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Edward James Lennox
Edward James Lennox as represented in C. Blackett Robinson’s
History oj Toronto and County of York Ontario (1885).
Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library
Edward James Lennox
“Builder of Toronto”
MARILYN M. LITVAK
Copyright © Marilyn Litvak, 1995
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise (except brief passages for purposes of review), without the prior permission of Dundum Press Limited. Permission to photocopy should be requested from the Canadian Reprography Collective.
Edited by Doris Cowan
Printed and bound in Canada by Webcom
The publisher wishes to acknowledge the generous assistance and ongoing support of the Canada Council, the Book Publishing Industry Development Program of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Ontario Arts Council, the Ontario Publishing Centre of the Ministry of Citizenship, Culture and Recreation, and the Ontario Heritage Foundation. Care has been taken to trace the ownership of copyright material used in the text (including the illustrations). The author and publisher welcome any information enabling them to rectify any reference or credit in subsequent editions.
J. Kirk Howard, Publisher
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data Litvak, Marilyn Edward James Lennox: “builder of Toronto”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-55002-204-0
1. Lennox, Edward James, 1854–1933. 2. Architecture, Modern -
19th century – Ontario – Toronto. 3. Architecture, Modern – 20th
century – Ontario – Toronto. 4. Toronto (Ont.) – Buildings, structures,
etc. 5. Architects – Ontario – Toronto – Biography. I. Title.
NA749.L44L57 1995 720’.92 C93-094433-X
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for ISAIAH & MATTHEW
Contents
A “What will the Architectural Appearance of Toronto be in the Year 2004 A.D.?” by E.J. Lennox
B Inventory of Books Owned by E.J. Lennox
PREFACE
Edward James Lennox’s architecture is still a part of Toronto’s daily life, yet few people recognize the name of the man who was once called “the builder of Toronto.” Lennox was responsible for such key monuments as Old City Hall, the Bank of Toronto on Yonge Street, Casa Loma, and St. Paul’s Anglican Church on Bloor Street East. During the four decades between 1876 and 1917 his output was prodigious. Some of his work has been highlighted in general texts, and articles have been written over the years in praise of Lennox and his architecture, but this is the first time, in the more than sixty years since his death, that a book has been devoted exclusively to his work.
My chief concern has been to convey a sense of Lennox’s importance in Toronto’s architectural history, and to show how his buildings represent his interpretation of contemporary architectural trends.
The task of assembling the photographs, drawings, perspectives, and other records of Lennox’s work was an enormous one. Many buildings known to have been built by Lennox had not been documented. In addition, some information about Lennox and his buildings contained in books, articles, and repositories (building inventories, for instance) proved to be incorrect. For example, various birth dates are given for Lennox: 1854, 1855, and 1856 all appear in different books and articles. However, on the evidence of the chronology of his architectural training, it appears that Lennox’s gravestone in St. James’ Cemetery on Parliament Street gives the correct year – 1854.
The documents are also at variance in their accounts of Lennox’s early practice. For decades his partner was identified as McGaw, sometimes McCaw, with no first name or initials, and their partnership was noted as having dissolved in 1882. It was not until the 1980s that the full and correct name was established: Lennox’s architectural partner was William Frederick McCaw1 and it is clear from the author’s findings that Lennox set out on his own in 1881. Additionally, buildings have been attributed to Lennox which simply are not his — Massey Hall is a good example. It was not designed by Lennox; indeed, it was not even supervised by him. However, once in print, an error in fact becomes a “fact” in error and develops a life of its own. In many ways this project was motivated by the desire to set the record straight, although I am sure I too have been guilty of accepting information that will eventually be proved incorrect.
A search of textual materials, photographs, and drawings related to Lennox and his work was undertaken at such institutions as the Metropolitan Toronto Reference Library, Toronto Historical Board, Toronto City Hall Archives, Ontario Hydro Archives,