, military training schools and related buildings in Canada. He died in Ottawa on 28 November 1893 and was succeeded by Frederick W. White (obituary in the Ottawa Citizen, 29 Nov. 1893, 8; inf. from M. Archibald, By Federal Design: The Chief Architects Branch of the Department of Public Works 1881-1914, 30)

JAMES & LALOR

(works in Toronto unless noted)

JEWELL'S RESTAURANT, Jordan Street, for W.R. Abbott, 1872, demol. (Globe [Toronto], 16 April 1872, 4, t.c.)
QUEEN STREET EAST, at George Street, two stores for Mrs. Young, 1872 (Mail [Toronto], 29 Nov. 1872, 1, t.c.)
ELORA, ONT., Knox Presbyterian Church, 1873 (Elora Observer, 30 May 1873, 2, descrip.)
NOTRE DAME CONVENT, Jarvis Street at Lombard Street, 1872-73, demol. (Irish Canadian [Toronto], 11 June 1873, 4, descrip.)
UNION BLOCK, Toronto Street at Adelaide Street East, 1873, demol. 1913 (Globe [Toronto], 1 Feb. 1873, 3, t.c.; Mail [Toronto], 18 July 1873, 4, descrip.; W. Dendy, Lost Toronto, 1993, 106, illus.)
WELLESLEY STREET EAST, near Yonge Street, residence for Charles Belford, 1873 (Mail [Toronto], 28 June 1873, 3, t.c.)
WELLINGTON STREET EAST, near Scott Street, two wholesale stores for Samuel Stern, 1873, demol. (Globe [Toronto], 19 July 1873, 4, t.c.)
HOUSE OF PROVIDENCE, Power Street, new North Wing, 1873, demol. (Globe [Toronto], 2 Aug. 1873, 3, t.c.)
LONDON, ONT., Oddfellows Hall, Dundas Street at Clarence Street, 1873-74 (Leader [Toronto], 22 Nov. 1873, 1; Globe [Toronto], 22 Nov. 1873, 1, descrip.)

MILITIA BUILDINGS

KINGSTON, ONT., Cadet's Hospital at the Royal Military College, 1886 (Canada, Sessional Papers, xx, 1887, No. 9, Appendix 13, 221)
LONDON, ONT., Infantry School (now Wolseley Barracks), Elizabeth Street near Oxford Street East, 1886-87 (Daily Advertiser [London], 3 Aug. 1885, 8, descrip.; 2 July 1886, 4; Free Press [London], 25 Jan. 1886, 3, descrip.; J. Weir, Lost Craft of Ornamented Architecture: Canadian Architectural Drawings 1850-1930, 74, illus.; dwgs. in the Moore Collection, Univ. of Western Ontario, London)
HAMILTON, ONT., Drill Shed, James Street at Hugh Street, 1887 (Canada, Sessional Papers, xxi, 1888, No. 10, Appendix 13, 238)
QUEBEC CITY, QUE., Drill Hall, Cove Field, 1888 (Canada, Sessional Papers, 1889, No. 13, Appendix 14, 248)
VICTORIA, B.C., Guard House, officers residences, and quartermaster's stores for the Militia Dept., 1889 (C.A.B., ii, Oct. 1889, 119)
VICTORIA, B.C., a new Drill Hall, Menzies Street, 1890-91 (Victoria Daily Times, 3 Nov. 1890, 7, detailed descrip.; Canada, Sessional Papers, xxvi, 1893, Appendix 2, 36; Victoria Heritage Foundation, This Old House - Victoria's Heritage Neighbourhoods - Vol. 2, James Bay, 2018, 151-53, illus. & descrip.)
BRANTFORD, ONT., Drill Hall, Brant Avenue at Colborne Street West, 1893 (C.A.B., ii, Sept. 1889, 99; Canada, Sessional Papers, xxvii, 1894, No. 19, Appendix 2, 26)

OTHER WORKS

OTTAWA, ONT., Grace Anglican Church, Elgin Street at Somerset Street, 1890-91 (Ottawa Free Press, 20 Sept. 1890, 5, descrip.; Daily Citizen [Ottawa], 20 Oct. 1890, 1; 24 Jan. 1891, 2, descrip.)

COMPETITIONS

TORONTO, ONT., Knox College, Spadina Avenue at College Street, 1873. The firm of James & Lalor received Second Prize of $100 for their scheme for this institutional landmark in Toronto (Globe 11 July 1873, 1). The winner was the Toronto firm of Smith & Gemmell.
LONDON, ONT., Oddfellows Hall, Dundas Street at Clarence Street, 1873-74. There were ten entries sent in for this project. The design by James & Lalor, presented in the Second Empire style, received First Premium of $100, and the project was completed in 1874 (Globe [Toronto], 22 Nov. 1873, 1, descrip.)
OTTAWA, ONT., Central Ward School, Elgin Street, 1890. Henry James was recorded as one of six architects who submitted designs for this building for the Ottawa Public School Board (Evening Journal [Ottawa], 28 March 1890, 3). It is unclear who won this competition.