Architectural Index for Ontario


Information on Architect: Thomas, William


Biography
Date of Birth 1799
Place of Birth Toronto, ON.
Date of Death 1860
Notes Emigrated to Canada in 1843. Designed many distinguished buildings in a variety of styles in the mid 1800s in Toronto. His son, William T. Thomas, carried on the firm. (Patricia McHugh, Toronto Architecture: A City Guide, 1985)


Address: 46 Adelaide Street East
Intersection: Bay Street
Type of Building: Churches
Name of Building: Zion Church
Notes: Commissioned to replace the original structure that had been destroyed by fire in 1855.

Dates
Building completed 1855-1856

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 77-76

End of record
Address: 0 Bay Street
Intersection: Richmond Street West
Type of Building: Churches
Name of Building: United Presbyterian Church
Notes: May also be known as "Jenning's Church".

Dates
Demolished 1886

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 44-45

End of record
Address: 75 Church Street
Intersection: Adelaide Street East
Type of Building: High Schools
Name of Building: Mechanics Institute
Notes: Had a variety of uses. Housed the Post Office + the Crown Lands departments from 1855-1869. The building was altered in 1877 by H.B. Gordon, and converted by Mark Hall in 1883 for use as Toronto's main public library. It opened in March 1884 and was used until the Reference Library was opened at 214 College Street in 1906. Until 1927-28, the library maintained a branch in the building. In 1930, it was re-opened as the Employement Services of Canada, and the following year it was taken over by the Department of Public Welfare, which remained there until 1948-1949, when it was demolished and replaced by a service station parking lot.

Dates
Cornerstone laid Apr 17 1854
Building completed 1853-1861
Demolished 1949

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Fred Cumberland : Building the Victorian Dream 1997 n/a 168+
Lost Toronto : images of the city's past 1993 n/a 136-
Parish and Cathedral of St. James' 1998 n/a 61

End of record
Address: 200 Church Street
Type of Building: Churches
Name of Building: St. Michael's Cathedral
Notes: Also listed as no.57 Bond Street. Initial Cathedral built by William Thomas, 1845-1848; tower and spire additions by Gundry & Langley, 1865-1867; dormer addions by Joseph Connolly, 1890.

Dates
Building completed 1845-1848
Altered 1867; 1890

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Architecture Canada. -- 196 May 41-42 44
Builder: an illustrated weekly magazine... 1871 Feb. 120 29 18th
Canadian Art 1961 March/A 88 18
Canadian Illustrated News 1879 Sept. 102 20 16th
Canadian Magazine of Politics… 1903 Dec. 111 22
Construction 1927 June 174 + 20
Construction 1931 April 132+ 24
Iron: Cast and wrought iron in Canada.... 1982 n/a 19 n/a n/a
Rotunda 1992 Spr. 27-33 24 7
Toronto Star 1998 April C2 21st
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 37-42

End of record
Address: 200 Church Street
Type of Building: Parsonages
Name of Building: Bishop's Palace
Notes: Now known as St. Michael's Cathedral Rectory. Designed to serves as the principal residence for Michael Power and successive bishops.


Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Toronto Star 1976 Feb. ? 7th
Toronto, Carved in Stone 1984 n/a 68-70

End of record
Address: 322 Church Street
Intersection: Gould Street
Type of Building: Owner-built houses
Name of Building: Oakham House
Notes: Has also been listed as #333 Church Street, and more recently as #63 Gould Street.

Dates
Building completed 1848

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Architecture Canada. -- 1967 May 42 44
Architecture Canada. -- 1971 Sept 5 48 27th
Gothic Revival in Canadian Architecture 1980 n/a 98-99 n/a n/a
Ontario Association of Architects: 1890-1950 1950 n/a upgd
Toronto Star 1976 Feb. ? 7th
Toronto Star 2000 Aug. N8 Sat. 26th
Toronto, 100 years of grandeur 1978 n/a 116+
Toronto, Carved in Stone 1984 n/a 125
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 64-67

End of record
Address: 5 Drumsnab Road
Type of Building: Houses
Name of Building: Drumsnab
Notes: Originally built early 1830s by first owner Francis Cayley. William Thomas responsible for the second-floor addition (1856). Further addition in 1908 by Eden Smith.

Dates
Building completed 1834
Altered 1856; 1908

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
City & Country Home 1985 Sept. 76-92 4 5
City & Country Home 1990 Dec/Jan 72-82 11 7
Eden Smith, Architect, 1858-1949 : a Biography 1976 n/a 31
Estates of Old Toronto 1997 n/a 96-97
Toronto 1987 May 46-51
Toronto Star 2000 Dec. M10 2nd
Toronto, 100 years of grandeur 1978 n/a 83-87
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 106

End of record
Address: 87 Elm Street
Type of Building: Almshouses
Name of Building: House of Industry
Notes: Third floor addition by E.J. Lennox in 1899. Building changed in 1947 to Laughlin Lodge. Since then it has been operating as a home for the elderly.

Dates
Building completed 1848
Altered 1899

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 57-58

End of record
Address: 103 Front Street East
Intersection: Jarvis Street
Type of Building: City Halls
Name of Building: City Hall - 2nd
Notes: Now known as the South St. Lawrence Market / Market Gallery and occupies no. 91 Front Street East. Built 1844-1845 by Henry Bower Lane. Rebuilt in 1851 by William Thomas (with John. G. Howard) to include shops in the wings. Stewart & Strickland rebuilt the shops in the east wing in 1876. The building was turned into a much larger market (by architect John Wilson Sidall) c1901, since the Third City Hall was completed at 60 Queen Street West in 1898.

Dates
Building completed 1844-1845
Altered 1851; 1904
Restored 1975-1977

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Globe & Mail 1986 July A8 11th
Globe & Mail 1972 Nov. ? 9th
Journal / Royal Architectural Institute of Canada 1956 July 271 33 7
Lost Toronto : images of the city's past 1993 n/a 66-68
Toronto Telegram 1965 Nov. ? 12th
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 88

End of record
Address: 550 Gerrard Street East
Type of Building: Jails
Name of Building: Don Jail
Notes: Known earlier as the Toronto Jail. Built in 1858, but re-built in 1865 after a fire. Will be restored and become part of the Riverdale Hospital. The red-brick Toronto Jail, on the north side of the property, was built in the 1950s, and will be demolished to make way for a long-term care building.

Dates
Building completed 1857-1864

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Cabbagetown remembered 1984 n/a 94-96
Cabbagetown: The Story of... 1998 n/a 40-41
Globe & Mail 2001 July A23 12th
Globe & Mail 2002 Jan. A19 Thur 31st
National Post 2001 July A23 Thur 12th
Toronto Star 1989 June E1 Sat 10th
Toronto Star 2000 March A2 25th
Toronto Star 1998 Oct. B2 19th
Toronto Star 2001 Dec. B2 17th
Toronto, Carved in Stone 1984 n/a 13 n/a
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 115ff

End of record
Address: 157 King Street East
Type of Building: City Halls
Name of Building: St. Lawrence Hall
Notes: Completed in 1850 (architect William Thomas); Restored in 1967 (architect Eric Arthur).

Dates
Building completed 1850

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Architecture Canada. -- 1967 May 42-45 44
Architecture Canada. -- 1969 June. 7 46
Builder: an illustrated weekly magazine... 1871 Feb. 120 29 18
Canadian Architect 1967 Apr. 5 12
Canadian Architect 1965 March 66 10
Canadian Architect & Builder 1895 Jan. 7 8
Canadian Art 1965 Jan/Feb 23 22
Canadian Art 1968 June 50 25
Canadian Art 1967 Jan. insrt 24
Canadian Interiors 1982 April 60 19 4
Construction 1927 June 174-1 20
Construction 1931 Apr. 132+ 24
Globe & Mail 1968 June ? Fri 14th
Globe & Mail 1958 May ?
Houses of old Toronto 1977 n/a 34-36
Iron: Cast and wrought iron in Canada.... 1982 n/a 117
Toronto Places 1992 n/a 62-63
Toronto Star 1980 Nov. ? 29th
Toronto, Carved in Stone 1984 n/a 20
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 47-51

End of record
Address: 0 Louisa Street
Intersection: Jarvis Street
Type of Building: Elementary Schools
Name of Building: Louisa Street School

Dates
Building completed 1852

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 89

End of record
Address: 0 Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Type of Building: Memorials
Name of Building: William Thomas Monument

Dates
Design conceived 1850
Building completed c1860

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Journal of the Society for the Study 1999 Spring 29 24 1
Perspectives: Newsletter of the Ontario Assn of Ar 1999 Fall 30 7 3

End of record
Address: 0 Park Street
Type of Building: Elementary Schools
Name of Building: Park Street School

Dates
Building completed 1852

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Cabbagetown In Pictures 1984 n/a 17
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 89

End of record
Address: 88 Queen Street East
Intersection: Mutual Street
Type of Building: Churches
Name of Building: Cooke's Church

Dates
Building completed 1858

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Toronto Architect Edmund Burke 1995 n/a 32
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 76

End of record
Address: 0 Queen Street West
Intersection: Yonge Street
Type of Building: Churches
Name of Building: Knox's Presbyterian Church

Dates
Cornerstone laid Sept. 1847
Building completed 1847

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 43-44

End of record
Address: 13 Wellington Street West
Type of Building: Banks
Name of Building: Commercial Bank of the Midland
Notes: Occupied no. 13-15 Wellington Street West. Commercial Bank of the Midland District. Occupied by the accounting firm of Clarkson Gordon from 1913 to 1969. The facade has been kept intact in the atrium of the BCE Place's "Heritage Square" (see also 181 Bay Street).

Dates
Building completed 1844

Journal or book Year Month Page Vol. No.
Iron: Cast and wrought iron in Canada.... 1982 n/a 116-7
Lost Toronto : images of the city's past 1993 n/a 20-21
Money Matters 1990 n/a 35-36
Spirit of Place 1988 n/a many
Toronto Contruction News 1993 Jan/Feb 18 11 1
Toronto, Carved in Stone 1984 n/a 8
Toronto, Carved in Stone 1984 n/a 8
William Thomas, Architect 1799-1860 1996 n/a 58-61